is it nice or necessary to order the flat load floor with the bench seat? thanks,
todd

 

For bench seat probably not needed so IMO it's more of a personal preference. See pics in this thread for more info.

 

im not sure if the rear black leather seats will be a study carpet like the trunk or not. perhaps the flat load floor adds sturdiness and protection no matter the rear seat config?

 

The flat load floor will protect the backs of the seats, but I wouldn't bother getting it. The backs are already carpeted and should be fairly sturdy (though I did get a small tear in the edge of one of my seats in my R53 while camping once). It's probably nice to have if you have two people in the back seat with the middle section down, so luggage doesn't jump through the gap.

Here's what the back of the bench looks like:

 

thanks chrunk for the photos!

 

So, you got two people in the back with the center down - - - which is, essentially, two people in bucket seats. Good to see we're making progress on this issue.

I'll also throw in here that with the bench folded, you can lock the standard floor upright, load the front with meat and load the back with dairy. Since they're separated, you can keep your CM kosher.

 

that was a good one sealy....now on Yom Kippur do we have to toss out the flat load floor and get a new one?

 

You have to order the flat load boot floor, I have the bench seat, without the flat floor the boot is near useless, you will regret it if you don't. I should be standard, it's the only issue that really pisses me off with my MINI.

With flat load floor



Without flat load floor. You will never see an official photo from MINI without it. Also note that the photos below don't show the jack and firstaid kit, with the flat load floor they are hidden awy, without it they sit on the well and take up space.

 

KiwiRob - who won't put a location in his profile - is somewhere outside of the USA and may be experiencing an alternate reality when it comes to MINI specs and options. Someone needs to nail down a dealer in the USA and find out prezactly what the configuration with the bench seat is.

 

In the US, doesn't the car come with the (single) flat-load floor that covers the boot pictured above standard? The flat-load floor option is only for the dual flat-load floor, which adds a second panel that folds back over the seats when they're down, right (in the US)? I thought that was the case. I may be wrong, though--but I hope not because I didn't order the flat-load floor under the assumption that was the case. My dealer indicated that it was, as well.

 

KiwiRob hails from the fair green lush land of New Zealand and is currently slumming in the Norway land of the worst roads in Europe.

It doesn't matter where I live the bench seat is the bench seat what we get here will be what you lot in the US get. The standard config looks like the second set of photos I posted, as you can see it's not good, you have to get the flat load boot floor, then it will look like the first photo, the flat floor hides the jack, first aid kit and the tow bolt, without it they just sit in the well.

 

Your dealer is wrong, the single floor only comes with the 4 seat option, it comes like this in Europe as well if you order the 4 seater, the bench seat option comes with the floor in the picture above, if you look at a 4 seater then look at a bench seat car the boot floor lining is different.

 

Yes, the bench seat is the bench seat wherever you go, but my understanding is that the flat load floor is not the flat load floor wherever you go. I remember reading a thread on here about the flat-load floor that said the boot floor was standard in the US, but not in Europe, and that the flat-load floor we have as a optional extra here was just for the bit that folds over the seats when they're down. I'll see if I can find it again...

This post by Sealy shows what I'm talking about:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...723-post1.html

In the second pic, you can see there is a flat-load bit over the boot (which is what comes standard in the US), as well as a raised flat-load bit that would fold over the seats when they're down to cover the gap between the two (which is the optional flat-load floor in the US being discussed here). That's what my dealer told me as well.

So, yes, the bench seats won't differ between Europe and the US, but what's standard and what's optional in terms of the boot cover does differ.

 

I've got bucket seats, a load floor (standard US), a flat floor (optional US) and I'm out of here. Y'all can hash it out amongst yourselves.



Sealy - Who knows when it's time to vamoose.

 

This is the description from Mini USA:

"The Countryman's extra, hidden stowage compartment can be covered by the optional rear-load floor panel while the standard panel is against the rear seats. Or when the rear seats are down, the entire cargo area becomes a full flat floor."

There's no indication that it's any different with a bench seat.

 

The double floor isn't an option with the bench seat, it's not needed, there isn't a gap between the seats to cover, so what comes with the 4 seater and what is an option for it isn't applicable with the bench.

So it's my opinion that if there is an option in the US for a flat boot floor for the bench seat then it should be taken because if you don't order it you'll end up with what I've got, which is near useless.

 

Hmmm...interesting. That does make sense. I'm going to email my dealer and see what he can find out. Because if that's the case, I DEFINITELY want to add it to my order if it's not too late. Can you change your order up until it's "in production" or only until you get your production number?

 

Ok if you order a bench seat model why would they offer the flat load as an option, the standard panel for the 4 seat model isn't needed with the bench seat model since there is no need of it to cover the hole between the rear seats. To supply a standard panel and the rear load panel doesn't make any sense.

 

I just assumed that it would be to protect the seat backs, rather than cover the gap. I'm emailing my MA right now to see what he can find out. I'll post back when I hear from him...

 

OK, my MA looked into it for me. He says that in the US, the bench seat Countryman will ship with a standard rear flat-load floor over the boot space (but not the optional double flat-load floor). HOWEVER, it will not be the same as in the 4-seat Countryman. Mini says that it will be a tri-fold floor like in the Clubman. Here's the blurb from MINI USA he sent me:

I asked if he was sure that the blurb is referring to the standard floor, and he said it was. Now, he and I could both definitely be wrong and/or interpreting that wrong, but that's the information MINI USA sent to its dealers. I guess we'll have to wait and see once the bench seat Countrymen start rolling in over here...

 

Interesting, oh well wait and see, however what I don't understand is why they have the flat floor as an option on the configurator, if you order a bench and the floor is standard you shouldn't be able to choose it as an option.

Also interesting is how are they going to fit in additional mounting points for a child seat in the centre, the LATCH system is the same as ISOFIX, there isn't enough space IMO for a third set of mounting points, plus there is no way three child seats can fit across the back.

 

Can someone post a pic of how 3 adults fit in the rear bench seat of the countryman plz. I've been looking all over the web for a pic but have no luck finding any.
Thanks much ElPatron7

 

My observation is the following:

a) It's a mistake in the configurator, there is no flat load floor option, so you don't get charged (highly unlikely at this point they'd leave such a mistake in the configurator and ordering system?)

or

b) You don't get a floor unless you order the options

or

c) The option is totally not worth it since there already is a flat floor - what are you getting a slightl bigger/better flat floor? - in which case you argue that you refuse to pay for such an option at delivery.

So I went and ordered it, the worst is you're screwed out of $250 and you let your MA know so when you take delivery.

 

 

My personal feeling right now is sort of c. Assuming that the flat load floor option is the same "second floor" that comes with the bucket seats, I can maybe see how some people might want it. It won't be necessary to cover the gap, but I see the potential for it to protect the rear seat backs when the seats are folded down so if you put something heavy or pointy in there, it won't tear or damage the seat backs or the edges of the seat backs, just this carpet-covered chipboard . I think that would be unnecessary for me, but I can see how some people might see the practicality in it even with the bench seat (especially if you haul a lot of stuff). Again, that's assuming my MA is right and it is the double-floor thingy. Just my 2 cents on why they might offer the option for the bench seats.

My MA is totally clear on the fact that if my CM doesn't have a boot floor, he's going to have to make it right, and he still advised against ordering it. Here's hoping I don't regret it and have to break my MA! He's such a nice guy!