Hi Board,

Longtime Mini fan, I had a British racing green Mini Cooper S for awhile and adored it, BC (before children). Now thinking of the Countryman as a more practical option since I have a 2 and 4 year old daughter.

For those of you who drive one, how does 134 horses do in the base Countryman? Good enough acceleration or a dog? Been considering grabbing the base model as a manual transmission for the fun factor. Is it worth springing for the S version? Also I don't see the British racing green option on the builder, is it on hiatus? What other options/trim levels do you consider must-haves on a Countryman? CarPlay/Android implementation worth it?

Years ago I noticed when I spec'd up the options on the base Cooper, it became worth it to grab the S as it included a lot of the options.

 

I have only test driven the Countryman S and JCW, but I read/watched every review I could find and most reviewers found the base 134 hp engine to be insufficient for moving around a 3600 lb vehicle. If you will mainly be driving city streets I suppose it would be ok, but I think the fun factor would be reduced.

If budget is a factor, I would get the S engine and forego the options. If you had room in the budget, I think the signature trim with Tech package includes all the must haves (IMO CarPlay is a must have).

 

That's what I suspected, 3600 pounds is really heavy for 134 horses.

 

FWIW - why not a 4 door cooper S? I have a 4yo daughter and have a 2 door F56 S model, love it, and the daughter fits in the back just fine.

Just a thought. Cheaper too.

 

Base model is nice, but lifeless. If you can get the S or JCW version, you'll be happier in the long run. We have an S and it's totally adequate for the wife and kids.

 

I just had a Clubman as a loaner while my car got the JCW kit. The engine sounds fantastic as many 3 pots do. That said, it really needed more power and a louder exhaust.

Get the S if you can, it is a great compromise between the vanilla and JCW.

 

The S version is even pretty slow... but I guess that depends on what you're used to.
I think this should be a 250hp 220tq motor... for some fun... it's under-powered IMO even in the S version.
So my answer is get the S... I couldn't imagine a 130hp motor with it's weight.

 

You're not buying any Mini for speed, some are quicker than others but you're still talking about a vehicle that you buy because it's fun to drive. The only way you'll know if the base model works for you is to go test drive one.

@usshelena725 suggestion of the 4 door Cooper S is a great option for the same starting MSRP as the base Countryman, especially if you weren't planning on going with the All4 variant. It works great with two children, especially once they are out of infant phase where you're carrying around what feels like an entire nursery in your car.