All,

I have had the G/B All4 with Auto for 3 weeks now. I just wanted to pass along some impressions.

Hits:
1) It looks awesome
2) Drives like a cross between a MINI and a BMW, great handling
3) Peppy (but not as fast as a regular Cooper S)
4) ALL4 works great in snow and ice, no wheel slip!
5) Very functional as a daily driver, and overall comfortable
6) 17" rims and all season tires are a great choice
7) Sales and service and Crown MINI in Richmond was excellent
8) Glad to NOT have the sunroof this time around
9) Xenon headlights are great

Misses:
1) The rail and accessories is a failure. The giant E-brake handle takes up precious rail space, and the accessories are difficult to move and remove
2) iPod cable and cradle are useless...
3) Heater takes a long time to warm up in cold weather... get those heated seats!
4) Engine seems to have low power when it's cold outside after starting engine
5) Arm rest in door is too low and useless
6) (From test drive) 18" rims and sport tires are loud, especially compared to 17" and all seasons
7) Price is a few thousand too much
8) CRAM IT IN THE BOOT SUCKED! Almost made me embarrassed to own a Countryman.

Overall VERY happy so far with the car... no car is perfect, but the Countryman is definitely a great car from my experience so far....

Eric
Charlottesville, VA
(Will post more pictures soon)

 

I would say your hits and misses are right on par with mine.

Our super cold nights and days have made the MINI sluggish right after start up and for about the first 1/2 mile.

We have the heated seats, the wife (drives it everyday) has not complained other than the slow warm up and not defrosting rapidly.

We are sitting at 4 degrees and expecting -8 or so tonight.

 

I really felt the rail would be a fail, and now I'm regretting the single rail. The whole thing seems a dumb idea. I hope it takes off with some good after-market accessories, but now it's just this embarrassing divider through the cabin. I guess it at least lights up! Crazy about the emergency brake, given I almost never use mine. I don't know how easy the handle will be to swap or if anyone will make an after-market version.

 

Thanks for the observations, though I'm curious why you are happy not to have a sunroof? I'm going the other way, my current MINI has no sunroof and I'm ordering a Countryman with one...

On the rail, I am very excited about that. I agree the current rail attachments seem pretty poor, but as a platform for really interesting stuff I think it is fantastic! I predict within two years you'll be installing a rail along your roof too just for the extra rail space (hey, perhaps that's why you chose to forgo the sunroof).

I'm also pretty sure we'll see aftermarket e-brake handles, the bigger the design flaw is the more people will want to buy aftermarket, and that makes it more likely someone will go to the trouble of developing something.

 

I have a sunroof in my R53 and I hate it with a passion. Extra weight, extra heat in the car, I open it maybe 2-3 times a year. I have limo tint and a zippee shade covering it up so I can ignore it. Definitely not getting a sunroof ever again.

 

Is this slow warm up a problem?The last time I had a car that took this long to warm up was in the late 1960's. On some mornings I can drive for 12-15 minutes before the heat kicks in. Today my yellow 'check engine/emissions' light came on. I checked gas cap and made sure it clicked once as instructed. I also noticed that now the heater starts to blow immediately on start up and tha the cooling fan is running extra long after stopping th engine. I can't help but think these are all related. Thoughts?

 

Thanks for the feedback... I think I'll be OK with those factors where I live.

 

For what i heard the sunroof in the R60 (and in >2010 new minis) should be 15-20% darker than the old one, this to prevent heat... I don't know... I think i read it here on NAM...

 

Almost?? Just curious: What would it take to tip you over?

Really - thanks for the input. No substitution for reall life experience. I had a feeling on the brake and rail situation. Most things that are bigger than they have to be eventually get corrected (remember the first computers?) and any thing that is gimmicky eventually gets canned - if you have to buy accessories for it, it's not worth it. The rest seems livable as a trade off. I'm counting down to pure orange bliss.

Thanks!

 

You have to remember this is relative, we have been having temps in -10 to 0 in the Denver area, so a slow warm-up is affecting everyone, not just the CM.

We just noticed it since we drive the CM, our garage during the winter is usually pretty warm, 30 to 40s, but not lately.

As for your fan running after shutdown - normal. The MINI turbo'd cars use this to cool the turbo after shutdown of the engine.

Keep your oil levels topped off and your good to go.

 

The rail in the back will get corrected as soon as the bench seat option becomes available.

 

But for us impatient early adopters, we are living with the two flawed options. Best option for me would be no rail whatsoever.

 

I have the 2 piece rail, and am glad that I do. I would say that it might be more useful for rear passengers, but it's still a very poor design. Yes, better with no rail, in my opinion as well.

 

It's generally been in the 30's and 40's here in Charlottesville, and it still takes a long time to get warmed up. I would say 10-15 minutes to get any real heat... but by that time... I am already to work. I can't imagine how bad it would be in 0 degree weather...

Eric

 

An aftermarket E-Brake handle might help, to some degree. We'll see how it played out with the rail.

I have had nothing but problems with leaks and rattles bad sunshades in 2 MINIs and also a Ford. It's a relief for me to NOT have one and potentially face those problems again.

Eric

 

ipod cable.. why worthless? Is the cradle or ?

 

No room for cradle in front rail if you have armrest. The Rails are self-indulgent design misses. Only benefit is that the rails have the ambient lighting which is quite cool.

 

I did not order the sunroof because it does not have anything to completely block it. I work in sales and often use my laptop and don't like the idea of not being able to get away from sunlight. also no good for my afternoon nap

 

I have the sunroof. Both panels are well tinted & while the sliding covers do not block the light entirely, being mesh, the attenuation of sunlight is more than sufficient to allow use of a laptop.

 

That's odd, because a nap with a nice breeze from above is just what I am after.