not sure how accurate this is ... but pricing just showed up on Edmunds.com
"FROM" $30K????

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2011/mini...42/prices.html

 

MINI will be making a big mistake if they take away the clubman. It's not perfect; it could use 2-4 more inches and 4 doors to make it a real sport wagon mini. The country man is interesting and all but who is buying suv's anymore? I really don't see the countryman being a huge success. It's too small for an suv. I'm 6'3" and sure I fit in it's front seat but then no one can fit in the back because all the leg room is gone ( I sat in it at the Auto Show). Please mini don't take away the countryman - if anything please just make it more usable. I'm planning to buy in 4 years if they are still around but first I want to pay off my JCWcab.

 

It's completely wrong.

The Countryman will be priced between the Clubman and the Cabrio for each trim level.

For instance, a Cooper Countryman will be more expensive than a Cooper Clubman, but cheaper than a Cooper Cabrio.

 

Hey I did. All car value sources including Consumer Reports indicate that the less the car is personalized, the higher its resale value. Although I absolutely love my Clubman I skimped on accessories. The only options are 5-spoke wheels, sport seats, multifunction steering wheel and automatic A/C. Even if you plopped down an extra $10,000 in options, it almost always adds nothing to the car's resale value.

 

I'd like to see the countryman be a little more distinctive with some strong suspension and a little more power. Maybe up the displacement or even a 5/6 cyl engine. I want to see it compete with the impreza as more of a rally toy so the cooper can be the autox toy and the clubman can be the more travel friendly car. I bought a clubman precisely to be a travel car that will still be lots of fun since my job has me travel alot and stay away for a little while.

 

You sure that doesn't refer to aftermarket items?

 

ah but we drive our cars until the wheels fall off, resale is not a factor, my truck has 92,000 miles my volvo xc 70 has 151,000 and the clubman has 42,000

we set them up to have what we want in the 10-15 years we will drive a vehicle

 

I've been following the Countryman introduction since I'm a fan of rally racing, and see this as a possible local rally racer, and at the very least a replacement for my 2001 Subaru Forester. The problem in the US is that people are viewing the Countryman as the same as the atrocities known as "crossover vehicles" which are heavy and slow, with giant wheels and a high center of gravity making them useless for people who like performance driving.

On the other hand the Countryman is just slightly taller, and is still a performance vehicle, although heavier than the Clubman. Even the S model will undoubtedly be not in the same performance class as the other models, but the rumor is there will be a JCW version to debut at the same time MINI enters the World Rally Championship, marketing the Countryman in a similar way to the way Subaru markets their Impreza WRX STi models, which are also four door sedans.

http://www.motoringfile.com/2010/02/...wrc-rally-car/
http://www.norcalminis.com/2010/02/r...rally-car.html

The Countryman is NOT supposed to be a boring SUV replacement, but a true MINI that handles and drives well. It will even seat five with an optional bench rear seat. My wife currently drives our MINI, and I'd like our second car to have more room for longer trips, so the Countryman fits the bill well. The Clubman looks great, but I'm tempted by the possibility of racing the JCW works Countryman in rallycross:

http://www.scca.com/contentpage.aspx?content=47

 

More on the rumored JCW Countryman:

http://www.motoringfile.com/2009/08/...ormance-model/

 

Nice to see someone shares the same vision of potential for this car

 

Unfortunately, there will NOT be an optional rear bench seat for 5-passenger seating in the US-spec Countryman.

 

I totally agree with this. I just bought a 2010 MCS with every add-on that I wanted to make the car just the way I wanted it. Resale really isn't an issue to me.

My previous car was (is) a 2000 Ford Expedition with currently 145,000 miles...it still sits in our drive and will continue to have its purpose...just doesn't make sense for commuting.

My wife drives a 2006 MCS and loves it...and so do I...thus my choice to purchase.

As a person who has driven SUV vehicles most of his adult life...I'm not sure what I think of the Countryman yet...in terms of the function it serves...but I'm looking forward to seeing what they look like when they come out.

 

When did that happen? I don't care one way or the other, but all of the descriptions I've read, including Car and Driver, mention a rear bench seat option.

 

I have sat in a Countryman within the state of CA. There is a rail between the seats, no bench seat in U.S. cars. It has been documented in several articles also since the beginning.
It is nice, but the room behind the seats is very small.

 

I've yet to see a photo of the Countryman and the Mini Cooper S side-by-side (only read the specs). It is really hard for me to get a sense of how much bigger the Countryman is. Does it really dwarf a Mini Cooper when they're next to each other?

Is there significantly more leg-room in the back seat of the Countryman than a Clubman to make a real practical difference?

 

Yeah, sometimes there is some confusion on this because information is different for different markets. In Europe, the 3-seat bench IS available, but not in the US due to DOT regulations or something.

As far as the size of the Countryman, it is a few inches taller than the current cars (4-5", IIRC), and ~6 inches longer than the Clubman. It will have a little more legroom than the Clubman and similar rear storage, from what I understand. It still isn't very big. For comparison's sake, it is still 4 inches *shorter* than a 4-door VW GTI.

 

In my opinion the rear seating of the Clubman feels roomier, but that may be because you sit higher in the Countryman. I love my Clubman, but am excited to see MINI bringing more to the table so to speak. Also, read the article on Motoring File re: Spacebox....refresh to Clubman as well

 

http://www.motoringfile.com/2010/02/...rison-gallery/

 

Don't think Clubman will go away, the Countryman is really a different vehicle and will appeal to a different buyer, although I think some Clubman sales will go to the Countryman.

 

I've sat in both cars and I think you are right. The club man has more space than the countryman. I was thinking of getting a countryman until I sat in it and found it too small for me: I'm 6'3". Of course I can fit in it but then there is no leg room for a back seat passenger. I'm thinking of getting a Panamera with the six cylinder but I'll wait a few years for all the kinks to get worked out first. I love my jcw cab but I want a real four seater with some sports capability and I find bmw too business man like. If they add a couple inches to the clubman then that would be a go as well then I could save some 40k.

 

Thanks!

 

As an owner of a Clubman, the Countryman has ZERO appeal to me.

The idea of an AWD version of the Clubman has lots of appeal to me.

I think the Countryman will be a slow seller. period. Give it a price tag over $30K and they might as well hand out certificates and number then 1 thru 1000 because that is all they will sell.

 

I still don't know. If it had a relatively powerful diesel, 3 rear seats and the Austians put it together really well, it would do pretty well. Too bad about the rear buckets as neato as they look.

 

The Countryman will be priced between the Clubman and the Convertible.

A ~$30k base price tag is wishful thinking for those hoping the Countryman will fail.

 

I don't think anyone here is wishing the countryman will fail. We are simply giving an opinion. Mini isn't the goto moniker for SUV's; however, I do think the countryman might appeal to some people (women) because of its cute looks. Being 6'2" the car isn't really big enough for me. I sat in it at the auto show and it's to small for me. I am a big fan of the clubman and wish they did a proper station wagon by adding a couple more inches and four doors.