I've been driving a '09 Clubman S for the last 3.5 years and still very much enjoy it. But ive been yearning for a countryman ever since their release in 2010. So i plopped down the $1000 ordering deposit for a JCW CM on 2/12/13 at the dealership. And im glad i waited for the JCW.
Its been almost 4wks and the owners lounge still says "on order" but the MINI hotline has had the same status since the beginning "scheduled for production with no known production date." I spoke to my MA and he said my car is slated for production week 12 (march 18ish). When i first made the order, he said to expect delivery anywhere between the end of april-mid may (10-12weeks!).
First question: does anyone know if the hotline info and owners lounge info to be behind in updating the production status?
I've seen a lot of peeps on NAM who order their CM and it seems their statuses move along fairly quickly.
After i put down the deposit, i dropped the clubman off for service. Bad thermostat covered by the 50K mile warranty. My free loaner was a 2012 Countryman S. My first impressions were that the CM obviously sits much higher than my Club and i found myself trying to constantly lower the seat. After flipping the sport button, i noticed some decent giddyup but the ride height definitely takes away from the go-cart-like handling that ive enjoyed so much in the Clubman. The turning radius is definitely not as tight. I just hope the ALL4 and increased hp in the JCW will make up for what the CM-S is lacking. Anyone else go from a Hardtop S or Clubman S into a JCW CM? and if so, how is the handling responsiveness?
Also ive noticed that when a lot of NAMers pick up their ordered Countryman, there is a dealer plate on a front bumper license plate holder. I dont know if im the only one bothered by this. I went 3.5 years without having to put a front license plate on my club. I just hate the thought of putting holes in that beautiful front bumper! I specifically told my MA "NO front license plate holder." Now does the dealer put that plate holder on or do they do that at the factory? or port?
Thoughts on any of these topics...?
Thanks in advance.
Also i thought id be able to handle it better but this waiting for your custom-built MINI is pretty agonizing!

 

I feel your pain!!! Check out my dates. I waited a long time scheduled for production. Once it starts it went way faster. My wait is about over. Congratulations. What options and colors did you select?

 

Oh, what I found was calling mini was my most up to date status. I found the OL was about 1-2 days behind and believe it or not my MA was the last to know.

 

i went with the all black exterior, black headlamp housings, xenons, harmonkarden, antitheft, dual panoramic, 19" cross-s alloys. i found black replica mini oem wheels (19" double spoke) here in southern cali for a sixth of the oem price. cant wait to put them on! i do hope my MA is dead wrong. The girl on the hotline mentioned that they dont update as often as they should and she saw something that indicated that my car might be done by march 12th. trying not to get my hopes up.
Your production has some good progress. Should be any day now. Hopefully they dont put that front license plate holder on without your permission! Congrats on your JCW! Please post pics!

 

I live in Nebraska so we have to have plates in the front. Wish we didn't have to.

 

I have yet to test drive the JCW, but loved the All4S; easily powering up and down hills with 3 adults. I too am curious to see if the difference in power and suspension is that obvious to account for a $5k price increase; motoringfile.com seems to think its worth it.

I'm hoping to make up my mind sometime this summer and pull the trigger (or at least be able to determine if I should wait for the 2014s).

 

Dealer does the front plate. My MA was told to not install it and he had to actively make sure that the SAs didn't put one on. He caught them right before they were getting ready to bolt it on. Make sure your MA And SA (or whoever preps new cars) are speaking and understand you don't want it!

 

i originally was going to go with the CM-S and get the JCW aero kit but since MINI is charging $2200 for the aero kit, why not spend a little more for more horsepower? Im glad i did because from what ive been reading the reviewers seem to enjoy the way the JCW handles. Good to know they do the front plate at the dealer so i have chance to stop the atrocity.
And with as often as i call, Im pretty sure the girls that answer the MINI hotline think im a certified psychopath. Almost 4 weeks and NO production progress!? WtH!

 

I've had my 2013 CM JCW for about five weeks now. Every time i drive, it brings a smile to my face. It really is a pleasure to drive.

My wife has a 2012 Cooper S hardtop, and she lets me drive it on occasion. I would say that the Cooper S is a bit more nimble than the JCW, and has just a bit more zip. However, the JCW is really, really close to that feeling. As far as handling and responsiveness is concerned, the JCW is plenty responsive and handles superbly -- very tight. What I find is that the JCW is a bit more forgiving on potholes and rough road surfaces than the Cooper S. You get the best of both worlds -- the zip and zoom of a Mini S hardtop, and the comfort and space of a Countryman all in one package. I have absolutely NO regrets in choosing a JCW -- it was well worth the wait.

When my wife's Cooper S hardtop was in the shop, the shop gave us a Countryman S as a loaner. While the Countryman S was nice, I can confirm that the JCW is much zippier.

With regard to the front license plate mount, just make sure your MA knows of this request, and remind your MA as soon as your dealer takes delivery.

 

Great feedback everybody! Thanks artie. exactly what i was looking for and just as i suspected! I also wanted more cargo room.
Are you running on the standard 18" wheels or 19"s?
Ill be on 19"s so im expecting a rougher ride.
..And you say the turning radius is comparable in both cooper S & JCW?

 

I am running 19 inch wheels on my JCW, and I believe it provides a smoother ride because of the wider contact patch. Feels smoother than the Cooper S, anyway.

As far as JCW turning radius over the Cooper S is concerned, I've never really compared the two, so I can't offer a good answer. My perception is that it has a pretty darned tight turning radius -- never had a problem negotiating tight turns.

