Hi. It's time for me to replace my 2003 Subaru Forester, and I think an All4 is the solution. I've reached a "certain level of maturity," but I've always been a car guy: Triumph, Lotus, Porsche, Merkur Xr4ti, BMW, Audi, etc. I'm thinking that a CM All4 gives me the best combination of utility for Midwest winters and fun for the rest of the time. And as I work in wildlife conservation, I'm also motivated by good fuel economy.
What I really want is a feeling that I have a solid, highly-competent car that I can count on, yet which also has some personality and pizzazz. Yes, I recognize that those requirements spell out the word "compromise," and I think that the CM All4 is likely to feel less of a compromise than anything else.
I'm 59, so xenons are a must, and probably adaptive xenons, too. I also will probably benefit from seats with lumbar support: does that mean leather? And while my Forester is manual, I'll probably go with automatic because it will raise my chances of my wife continuing to share the same room with me.
I've been following a heavily-loaded 2011 All4 with under 2k miles that's for sale in Ohio, but the price is still north of $35k. Also, it has 19" wheels with Pirelli P-Zeros, and while they might be good for hard-core performance, I don't think they're a good all-round solution.
Other than the thing about my wife...any thoughts?

 

35k for a 2011? No way.
I would recommend building your own configuration on the Mini site, take it to the dealer that is second closest to your home and negociate. Then go to the dealer that is closer to your home and try to get a better deal there. You can order and wait (and wait and wait) for what you want or get someting off the lot that's close enough.

Over and above the automatic I would also get the 17 inch wheels instead of the 18's. From what I remember the roads in OH are not billiard smooth so the ride will be more comfortable (a relative term when discussing a MINI with run flats.) The point is it is sure to help with the wife sharing the room thing...

 

While looking at nearly new (used) contrymans you will realize a new one is nearly identical in price and you can option it the way you want to, either off of the lot, or order one. They are still rare on the used market, and the ones a available are at or near sticker.

I would look into a second set of tires and wheels for dedicated snow if it gets bad near you.

 

utility for Midwest winters I think it's has been a good choice for utility
fun for the rest of the time Definitely fun
good fuel economy. I get 25 when playing and 33 on the highway
solid Definitely Solid - crash tested (by me)
highly-competent Pretty good most of the time, but a little skittery with the run flats on bumpy turns
car that I can count on Except for some complaints about uncertainty of remaining gas in tank and some rare throttle stutters, yes
some personality and pizzazz Bags of personality, pretty good pizzazz
xenons are a must, and probably adaptive xenons Adaptive xenons are excellent - I say mandatory
seats with lumbar support: does that mean leather? leather + cloth or all leather to get lumbar support
automatic I like manual, but not a bad compromise with Sport button pushed in

19" wheels with Pirelli P-Zeros I agree with the 17's for general riding and, if it's really snowy/icy, the separate winter wheels

 

FWIW --

THIS might help set the stage a bit regarding what you can expect from the Countryman's character...

 

Why are you looking at going away from Subaru?

 

I put 120k miles on my Forester, so it's not that I hate them, but the new Forester is pretty big, and mpg is just adequate. And for some reason Subaru feels like it should remain a basic, almost stripped, machine to me, while that's not what I'm looking for now. Rational? Not entirely, but that's ok.

 

My husband and I have owned 6 Subarus in the past 6-7 years and we just sold both of our Foresters for Minis. We looked at the new Subies, but they have too many issues, and like you said the gas mileage isn't that great in the forester. It will be better in the '13's when they get CVT, but then that leaves the stripped down thing. You have to get a limited to get a leather steering wheel anymore and I don't want leather seats and hate plastic steering wheels.

We actually looked at the new '12 Impreza and thought about ordering one, but am really glad we didn't. Apparently there is another stop sale on all '12 Legacy, Outback and Imprezas for brake failures. Yikes.

Anyways, I think the All4 is a great option. We decided to go with a FWD non-S just b.c of the gas mileage and we did not want another turbo car at the moment. My husband just bought a '12 Cooper Hardtop non-S as well so instead of 2 AWD Subies, we have 2 FWD Minis and 2 brand new sets of snows.

 

We also traded our 2002 Subaru Forester in for the Countryman. The new Foresters are just too big for our taste. Overall, we like the Countryman more than we ever liked the Forester. Time will tell if it is indeed a better car, but it is much more fun to drive with better gas mileage. Did only go with the the base model (no S or AWD). Did miss the Subaru a bit this weekend after our first snow. Got stuck coming out of a inclined dirt driveway and had to push our way up and out. Have all weather tires, but may consider winter tires if it happens routinely.

 

The '12 Impreza is the closest thing to providing what the CM provides, but it's a foot longer (14.5 feet), and you can't get premium trim and a manual transmission. It does edge the CM out on efficiency, which should help motivate MINI to keep improving in that regard. The failure of Subaru and Audi to provide a car that meets the same needs is the subject of this coming Tuesday's article on my blog.

The current Forester is kind of huge (15 feet long) and lacks the boxy charm of the earlier models. And its mileage, as you guys pointed out, is nothing to write home about.

 

We had 2 04 XT's so they were turbo, needing premium and only getting around 22mpg mixed. We have already saved a bunch of money by having 2 cars that require mid-grade and get 30-35mpgs. I would have hated not having a turbo car in the past, but I love my little Non-S for some reason.

I did my marketing project on Subaru and one of the points was pretty much what you said about them not offering a manual in most of their "fun" cars anymore. I think that if they did offer a manual in their Forester XT we probably would have replaced our 04 XT with it, but since they didn't we looked elsewhere and found the Mini. I am really glad that we did, even though I do miss a good Subaru Rumble from time to time.

 

a little trick for the winter...keep some old rubber floor matts in the trunk...if you get stuck in snow (in most cases) you can shove the old mat under the tire with little or no traction and it will help - better than sand. just accelerate slowly.