Hello,
I've ordered Pure Red 2012 CMS ALL4 (EU, but in this case there aren't any differences). Production is planned on May, so I have some time to customize my order.
I haven't ordered the rear PDC, I thought it's waste of money, but since i've driven our family Mercedes ML, i'm not so sure about it (parking that without PDC would be a real disaster).

My question is- is PDC useful? Can you describe how easy can You park Your Countryman? (I mean visibility from car, if you can "feel" size of the car.)
Thank You for Your answers!

 

I don't have it, but it's probably very handy if you do a lot of parallel parking. Sometimes I wish I had it, because I don't have a good mental picture of how long the Countryman is. That's something that I'll get a feel for with time, though.

 

I've got about a year in my ALL4. One of the first things I did was add little convex mirrors to both outside mirrors. When I'm parking I use them to check where the curb and wheels are. (Wouldn't it have been easy for BMW to have the mirror tilt down?) It's not difficult for me to keep track of where the rear of the car is relative to other vehicles so I've not felt a need for the PDC.

 

I agree with GHamma. I have not had a problem keeping track of the car's rear end when backing up, but it would have been nice if the passenger side mirror tilted down so you can see where your rim is in relation to curb when parallel parking. That's penny pinching on MINI's part.

 

It's worth getting if you have MINI Connected (or Visual Boost in the EU).

 

i agree with row, if you sprang for Connected i'd get it, if not, i understand its an audible alert that would become annoying

 

Thank You very much for Your answers! That's just what I wanted to hear. Perfect would be if someone could share experiences with PDC.

I haven't ordered Mini Connected (Visual Boost)- in our pricelist it's incredibly expensive and I'm not really dying for it. I ordered "Mini Boost" (that's the second CM audio option, with larger red display), so potential PDC would be only acoustic.

Chrunck: Yes- that's the thing- I'm going to do a lot of parallel parking "bumper to bumper". Who have ever been to Prague (or Vienna, Berlin...) can imagine

 

The PDC paid for itself the first week I had the car. I have been parking in a garage for 20 years and never had this happen, but I was a bit distracted getting in an forgot to open the garage door. When I put it in reverse it skwaked at me and alerted me to the door still being down. With it being night time and the windows are tinted very dark, I would have never seen the door. The $500 for the PDC is way cheaper than a new garage door.

Parallel parking is also a breeze and you don't have to worry about getting any scratches in the bumper if you cut it too close.

I got it as part of the technology package and wasn't planning on buying it, but am happy I did.

 

The parking distance controller is really awesome, my wife loves it. with it and the connected sceen on the dash you really dont even need to look at anything but the monitor. really worth it. there is also audible beeps, so i guess you could actually back up with your eyes closed and not hit anything. i also think i heard that the government is making them mandatory on new cars. thats how helpful they are. we like it alot more than we thought we would.

 

I wouldn't have gotten it but REALLY GLAD I DID!!... it came in the package for no additional cost over buying what I wanted separately. I also have MINI Connected..

A BIG Thumbs Up from me!

 

I had no idea this was included... I just have the beeps on my 2006 Cooper.
Waiting on the 2012 I ordered with connect and park assist. Looks awesome.
I learn something new everyday on NAM.

 

We have as well, and love it.
Ron

 

Also got as part of the tech package and while it's not a necessity for parking, it is nice to be able to see using the connected screen. It's sensitive enough that even when backing towards a curb, it seems to pick it up. The other thing that's nice with 2 little kids and neighbor kids is that they're short enough that unless I'm looking for them, they're hard to see just looking out the back. I'm usually aware of my surroundings, but having a safety net doesn't hurt.

Not sure I'd spring for it alone, but now that I've got it, I've come to appreciate it. I do think a rearview camera would be better though (especially when backing out of my driveway when we've got neighbors with kiddos)

 

Hmmm...

Good points, all.

 

Glad I purchased it. Great when you are in the city or in tight spaces. Not a requirement but very convenient. i even like it better than the rear camera in mt 2 other vehicles. Works great in the dark!

 

Exactly! I'm with The Scientist!

We have PDC and many small kiddos that visit our driveway and usually leave bicycles, scooters, and other toys lying about. It is sensitive enough to pick up a bicycle lying on its side on the ground.

The other thing that's really cool is the volume adjustment of the beeping, and that the beeps utilize stereo imaging to tell you (as well as show you) where the obstruction is.

All that being said, I'd prefer to have a camera with an overlay of distance info like my friends Audi Q5. The MINI Connected PDC system is good, but a camera would be better.

 

i wouldn't say i am a great driver, but i am sure i can park when and where i needed to. but with the pdc it does help with nowaday distraction. such as phone call, music and such. it just need to safe you from one hit to pretty much pay of itself.
i don't think i will ever own a car with out 1.

 

My view is a little different than some others. We have an All4 S with park distance alert, but no Connect. I've had a back up camera and front/back distance alert system in my Audi Q7 for four years. Audis system is superb, giving a camera view with wheel tracks overlaid on the screen, plus a graphic depiction of distances for the front and back. Even though the Audi system is more advanced than Mini has with Connect, I have found over time that I mostly listen for the sound and do not look at the camera or graphics on the dash that much. I still use my mirrors and look over my shoulders! On the Countryman, we do the same thing. Listen for the sound and look in mirrors etc. So not having the Connect with parking distance control is not an issue for us from the standpoint of parking. We would say get the parking distance feature regardless of whether you want to be a first adopter and go for Connect. Bottom line - I will never buy another car without park distance alert. I love the feature in the Countryman - especially for parking in tight quarters in a city environment.

 

Thank You for Your answers! I considered positive and negatives of it in relation with price and decided to order it. 440 USD are worth easy parking

 

I was really interested in this but didn't want to wait around for a special order -- maybe this has been asked before, but can the sensor pack be ordered outside of a factory build? The real thing from MINI with the Connected software and all, not some cheap stuff with blinky lights and noisemaker.

 

I'm pretty sure I'm late, as OP decided to order, but chiming in w my Clubman to say... PDC is probably one of the best options to have ever after heated seats! The sound is perfectly suited to what it is doing, and as others pointed out it does left-right separation.

 

So if you have the tech package and the Nav system you get the visual with sound, when backing up?
This is like a open manual got a question get a answer?

 

NO! First search for the answer on your own. The forum gets cluttered with questions that have already been answered, and the information is often readily available.

The forum has a search function, but Google usually works better. Enter this into Google:
search terms site:northamericanmotoring.com

Anyway, yes you get visual if your car has a display screen (Connected, Nav, or Visual Boost), as well as audio in all cases.

 

Thanks for your polite And fast response, I'm new and eager to learn here
Can't wait for the mini to arrive :-)