For all the postings I've done, I've finally spent some time behind the wheel of two different CMs - an S with 17 inch, all-season tires and 6-speed manual, and an S with 18 inch, performance tires and automatic tranny. Liked them both, but liked the automatic more than expected. As much as I enjoyed driving the manual, it may not be my wisest choice.

HOWEVER, the dealer has not had any cars ordered with the sport suspension. I wouldn't have guessed that the two I drove didn't have it - the cars felt appropriately taut, not at all like an 86 Buick! (Current car is a 2008 R32 as a point of comparison.)

It wasn't as though I put them through any exhaustive tests, but I did go over a few roads that I know to be somewhat taxing. Both cars felt good. No squeaks or rattles, not that I expected there to be.

All that being said - has anyone taken delivery of a CM with the sport suspension? Is it TOO firm? If you didn't get it, thinking the car was adequately tuned, do you now wish you had gotten it? After a bit, the car is just too loose?

I expected that I would automatically opt for the sport suspension, but now I'm not so sure. And I'm trying to trim options to pay for the slushbox

Look forward to the comments!

 

Great post. My current car is a 2009 wrx which I did a few suspension changes to (thicker front and rear sways, bushings, endlinks). It still doesn't feel quite right. Anyway, it doesn't matter because it will be leaving us when the Countryman arrives.

I opted for the 18's without sport suspension...and sport suspension had been on my list of items since Day 1...until I drove cars without it. True...none of the test cars here had sport suspension on them either and they felt great!

There was another post where somebody drove them all...they had a great summary. If you do opt for Sport Suspension, $500 is a DEAL for what it comes with. With your R32 experience previously, you may want it!

This is my first mini, so it feels AMAZING compared to my wrx. I also opted for the slushbox, lol...tired of the manual tranny in my wrx

Are you going for 18's? Had I gone 17's I would have opted for sport suspension. How would you compare the CM riding on 18's vs 17's?

 

I had problems doing a fair comparison - 18 inch performance vs. 17 inch all seasons on a 45-ish degree cold, wet day. But my biggest impression was that I thought the 18's were noisier. But that may have been my brain playing tricks on me. Definitely not scientific study. I didn't feel any big difference - obviously, I wasn't pushing things.

Not that I'm the most demanding driver - even though I have an R32, I like it more for how it feels than for its real capabilities or limits, if that makes sense.

Re the 17 vs 18 issue - I'm leaning towards the 18's for two reasons.

1. I like how they fill out the wheel well better
2. There are many more options for replacement tires, (non-runflats), according to TireRack. I did a related post on this, if you're interested.

 

I was going to order it, but the Saleman told me not to. I do drive in NYC all day long.

 

Mine has it. I don't have much time behind the wheel of one without it (beyond a brief test drive that lasted less than 5 miles), but I don't think mine is harsh at all. It's obviously firm, but not teeth rattling by any stretch (even on somewhat rough streets of DC). I would definitely order it again.

As for wheels, I went with 17"s only because all seasons aren't available with the 18s and I didn't want to have to change to snow tires for the winter season. The extra compliance from the taller sidewall is nice, though, and really the 17s are the better choice--it's just too bad they don't look as good as the 18" turbofans.

EDIT: For perspective, I'm coming out of an '07 R56 with the sport suspension and 16" all seasons, and my other car is an E90 M3. The CM is somewhere between those two; a bit firmer (though with more body roll) than the M3, but definitely not as stiff as the R56 was.

 

It makes me nuts how no reviews discuss this. Most car reviews that feature models with a "sport" trim that offers different suspension will give a full breakdown of the difference between the sport and base model.

I have not found one review that comments on the sport suspension option and how it changes the ride.

If any of you that tried both want to add your experiences I think it would be invaluable.

 

I want to order the sport suspension on principal alone but since I'd absolutely lower it it would be a waste of money.

