Updated: Just added a video walk around.



On January 15th, 2011 my wife and I picked up our Black Mini Cooper Countryman with Black/Anthracite wheels. We drove 220 miles from Dallas, Texas to Edmond Oklahoma to pick it up. Liking it a lot so far. Its pretty well equipped...Automatic Transmission, Heated Seats, Heated and Foldable Mirrors, Harmon-Kardon Sound system, Dual Sunroofs, Sport Suspension, Blue Tooth, just to name a few of the options.

The weather has been was rainy here , but today it cleared up enough for me to finally get some decent pics. Oh...and I got my first Mini wave today!

Click on the Pic below to check out more photos.


Black Mini Countryman with Black Wheels by MWButterfly, on Flickr

 

That looks awesome! Congrats!

 

Looks great. The non-S grill/bumper treatment looks so much better than the frown on the S.

 

Congratulations! It looks incredible!

 

See that you got the Sport Suspension and the 18's.

How are you finding the ride and handling?

What's your point of reference - what are you comparing to? I love that there are folks making judgements and comparisons when their previous car is a Porsche or a WRX! Neither is right or wrong, or good or bad, just that they obviously influence your perspective. Without knowing that, it's a little difficult to gauge someone's comments.

 

Congrats!!

 

Saw the pictures.... my compliments for the pics, they are stunning!!

 

nice ride...congrats

 

As you probably know, the sport suspension has to be engaged through the press of a button so its normally in non-sport mode...but when its on, the car definitely feels tighter and peppier. My wheels are actually 17s not 18s. They are the same as the standard wheels except they are done in anthracite.

I didn't really say much in my original post about the performance etc. I just mentioned that I'm liking it so far. We traded out a 10 year old Mercedes S class for this car. I also drive a BMW 530i. So we're used to German tuned engines and this one doesn't disappoint. You definitely have to put your foot into it a little bit since its the base engine, but I think that it will be perfect for my wife to take the kids to school in and run around town, etc. Plus it just feels fun when you drive it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwbutterfly/5370611738/http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwbutterfly/5370611738/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/mwbutterfly/, on Flickr

 

The antrhacite wheels look great with the black Love it! Enjoy.

 

Congrats! Total hotness!

 

THe front end is great. Wish they had that grill available fore the S!

 

The use of the sport button doesn't influence in any way the behavior of the suspension !!!!!

 

Great pics...Congrats on your CM, it looks sweet!!

 

Very nice! Congrats!

+1 on the Sport button - no effect on the suspension whatsoever.

 

You're the first on the forums with a non turbo, automatic. What do you think of the power?

 

Very sharp looking mobile.. Nice work! Keep us posted on your reviews. Enjoy!

 

sweet

 

thanks! very cool looking MINI.

 

Here's what I'll say about the power...It has plenty of get up and go but you have to put your foot in it to make it respond the way you want it to. If you press lightly on the gas, the power feels underwhelming. But if you press the gas pedal half-way down right from the start, the car goes and feels very peppy. The engine also has a nice whine to it.

We went with the smaller engine more for the gas mileage than anything else. Yesterday I tested the highway mileage on a 22 mile freeway trip at 65 MPH...and the on-board computer read: 39.3 MPG at the end of the trip.
(With gas prices in the U.S. approaching $4 per gallon, if I can indeed get 35+ MPH on the highway consistently, then the trade-off in power is worth it for me.)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwbutterfly/5368834610/http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwbutterfly/5368834610/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/mwbutterfly/, on Flickr

 

Great looking ride! Great to hear feedback on the non turbo with auto as I have one on order and I think it will serve it's purpose quite well.

 

Not wanting to argue...just wanting to ensure we clarify what it is we're paying for when we add the $500 sport suspension.

According to the Mini site as well as other write-ups about the car, the sport button does indeed influence the behavior of the suspension.

-From the Mini Site
"Those looking for a little extra pick-me-up will love the increased shift points and firmness of sport mode"

-From the Mini Site
"For even more aggressive performance, the sport suspension features even more aggressive springs and dampers."

-From AutoBlog
"The Countryman has a Sport mode that tightens up the steering rack, improves the throttle response and stiffens the suspension to provide a more engaging feel on the road."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwbutterfly/5368835066/http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwbutterfly/5368835066/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/mwbutterfly/, on Flickr

 

Polojankins, I am also considering the Non-S for the same reasons, gas $$$. Also, I figure in the long run there will be less issues with the non-S engine considering it is naturally aspirated. But I did want to ask you a question about how you got the Anthracite wheels. I called my SA and he said I couldn't get those wheels with a non-S, only the shiny black wheels. Do you have any suggestions for me on how to approach this with my SA. Also, your pic's are beautiful. I looked at more of your photos and have to say you are a very good photographer and have an nice camera.

 

Looks great! The non-S grill makes it look much more MINI. I kinda like the frown though. ;-)

 

Its funny you should ask about how I got those wheels.

So here's what happened:

I live in Dallas, but my leasing agent at D& M leasing located this car at a dealership 220 miles away from me in Edmond Oklahoma. (It was equipped the way I wanted it except that it had the Silver wheels) This car had been on their lot for about 3 weeks and was the car that everyone was test driving. Even though it was well equipped no one bought it...mainly they think because it was triple black. (Black Car, Black Top, Black Seats)

So when I was presented the car, I said I'd be interested if and only if the dealer was willing to switch out the silver wheels with the anthracite wheels. The dealer had a silver cooper S on the lot with the anthracite wheels and so he switched them out for me at not charge.

The next day when I went to get the car, the dealer said that there were 3 different people who came in that morning before I got there, asking to buy the black car with black wheels. Unfortunately for them it was already sold!!!

So that was a long winded way of saying I had a couple of things working for me. They didn't think they could sell the black car with black top...and I had my leasing company ready to wire them $27750. So they bit on my request.