Wow, haven't been around here since I had the first gen MINI CooperS back around 2004.

Anyhoo, thinking about the possibility of picking up a Countryman JCW All4.
Got a few questions since it's been so long.

1) If I need to special order, is there a time when the order window closes for 2019 with a delay before it opens back up with 2020 orders?
2) Is it still around 8-12 weeks for special orders?
3) What is typical as far as discounts off MSRP? I'm used to Audi where I can get in one for around Invoice, and currently in a Wrangler which I can easily get for 5% below invoice.
4) Any hookup in the Houston area as far as a specific salesperson? Or willing to travel/ship if there is "group buy" pricing at a dealer out of town/state.

Thanks!

And gratuitous pic of my old 2004 Chili Red

 

3) Some MINI dealers are doing pretty poorly and will probably make a good deal for you. Others won't budge beyond whatever specials they and MINI are running. On an ordered car last time I checked my local dealer was going to gift me $500, nearest competitor was $2000 off without any hassle.

Don't know the other answers. Welcome back.

 

You've probably seen the announcement but just in case... The 2020 JCW Countryman will have just over 300 hp. I'm not sure if that's at the beginning of the model year or a midyear change.

 

I had NOT seen that yet.
Dang... that's a helluva upgrade. Wonder what that is going to do to the price...

 

Welcome back., yep some people will wait for the power upgrade. But it might be a while, i have not even seen the prices yet. We have a 2019 JCW Countryman here and its super nice in rebel green, You could always get a Dinan tune/burger tune afterward to bump up the power.

Get the red recaro seats if you do, they look and feel super nice. Its the same as this just different wheels.

 

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Read this post: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-the-deal.html

At least read the first page, then the last page. On the last page you'll usually find MINI's recent sales figures. April was a freaking bloodbath, so any dealer you go to will be motivated to make a deal. They won't admit it, but they are desperate. Consider buying off the lot — they're a lot more interested in not losing money on a car they're currently paying for than they are on selling a car they don't yet own.

 

Another question if ya'll don't mind!

So I would love to have the extra power of the JCW. Especially the new numbers. I mean the difference between the S and the JCW now is astronomical.
Love some of the styling features too.

But this little buggy rides stiff enough. At least my old 2-door Cooper S did. 95% of my driving is around the city so the roads are less than optimal, if I'm being nice.
I don't have any experience though with the countryman, and test driving a brand new one doesn't help all that much since the suspension hasn't been broken in yet.
Is there a noticeable diff in ride quality/stiffness between the S and JCW?

And second, considering the cost difference between the two... I know I wouldn't be able to match the 2020 JCW numbers with the engine/turbo upgrades it has, but could I throw a few grand into an S and get a decent power upgrade?

Thanks!

 

You can get adjustable dampers on the Gen3 Minis. The blurb I read on the 300HP JCW Clubman/Countryman said they'd have a stiffer/sportier stock suspension but you can still get the adjustable dampers. It's a whole different engine than the current cars have, I think it's the same as either the BMW 1 or BMW 2 series cars.

 

I ordered my JCW Countryman at 6% off MSRP on 4/1/19. I could have received 7% if I was willing to travel. My car is scheduled to arrive at the dealer in California around 6/1. If you are patient, negotiate and are willing to travel, you should be able to get at least 10% (before incentives) off MSRP on a countryman on a dealer lot. A couple dealers told me they won’t be discounting the 300 hp 2020 JCW at launch.

The factory in the Netherlands where the Countrymans are built usually shuts down in July, so if you don’t get an order placed in the next couple weeks you may as well wait until August and order a 2020.

 

The countrymen, all models, ride much softer than any of the hardtops. Much, much softer. So while I can’t tell you how different the CMS vs CMJCW are, the baseline for both is going to be softer than your old Hardtop.

The upcoming 300hp Countryman has some suspension changes from the regular. But, until someone drives one we won’t know if it is significantly more aggressive (stiffer and lower) than current CM, or if it is simply scaled to provide a similar ride comfort with the extra weight of the new AWD system. So far all we have to go on is a press release.


Yes… depending what you consider decent anyway. You can use a simple piggyback unit for $250-300 that will add another 5-10% on top of the base 190hp; it basically fools the car into boosting the turbo pressure higher. (I consider this to be a very mild change which makes the engine behave like it ought to from the factory but doesn’t.)

For somewhat more you can get Dinan’s multi-point piggyback which also plays with some other sensors to safely get more power out of it.

And then in the $1000 range you can have the ECU unlocked and load a more aggressive canned tune; at that point you are looking at +20% power. If you add a high flow down pipe and exhaust and a larger inter cooler you can go higher.

The B46/48 engine used in the S models is detuned for the MINI. The same engine is used in the BMW X1 for 235hp with pretty much the same internals. (The X1 may have more cooling capacity to match the extra output, I’m not sure!)

So, I would be comfortable taking the engine up to 230hp.

But you you aren’t getting near 300 unless you’re willing to start replacing pistons, fuel injectors, turbo, cooling, exhaust, etc.

for more hit up the Modifications sections of the forum. :-) I’ve just about exhausted my knowledge.

 

LOL, well FWIW, that was all VERY helpful, so thank you.