In case you've missed some of the other threads.

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...ni-countryman/

 

10.5 seconds to 60? 120 horsepower base engine? That sounds like a winning combo...............

 

Well, perhaps the S will hit around 8 seconds to sixty then, and the AWD should prove to be fun.

I wonder how this will handle with a suspension job.

 

thats perfectly adequate for daily driving. This isn't a race car.

 

No way, I could eat lunch before it reaches highway speeds. Maybe for you it's ok, but I would not even give it the slightest consideration if I was in the market for one.

What would happen if I had 4 people in the car, and some suitcases? Would we ever reach 60?

 

Don't be so quick to write off 120 hp. Back in the day when the only econoboxes you could buy came from Japan, a lot of 'em had hp ratings well under 100. Hell, I had a '81 Civic with a 1.3L carburated 4 that was generously rated at something like 60 hp and 70 lb/ft of torque. It was no quarter-miler by any stretch, but I could chirp 1st and 2nd gear, and it'd get 4 people up to highway speed just fine. The hp rating isn't everything, and not everybody craves neck-snapping performance.

And I'd just like to remind all the bashers that come out of the woodwork every time somebody introduces something new --- not every car is for everybody. Case in point: as much as we love our MINI's, there are a LOT more buyers out there that for any number of reasons can't see the point of them. Are they wrong? For you and me, yes; for themselves, no. But imagine if BMW had listened to any of them and never revived the brand.

Just because you don't happen to like MINI's newest offering doesn't mean it's going to flop or that it's a piece of junk. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Nobody's holding a gun to your head. But a few people at BMW who probably get paid a lot more than you or me came to the conclusion that enough people will buy it to justify building it, quite possibly even some of those who think our beloved MCs and MCSs are too impractical to even look at. Just sayin'.

 

How much more weight will this vehicle have over the Hatch?

 

My Cooper hits 60 in ~8 seconds, that's already way too slow. 10.5...

 

It's not "back in the day" anymore, today average sedan runs 14's easily. Just because something was fine back in the day doesn't mean it's fine now. My step father used to own a civic, and it wouldn't gain any speed going up the hill if you put your foot all the way on the floor. For that very reason, he does not want buy one, ever.

I already stated that I would not buy this car, so there's no need to beat that horse again. I just think it's stupid to make some crossover/suv looking thing and give it 120 horsepower. We don't have to talk about the looks, because that's entirely subjective. What's not subjective is 10.5 seconds it takes to get to 60. I will have to take back what I said about my mothers SUV that goes from 0-60 in 7 seconds and tips the scale at over 4000 pounds, because compared to this thing it's a rocket ship.

Additionally, those dudes who make all the smart decisions, and get paid more than I do, do not always make the best decisions. Case in point -



Someone at GM probably thought this was going to be a good idea too...

 

Hey, I agree with ya insofar as I wouldn't buy one either. But then there's some people think it's stupid putting 200+ hp in a 1.5-ton front-drive hatchback. Who's right?

You're also talking about the base engine here; there's a lot of decent vehicles out there that are downright sleds in their base configuration.



Yeah, I don't know anybody who thought THAT was a good idea; but some people still bought them, too. So go figure.

 

Anyone see anything about milage?

 

Well for me personally, it would be too slow. So thats why they have the S model for people like us

But for 90% of the general public that don't race onto highway onramps, the power of this car is perfectly adequate. 10.5 seconds to 60 may seem slow to us, but not to most people. How do you think all those Toyota Prius drivers survive? That car does 10-11 seconds to 60. I drive my sisters 1990-something civic sometimes and that thing has like 100hp. Yes its slow, but it keeps up with traffic just fine. Those who want more power will opt for the S model. Maybe they will even have a JCW!

 

I don't think the average driver ever will go 0-100 km/h in 10.5 seconds anyways. Besides, they're offering a choice... that's why the S model exists.

 

Well, I think what Tsar is saying is that sometimes he wants even more than the MCS delivers -- and I gotta agree that occasionally I wish it had more, too. Which translates to whatever our 0-60 time is, it isn't always enough for some of us. Now stuff the same motors into something that's probably gonna weigh in at a good 500 lbs heavier, plus factor in the additional power drain of AWD, it's gonna feel downright sluggish in comparison. The obvious conclusion is that the base engine probably isn't going to cut it for anybody who can seriously call themselves enthusiasts, and there's a possibility that the S may fall short as well. And face it, MINI targets enthusiasts, not the average driver; so it's easy to see why a lot of folks question the wisdom of the Countryman. No way to tell for sure until it actually hits the street.

But I think it has a place in the market. It certainly isn't going to snag significant share from existing small crossovers, but MINI isn't about moving huge volumes anyway. It should increase traffic in MINI showrooms, and I'll bet a good bit of that traffic will be buyers who up until now had only a Chevy Equinox, Ford Edge or (cough-cough) Jeep Compass to choose from for a small sport ute but really want something just a little different, unique and fun. You know it isn't going to go like a JCW, but it's a pretty safe bet that it'll be a lot more fun than any other compact crossover available today.

 

I think it's best attribute is that it will give the ability to drive a vehicle that feels and drives like a car but has AWD (and is not an SUV). The only thing that comes to mind in that category is a Subaru or Toyota Matrix

 

Here's a video of the countryman in action in what looks like sunny spain!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVbHMPLT2KA