So after a long hiatus from Mini my kids are now grown enough that we are ready to jump back in a Mini. I used to have an 05' Cooper S. My wife and I loved the car and have missed it ever since. I drove a Countryman S and loved it. My kids are 5 and 8 so they are big enough now that I can get rid of my 2008 X5 4.8 gas guzzling 6000lb pig lol. Great truck, but too expensive to maintain and it has 93,000 miles from new.

Question is...

Would you buy a more heavily optioned S

or

A JCW with a few less of the pricer options?

What in your opinion are the must have options? Thanks for the help!

 

I faced the same choices and opted for the more heavily optioned S. Loving my new CM S!

 

Hi Shawn,

We ordered a CM JCW a couple of weeks ago after driving several S models on test drives.

we actually had decided on an S that was already on the way over the pond. But over the weekend, I began looking into JCW's. I was familiar with them, and started doing some digging.

We decided that since we were configuring a car from the ground up for the first time(and our first Mini), we wanted the quickest, best handling, and most aggressive looking Countryman possible, while still maintaining a factory warranty. It is a $7k uplift from the S before you even option it, so it's a big jump. Is it worth that much of a price difference from the S? I have no idea as I have never driven one before

BUT, for that $7k, you can check every option box on the S.......

The S is a great ride, but we wanted a little more oomph and something sprung a little bit tighter, and a more radical look.

IF you were to go with a JCW and option it lightly, this is what's important to me in order of importance:

*Xenon headlights
*Cold Weather Package
*19" wheels
*Panoramic sunroof

Good luck!

Jeff

 

I love my Lucy. She is a little monster. Only a few hundred more miles until we complete break in and she is already a joy to drive. I JCW, JCW, JCW.....

 

Is it true though that with the Alta Intake and boost tube you can pickup that extra 20 HP and TQ the JCW has?

 

I drove the S and didn't feel that it was lacking anything, honestly. If the choice came down to a loaded S or a bare bones JCW, I would probably go for the loaded S.

 

I recommend the JCW. I am frustrated with a few things but happy with far more.

 

These are my must have options:

1. Black xenon headlights w/ adaptive (I honestly think these really make the car standout)
2. Flat load floor
3. Panorama roof
4. Comfort access
5. Auto dimming mirrors

My JCW is pretty optioned out, I figured if I'm paying close to $40k for a car, what the difference if I add a couple more thousand for a car that I will really enjoy.

 

I have a much longer list of "must haves" than you guys! I'm a big fan of MINI (as evidenced by the fact that I'm getting ready to pay north of $40k for one) but it is crazy how fast the price of options/packages adds up. The problem is that once you have lived with certain things, it's hard to live without them - like heated seats, a sunroof, automatic xenon headlights, auto-dimming mirrors, keyless access... the list goes on. I've just become spoiled since my Hyundai (!) came standard with basically all of those things, and my wife's last two cars have been pretty much loaded. Now I can't go back.

I"d agree with the posters above about the must-haves if you are going to spec a JCW with only the minimal options. I am partial to the H/K sound system though and would probably throw that in.

 

We were in a similar situation, kids grown, missed our old Mini (an '04 S) and wanted to get back in the family. My wife saw a loaded CM S and fell in love...and why not? It was one of the priciest cars they had on the lot! Anyhow, she bought it and we love it. Must-have options for her were cold weather, connected, sunroof, black xenons, and she loved the black wheels.

Two weeks later, my Mini envy kicked in and I posted an almost identical thread in the hardtop forum - loaded S or not so loaded JCW...long story short, I sold two cars and got a pretty loaded JCW Clubbie. So we went from no Minis to two in just two weeks.

The CM S is a Steptronic, loaded, and is perfect for my wife (I love it, too, but was looking for something more sporty) - my JCW is a manual, no connected, no sunroof, but active xenons, auto A/C, wipers, and lights, and various other goodies. Much faster than hers, but with some compromises...

You need to ask what you're going to use the car for...I much prefer the auto trans in the CM for just running errands, so if this is your main car I'd lean to the loaded S with Steptronic. But...if you're going purely for fun, go JCW.

Either way, you win.

 

i believe in keep it simple

my dad bought a cms all4 after driving mine ... he got most of my "pass on" options so i have used both
manual/auto trans
standard/hk radio
standard/auto climate
sunroof/no sunroof
standard suspension/sport suspension
standard/sport pkg

must haves:
6 speed manual
cold weather pkg
sport pkg ... get 18" wheels and get 225/50 michelin pilot super sports ... great handling yet a nice ride because of the 50 series sidewall
sport suspension
xenon headlights
flat load floor

pass on:
sunroof ... adds 80 pounds to the car ... all in the roof ... noisey when open
connect ... i have a smart phone
hk sound ... add an exhaust ... that is all the music needed and i find the stock system or than adequate given what a poor sound stage a car is to begin with
auto climate ... my manual system is more flexible
sirius radio ... a joke
automatic transmission
auto dimming mirrors ... price replacements! also unnecessary with tinted windows
comfort access

personal choice:
anthracite headliner or stock beige
black or chrome headlights
adaptive headlights ... really not necessary with the xenons and requires the addon of auto wipers .. i use rainx and hardly ever use the wipers
rear buckets or rear bench
1 piece or 2 piece rail
backup alarm ... really? on such a small car?
alarm system ... if you want one get the mini system ... so far no addon aftermarket systems available for $500 ... last time i checked, there were none under $1200 and they don't integrate well

scott

 

I will say this. We took an auto CMS out for a drive just to see and made it two blocks before taking it back to the dealer. In our opinion, the auto in the S is sluggish...very sluggish...Now an auto JCW might be different, but i just feel that a Mini is meant to be driven and the 6 speed is pretty sweet-very light clutch with a slightly high engagement point. Heel and toe downshifting is a breeze.

