Well, my Countryman S arrived on Friday, 2/4, about 2 to 3 weeks Earlier than expected.

First Impressions...

It definitely feels a lot different than my prior Mini, a Clubman S. It's quite a bit larger in feel and I have to say that it does not have that GoKart feel to it. That's not necessarily bad, just different and takes some getting used to. I'm very happy with my color choice, it looks awesome.

In normal driving mode it definitely feels a little on the sluggish side, but putting it into Sport Mode gives it a closer feel to the Clubman S.

Overall, I love the Countryman S. It's comfortable, there's tons of room in it, even in the back where I've already had people over 6' tall in the back and they've had plenty of room.

It's my 1st car with Sirius XM and, I have to say, they're pretty smart bundling in a year of free Sirius XM as I know I'll be totally addicted to it when the free year runs out and will wind up subscribing myself.

Ergonomically, it's an improvement over the Clubman S, finally, a radio with all the controls in one place. I always hated the way the Power/Volume switch in the Clubman was seperate from the other radio controls.

The Harmon Kardon sound system is excellent. I've read some complaints from people that the base was overpowering, even after adjusting it, and, I have to say that I have no such complaint, it really sounds superb.

The car turns quite a few heads, mostly it appears that people are thinking, WTF, that's a Mini?!

One thing I used to hate on the Clubman S... when you tried to start off slowly, with a light foot on the gas, half the time it would still lurch forward and they've addressed that in the Countryman S. It now takes off nice and smooth from a stop which is a major improvement, in my book. The default shift points in the Automatic Transmission also feel quite a bit better than they did in the Automatic Transmission on the Clubman S.

Here's the specs:
Model Code 1198 Cooper S Countryman
Color B15 Light White
Upholstery T6E1 Leather Gravity Carbon Black
Options
ZCV Convenience Package
319 Universal garage-door opener
322 Comfort Access keyless entry
431 Auto-dimming rearview mirror
521 Rain sensor and auto headlights
6ND Bluetooth and USB/iPod adapter
ZPP Premium Package
403 Dual pane panoramic sunroof
534 Automatic climate control
674 Harman-Kardon sound system
ZSP Sport Package
2GU 18" alloy wheels, 5-Star Double Spoke Jet Black
522 Xenon headlights
785 White turn-signal lights
205 STEPTRONIC automatic transmission
2XA Sports leather steering wheel with paddle shifters
302 Anti-theft alarm system
329 Black bonnet stripes
383 Roof and mirror caps in black
473 Center armrest
4AA Anthracite headliner
4C6 Color Line Surf Blue
4CU Interior color Carbon Black
4U4 2-part center rail
5DT Dynamic Traction Control

Here's a pic...


I purchased the car at Lauderdale Mini in Fort Lauderdale, FL and my MA was Judy Reardon, who was great to work with if you're in the market for a Mini in the Fort Lauderdale area.

 

Love the color combo. I also like the badge. Where did you get that?

 

Congratulations. The white and black is definitely one of the best looks on the Countryman. The bonnet stripes are a nice added touch.

 

Thanks: ) Here's a link to the Badge at GoBadges.com: http://www.gobadges.com/product-p/3l...ll01-black.htm

 

I'm very happy with the Light White, Black Roof / Mirrors and Black Bonnet Stripes. I was having second thoughts on the Bonnet Strips after I ordered it, seeing so many people post their Countryman pics without the Bonnet Stripes, but very happy with them now that it's arrived and I can see them in person: )

 

Congrats!!

Nice color combo!

 

I would speck out a new Countryman exactly the same except would have to have a manual. Going to pull the trigger this fall on a Countryman S or X1 with the new turbo 4. Kind of waiting to see what the X1 priced out at. Do you have problems with torque steer at all like the Clubman S? Does the extra weight actually help that, I thought I read they fixed that some. Maybe it's a bigger problem with manuals.

 

They actually did improve torque steer quite a bit, overall, mechanically, the car feels much better. My other car is a 6 speed ('02 'vette) so I went with an Auto on this one, as I did with my prior Mini, a Clubman, just so I have a car that's not a PITA to drive when stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Also, I work from home, so a good chunk of my driving is just short distance, running around town in traffic, doing errands and whatnot, so the Auto is much more convenient for that.

 

Great looking mini! How would you compare the room in the backseat to the clubman? Just curious what prompted you to switch.

 

There's quite a bit more leg room and shoulder room compared to the Clubman and the seats are just way more comfortable as they are individual bucket seats, although, that could be a bad thing as you can't cram 5 people into a Countryman.

 

But you can - - - get ready for this - - -

Cram Them In the Boot!

 

:D ahahaha nice one! :D


i'll have 5 seats :D luckily i live in europe :D

 

CONGRATS! and thanks for your write-up. Post more pics! I'd love to see your interior surf blue color line with your anthracite headliner! How's your mileage so far? FANTASTIC COLOR I may add bonnet stripes later...3M/clear bra is a must for me due to highway commuting and I was told to apply that first and then add the stripes after (seems odd since there will be a slight seam). We will see...

 

You're welcome. I have a job that has me On Call 7x24 every third week and I just started my shift on Tuesday so I'm pretty much stuck in the house until the 15th. Once I get out of the house I'll take some more pics, exterior and interior. I really like the Surf Blue Color Line. I went all Black inside, including the Anthracite Headliner, so I chose the Surf Blue Color Line to break it up a bit. Plus, seeing it in a lot of the Official Mini Pics sold me on it, it really looks sharp.

 

Put a big red circle around the 15h I haven't seen the surf blue color line in person, just a few early release or pre-production builds on online photos. I bet it is sharp with the carbon black interior/anthracite

 

Ok, still On Call, still stuck in the house, but I shot a few quick, admittedly poor pics, that show the Surf Blue Color Line. They were taken in my garage so the quality really stinks, but it'll give you an idea of how it looks until I get a chance to get some decent pics...

Here it is sitting next to my other baby...



Driver's side doors open looking inside...



Driver's side doors open closer look...



Inside view of passenger front door...

 

Thanks for posting! Looks like I missed this last week.

Looks GREAT with the carbon trim I love how it adds punch to the interior. How are you liking the glossy black 18" wheels so far?

 

Thanks, that's what I went with Surf Blue for, to break up the black, especially since I got the Anthracite Headliner, which I love.

The wheels are nice, they look nice and the car rides smooth on the 18" wheels. Much easier to clean than the Web Spoke wheels I had on the Clubman: )