I do understand the pros and cons of each, but I would love to hear any opinions/comparisons (performance, fun, annoyances) from those who have some experience behind the wheel in both.

TIA!

 

I bought a 2018 JCW F60. I couldn't be happier. Coming from a 2005 Cooper S, the thing really moves and has way more get-up-and-go than my old 05 S. I debated between the hybrid and then JCW and I am very glad I went with the JCW. Also, if you plan on doing mods like tow hitch, lift kit, etc, most do not support the hybrid.

 

 

EPA states that your overall combined mileage will be one mile per gallon better in the SE than in the S countryman if that helps. I've been comparing an S with the SE as well and the other issue for me was breaking distance...extra 17 feet for the SE when breaking from 70mph to 0...I would have been in two accidents on Friday alone if I had the SE. I'll give them a few years to figure it all out.

 

 

Fueleconomy.gov (https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymake/MINI2019.shtml) shows that the Cooper S Countryman All4 4cyl 2.0 L Automatic gets 26 combined city/highway while the Cooper SE Countryman All4 3 cyl, 1.5 L Automatic gets 27 combined city/highway. See image from that page below.

For me, my driving is nearly all highway and I go about 120 miles per day. That along with the much longer breaking distances as reported by MotorTrend and Car and Driver just don't make the few SE advantages worthwhile at least to me.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/mini/...t-test-review/
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...id-test-review





Fueleconomy.gov mileage for 2019 countryman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just picked up my 2018 SE earlier this week and I love it. The instant torque from the electric motor makes it feel really quick. For me, it is a great balance of performance and efficiency.

 

I've got 7K miles on my 2018 SE and I love it! I can go from cruising along in all electric green mode and slap the shifter over to sport and it kicks the engine on and the electric engine together and phhheeevv it's quick! The E-Drive in sport mode alone is awesome for around town driving. I don't know if I'll be able to go back to a standard ice engine vehicle.

I just had the driving lights installed and had a justa 2018 countryman as a loaner. Huge difference, like a totally different vehicle (even though they share the same engine).

One thing I love about the SE when driving in full on sport mode is the E-Braking. On twistys, you let off the gas leaving an apex and it starts slowing you down going into your next one, much like engine breaking, but less taxing on the engine. You learn to feather the accelerator to manage acceleration vs. deceleration.

The only complaint I have is learning the braking behavior. When you get to below 15 mph, the standard breaks take over. It takes some getting used to and my wife complains (she barely drives it).

For me, going green was a big deciding factor in my purchase, but the fun factor of having the dual engine setup doesn't hurt!

MPGs....I have 48 mpg as the overall average, but that's with two 1,500 plus mile road trips, which averaged at 37 on their own. I regularly go 700 miles on a 8 gallon tank with my 7 mile commute with 60 mile trips sprinkled here and there.

 

Lots of great info...keep it coming please, and thank you, everybody!

 

I've had my SE All4 for a couple of months now. I needed the All4 feature for mountain driveways. I liked the idea of all electric for going to town and back which I can do most days. Colder days or max AC usage will shorted the range.
I love the combined torque and power. 0-60 in 6 seconds (my personal experience). This thing does get-up and go.
Highway I get high 30's / low 40's. I like that all the accessories run off the main battery pack and regenerative braking keeps the pack charged enough to run those. It's a different kind of Hybrid for sure. Less load on the motor. They could use EV to boost up hills on when you need 10HP. That would be more like Honda Civic or Prius. I would think that would help get higher mileage.

 

Thank you all for the information. I am going on Friday to test drive one and will let everyone know my thoughts as well.

 

Be sure to test it in the various settings! There are 9 total configurations haha.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve got a basix magic shade, I would recommend that or something similar.

 

I know some people love theirs, but to me, the Justa is not enough for the Countryman's bulk. It's great on an F56, but not here.

The E, to me (no offense intended!!), is simply the worst of all worlds: small tank, less storage, no sliding rear bench, increased weight, more expensive, barely perceptible efficiency gain, no manual transmission!

So, the only options I'd consider are S and JCW. If I didn't need a manual, then also X1 and X2.

Personally, I got an S All4 MT. It was the perfect choice for me, and I often get >500 mile range, hwy.

My 2 centavos.

 

Fair enough, your points are valid! I would have preferred a MT as well (my R56 was a MT) but had to get AT for my wife to be able to drive it. I also didn't buy the S E for gas mileage. While it has been great for me so far (51+mpg avg) I love the instant torque and added performance of the S E which is faster than the S and cheaper than the JCW (comparing base prices)! To each his own though!

 

Well I made the jump....yesterday I drove my JCW Countryman to St. Louis and traded it in for a SE Countryman PHEV.

Drove the Hybrid 5 hours home last night.

Very happy.



I took some pics in (very sunny) Chicago today and so as not to derail this discussion, I will post them in a new thread.