There are other options you can go with other than the Countryman and save some coin(VW R, Focus ST, Fiat 500L), if you just need a small, efficient, 4 door transport. The Mini is very much a driver's car and you pay a premium for that. We just felt that the manual tranny allowed us to pull all of that driving fun out of the car(we shaved some serious rubber on the test drives !!)

 

To the OP, if you are coming off an X5 with the V8, I assume it has quite a lot of equipment and I would strongly suggest you take lengthy test drives and look at the CM objectively. The X5 is big and guzzles gas, but it is comfortable and has a ton of creature comforts that are just missing on the CM. If you had sport of multi contour seats, the CM seats will seem like metal benches - not mention it has manual adjust and you will be wishing for those memory seats every time Wifey drives it.
Trunk space and rear seat space is going to be quite diminished and I don't know how well that plays with growing kids. The plastics are of much lower grade and can't be escaped and the carpets are cheap. Corners were cut.
These are first world problems, but trading in a CM at 18 months because you bought the wrong vehicle is expensive, and the higher the sticker the bigger the bite. Ask me how I know...

 

After contemplating the same things...I opted for a heavily loaded S. Things that I needed to have were black xenons / wheels, anthracite headliner, connected w/ nav, moonroof, heated seats (yes, even in TX), and most importantly, manual tranny. This car also came with comfort access, flat load, gravity leather and all the other little goodies that come with assorted packages. For the price, I could have had a 'base' JCW with almost none of these things. These options were more important to me.

And to be honest, after test driving a JCW for 20 miles or so...I felt that the difference wasn't as significant as I expected/hoped for. Rather have the comfort...

 

I think you will be satisfied with your decision. I was perfectly happy with the performance of the CMS All4 that I drove, and only opted to go the JCW route, well... because I could. Did you pick up a car off the lot or did you order? And did you go for FWD or All4?

 

I appreciate all the feedback, My wife and I both just love the Mini brand, Our kids loved the countryman too. I have a heavily modded Lotus Exige for Driving/Track stuff and a Nissan Pickup for hauling bikes etc so I am trying to keep the comfort and tech options up on this thing to match the X5. I will tell you its almost impossible to keep this thing under 40 grand like had I hoped. The JCW is definitely out at this point as much as I love it. I think Alta can cure any sluggishness I might feel like they did for my 05 Cooper S. That little thing was a beast with just an ECU, Pulley, Intake and Exhaust. Sounds like we both decided on Black/White roof. Heres what I came up with so far. Just to share some must haves of mine, Black headliner, Black Xenon Lamps, Auto Trans, Sport Pack, Tech Pack and Premium pack 2. All 4 is not needed as this thing will be in FL all its life. I am planning to order the minute I get my X5 sold.

 

I made the same decision; opted for the loaded S over the JCW and am very happy it. Be aware that you won't be able to use an Alta AP on the new CMS. There are upgrades of course (FMIC, downpipe, exhaust, etc) as well as tuning options but right now there isn't anything that is "plug n play".

 

Good luck with your oder...I am sure you will enjoy. I purchased a new 2012 CM S ALL4 about 3 months ago and I have no complaints. I look forward to driving the car every day.

Mine is fairly loaded with options and am very happy. I really enjoy the Xenons, MINI Connected, Leather, Moonroof, Auto Climate Control.

If you like stripes, I would suggest not getting the factory ones. There are much better options from a good vinyl installer.

 

I agree. We removed the factory bonnet stripes just before ordering. I saw a forum member's red JCW with Viper stripes they had put on locally and that did it for us...we have to have those !

 

I kept mine kind of light. I figured the more gee whiz features, the more it could break.

• cms manual. no all4. dont need it here and heard about clutch issues with all4
• premium pkg 2 with climate control and sunroof
• black xenon lights. cannot get adaptive with black, but prefer the look and two less electric motors
• hk radio
• driving lights
• comfort access

That is about it from the electronics standpoint. I'll get a cravenspeed mount for my iPhone and that becomes Connected and Nav all in one.

I hope to have mine in 3weeks or so. Nearing Panama Canal as I type this.

 

I'll third that opinion. No stripes at all for me from Mini. I'll do something custom with dealer or third party.

 

Your car is configured almost the same as mine except I did not opt for leather. And I'm also in TX and love having heated seats and side mirrors. The JCW was just too cost prohibitive for me. I love the options
I ordered and am glad i was able to get in under the wire for the rear bucket seats

 

Shawn, glad to hear I am not the only one who traded in a bmw x4.8 for a MINI. I take a lot of heat from others about that decision but do not regret it a bit. It it the perfect blend of style, function and fun in my opinion. In both our cases this MINI had big shoes to fill as the 4.8 is a beast.

 

The leather was an added bonus, as I didn't build mine...found it on a boat and redirected it to me! As for the buckets...I had those on my '11 CMS and the bench was another must-have this time around because it's much more practical with the dogs in the back. They broke 3 of the rail attachments in my last one by stepping in between the seats!

Congrats on yours!