Hey guys! My girlfriend and I are planning on taking a cross country road trip from Chicago to Portland, and then down the PCH in California to LA, and then back home again to Chicago. Plan is to do it this Summer in the Countryman.

I'm just a little nervous though because, since I've bought the Countryman last September, it's been in the dealer for service 3 times (twice for the thermostat issue, and then once for an oil leak issue). I've owned an 03 and 07 MINI Cooper and Cooper S before this and didn't have nearly as many issues with them as I have had so far with this Countryman. I love the car, but lately I've been questioning the reliability of it.

Has anyone taken the Countryman on any long 4k+ mile long road trips? How did it perform? I need a confidence boost!

 

You need to take a look at Kyle's trip from VT to FL and back:
http://www.countrymanmotoring.com/20...mods.html#more

 

I was similarly concerned when I bought my Mini Countryman in St. Louis, MO and drove it home to Alaska. 4700 miles later I pulled into my driveway a happy man with some great memories. Even in the sketchy areas of the Yukon and beyond, everything behaved beautifully. Your trip would take you by many Mini dealers, so with the safety net, I wouldn't be concerned at all.

Do it. It's a blasty.

 

We took Millicent from Atlanta to Kalispell, MT in September 2011. 5,922 miles, not a single issue. Had a fabulous time. Mileage from Jackson Hole, WY down to the interstate (about 300 miles) was 38 mpg! Went through Glacier National Park, drove Going-to-the-Sun Road and came back through Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. The really fun parts were the comments and looks from people who had never seen a Countryman.

Personally, I think the Countryman is the perfect car for cross country road trips!