 

We ordered the FWD S with sport suspension. We didn't realize it at the time, but on our second trip to the dealer for a test drive, the CM we drove had the sport suspension. The first time we drove the AWD, manual, no sport suspension, second visit was the FWD, manual with sport suspension. We both really enjoyed the second test drive the best.
My husband called our MA to ask about the sport suspension, and whether he thought we needed it and should we drive one first before deciding and he told us that we already had! (Our MA was out of town that visit so another MA filled in, but he was swamped with his customers so we didn't really bug him with questions). We were really comparing FWD to AWD and didn't really have time to study the specs on that vehicle since there was a line of people waiting to test drive it when we got back. Needless to say, we added the sport suspension based on how much we both loved that particular test drive .
Annette

 

Thanks annette...from what you remember to you recall the ride being especially harsh over bumps?

 

Not as I recall. We were driving around Atlanta and Buckhead on the weekend after the big snow/icestorm and some of the roads were pretty hairy with big chunks of stuff all in the roads. Then again, my '06 MCS has the sports suspension plus I added a sway bar, so I'm used to a pretty stiff suspension. Our 14yo daughter was in the backseat for the whole test drive (about 30-40 minutes), texting and playing games on her iphone and we heard no complaints .
Annette

 

Three Snow Storms, Freezing Rain, Black Ice, Four MINI Events...ALL4, 17" Wheels, and Sport Suspension...

We had a NYEE (New Years Eve Eve) Run in NYC...some of my friends ended up with bent rims and sliding all over the place...out ran them and out cornered them.

 

IniMini - were your 17s the standard AllWeather 17s? What brand?

 

They are Continental All Seasons...

 

Yes, they are the standard all seasons that I didn't pay extra for.

 

I would personally opt for the more comfortable suspension. Our MINI's are plenty sporty. Your back will thank me later on for this comment!!!

 

The suspension on the Countryman seems less severe, even the sport suspension, than on Annette's MCS. Our man at our dealership told me he thought I would find the Countryman with the sport suspension significantly less rough than El Kaboong's. MY experience test driving confirmed the research I did. I sometimes feel like my teeth are going to rattle out of my head in El Kaboong, just on our driveway, which is a little rough.

Other than the vehicle feeling like it was plenty firm enough I did not have any unpleasant sensation of being jerked around, either while driving or riding shotgun while Annette drove (Countryman S with sport suspension & manual, sport button on). Riding shotgun is where I notice the rougher ride in El Kaboong. Annette does not typically feel the need to slow down for mere rough terrain or obstacles.

I should probably add that one of the reasons we are going with the sport suspension is we plan to pull a trailer full of dogs sometimes over rough terrain.

 

Does the sport suspension lower the ride height?

 

I'm also interested in this, I thought I remember reading it lowered ride height but can't remember where. I'm getting sport suspension regardless... It's a MINI!

 

It does not lower the ride. I checked on this too. If it did I probably would
have pulled the trigger and got it.
Matthew

 

However, I did find this in one of the earlier reviews done by MotoringFile.

While the optional sport suspension (designed to be aggressive in the Cooper and even more aggressive in the Cooper S) does drop the R60 1cm we’d hope that either an optional JCW suspension or an aftermarket set-up would drop it even further.

Did they simply have it wrong?

And are there really two different sport suspensions, one for the base and a different one for the S?

This was prerelease, so...

 

The UK MINI site says it drops it "10MM", or 1 CM.

 

This is probably all subjective to every person's preference. I think for people like me doing mostly high way cruise on lousy roads, standard suspension is sufficient. I guess the combination of run flats + sport suspension + 18" would require you to either have great roads or a high tolerance for bumpiness.

Also, I think winter tires would make All4 unnecessary for most people, although I know that most people would rather get 4WD than extra tires.

 

So what's the verdict? 17" wheels with sport suspension or 18" and non-sport suspension? I did not have a chance to compare the two. I only test drove non-sport and 18" wheels and it felt fine, but I will do some off-road driving (sandy fireroads and unpaved roads) so maybe with 18" I will get dented rims.

 

IMHO, getting sport suspension on cars is always about the drop. Gotta get the drop because excessive wheel gap makes baby jesus cry. At least on cars that offer a sport suspension, because typically it's a sportier car. But one centimeter is nothing! So for daily driving, looks like stock suspension is the way to go for me on the CM.

 

I chose the sport suspension with 17" tires. Currently, I am waiting for the dealership to add on some accessories....then I can take her home.