 

When I went from the little Mini to the C/Man, I also noticed the size factor. I justified this when remembering the car is an SUV and not a go-cart. After a while, it becomes a non-issue. Additionally, I a was given a Clubby loan car when mine was in for a recent service. When the club first hit the streets I was intrigued, but not any more. It had a restricted view to the rear; hard to get into the back, and had no roll down windows so my dog, Hawke, could enjoy his window seat.

 

good to hear that everyone is stoked on their Countryman. im sure my pooch will enjoy the new ride too!

 

What dealer did you order from? Mine is coming in first week of April to Crevier in OC.

 

Well that's a crazy cowinky dink. As a matter of fact I did order through Crev. Is Christian your MA? He told me delivery should towards the end of april. I placed my order feb 12th.
Were they able to give you an ETA as soon as your MINI finished production? Mine just finished and I'm trying to guesstimate my ETA so I can put my current daily driver ('09 Clubman S) up for sale. Im guessing about 4wks from finished production to the dealership...?
Did you already negotiate the final sale price? Or do you wait til you receive delivery? On some different threads, I've seen people get $700-$2000 off!

 

December 6th, 2012 I ordered our JCW C/Man, Oxford Grn, Blk roof/mirrors, Pkg 2, Tech Pkg, Winter Pkg, Black stripes, Black Xenons, It finally left Bremerhaven on the NYK Rigel Leader March 2cd. Through the Panama Canal last week. Should arrive LGB March 27th. The first three months of waiting have gone pretty smooth. But now looking at just a couple (few) more weeks; well this is the most difficult.

 

My MA is Adrena, I placed my order on 2/1. It's already on the ship in the Pacific Ocean heading toward port hueneme. The ship's ETA is 3/30. I just sold my 07 MCS so I'm ready for delivery. Once your car gets on a ship, you can call your MA and ask for the ships name to track it. It'll take about a month before it hits the dealer once it gets on the boat.

I nogetiated $750 off the price before I places the order but I emailed the GM about a complaint regarding the flat floor. He emailed back saying he will be there when I take delivery and I'm hoping to negotiate a better price because of the situation. At first they wouldn't budge on the price but a little back & forth, you can get them to give you some discount.

What color & options did you get?

 

Previous experience only with several thousand miles on my daughters 2002 S. December 6th, 2012 I ordered our JCW C/Man, Oxford Grn, Blk roof/mirrors, Pkg 2, Tech Pkg, Winter Pkg, Black stripes, Black Xenons, It finally left Bremerhaven on the NYK Rigel Leader March 2cd. Through the Panama Canal last week. Should arrive LGB March 27th. The first three months of waiting have gone pretty smooth. But now looking at just a couple (few) more weeks; well this is the most difficult. Utah requires front plates, oh well. I too hope the Xtra HP will perk things up over the S All4 we test drove.

 

Mine is coming on the NYK Auriga Leader ship. California requires a front plate too but I specifically sent multiple emails to my MA to not a put a front plate bracket on my car. Why did your car take so long?

 

My MA told me when I ordered in December that they already had used their December and January allocations and it would be Feb at the earliest and possibly March production. So actually I felt fortunate to get the Feb production and have our baby coming into Port Hueneme next Wednesday. I'm going for the clear bra and some tinting so it will be a few more days even after it arrives at Mini of Murray. Have a work trip April 1-14 to China so hoping I can drive home from SLC on April 15th. Juan, my MA has been stellar at keeping me posted on production and transport. The OL is at least two days behind. Juan was able to find out we were on the Rigel Leader even before it left port.

 

Indeed. $500 for a center armrest & flatload floor?!?! By far the most absurd "extras" i've ever heard of! These things are STANDARD on the BASE MODELS of most all cars!!
Shame on you bmw/mini. you've got some nerve.
I'd rather not know about it and have them just be included with a $500 higher msrp!
I passed on the comfort access because the extras were piling up. i went with the all black exterior, black headlamp housings, xenons, harmon-karden, ant-itheft, dual panoramic roof, 19" cross-s alloys.
Ouch! Jcw2013, where are you located? id be livid if i waited 3.5months and my Mini still hasnt arrived yet!
Manho1, if you are expecting delivery by the 30th, i wonder if that means my MINI has to wait for the ship to get back to bremerhaven before it can be loaded to make its way back here to SoCal..? (gulp) ..and the waiting game is neverending. sheesh.

 

It gets to port hueneme on 3/30 then about another week before it gets to the dealer. I think yours will be shipped on a different ship, it takes about 20+ days for the boat to travel from so cal to bremerhaven one way.

I pretty loaded mine up w/ options, I figured I'm already paying that much for the car, what's another few thousand.

I got pretty much every option except the heated seats (I live in so cal, why would I need this), chrome trim (I plan on blacking out the chrome, why would I want to add more), pdc, and the flat floor from the advise of my MA that I don't need it.

As far as selling your clubbie, you should be able to sell it pretty fast. Sold my 07 MCS in about a week only listed on Craigslist.

 

Moderator is reviewing my last post. Maybe because I'm a newbie and trying to learn NAM ropes. I'm in the boonies of Utah near Monument Valley. Not certain why moderator is reviewing my last post because the only four letter word I used was MINI Not bad for someone who's gonna have four solid months wait time in before getting my JCW C/Man! And I did go for the comfort pkg, we had this on our Prius and it spoils you. BTW; just back from work in Germany and Paris, Countryman(men?) everywhere!! And I saw one C/Man "S"D!. Plainly marked "D" next to the "S". The first diesel C/Man I've seen. Performance about like the petrol "S" from what I read.

 

Maybe the moderator is reviewing your post because you keep typing "C/Man", it sounds like you are saying or referring to something else....

 

Thanks! Countryman henceforth