My wife drives a Flex and I drive a 330i and a modified Jeep Wrangler. My car is an 02 with about 40k miles and my Jeep's an 01 with about 80K miles. We have two kids and I have been coaching basketball both of which have been making the Jeep pretty impractical. My car has enough room but my PZero Nero's aren't great in the snow especially with RWD and even if I did get snows on it I still think it would struggle because it sits so low. We've had a good bit of snow this winter so my car hasn't left the garage much.

I've been thinking about selling both and getting 1 vehicle. I've been really wanting a Porsche Cayenne but I really want a manual transmission and they are pretty rare. They are also at the top of or over what I am wanting to spend.

The Countryman seems to fit the bill but I have a few concerns.

1. My cars not a rocket but it does make pretty good power and sounds good doing it. Does the S's 1.6 turbo feel like it has enough power? Does it sound good?

2. My Jeep is pretty much unstoppable. Doesn't matter how much snow we get I know my Jeep will go. How does the AWD Countryman S do in deep snow? Is the 6-speed geared low enough to hold it back on steep hills?

 

I should add that I know it's never going to win a drag race against my 330i but how does it compare in real world acceleration? Is the overboost noticeable when passing? I also no its not going to be an off road machine like my Jeep but with a good set of snows how does it do in deep snow and on ice?

 

I traded my V8 Hemi Charger for my FWD countryman. It's not a rocket but the mix of great handling and zippiness make up for the lack power. I have not done anything to the exhaust but its a nice sound especially in sport mode. I can't comment on the ALL4 sorry.

 

I have a '01 330i and a '12 CMS All4. The CMS accelerates okay for what it is but no way can you compare it to the 330i. Can't say I have pushed it into overboost yet so I can't comment on that nor deep snow since we haven't had any since I got it. Had it on packed thin snow covering last week and it seemed fine with the stock 18" runflats. But for serious snow use I would re-skin it with Blizzaks. Generally I use my Subarus in deep snow. Exhaust sound is decent, again for what it is. My Cabrio S sounds meaner in sport mode and will definitely win the drag race between the two.

 

Welcome!

I would proceed cautiously and go on at least a couple of test drives. I am not sure what year your 330i is, but the CM is a little crude compared to the BMW's. I still have my Euro delivery 330ci convertible (E46) and used to have an 06 330i sedan (E90) which I really enjoyed. Compared to those cars the CM rides rougher and is much louder. Of course compared to the Jeep Wrangler it is like a magic carpet ride.

To your questions

1. My cars not a rocket but it does make pretty good power and sounds good doing it. Does the S's 1.6 turbo feel like it has enough power? Does it sound good?

Yes, it has enough juice and feels rather peppy. Nothing sounds better nor is as smooth as a BMW straight 6, so no it will not sound good to you, especially at idle.


2. My Jeep is pretty much unstoppable. Doesn't matter how much snow we get I know my Jeep will go. How does the AWD Countryman S do in deep snow?

It does fantastic in deep snow. Drove in major snow storms around Tahoe several time this year and it is simply incredible in the snow. I have winter tires on it. I am very impressed with that aspect of the CM.

Is the 6-speed geared low enough to hold it back on steep hills?

You have hit on the major flaw of the CM. Do a search for clutch and you will get tons of results. While not everyone shares my view, the clutch on the All4 is the weak link on this car. Several people on the forum as well as long term car magazines have experienced clutch failure. More have reported a burning smell when going up steep hills. It is impossible to take off smoothly from a start on a steep hill in San Francisco, and some street it can't even go up unless it has a running start! All my cars are manuals and it is the only one with this problem. I either take another car or take a detour when driving around SF to avoid steep hills. My CM has close to 18k miles and the clutch is still the factory one, but I will sell this car around the time the warranty expires due to the clutch.
If my CM were to disappear tomorrow and I needed to replace it I would go for either a 335 xdrive or and Audi S4, or potentially for a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel as I have other fast cars and really just need snow and practicality out of this vehicle. Supposedly MINI has improved the clutch in the 2013 model year, but it is too early to know if it will be more durable than the 2011-12 models and given the reports of failure, I would urge you to look at alternatives if the 6 speed manual is a must.

 

Not that the countryman is bad, but you have the best car combo ever! a bimmer and a jeep. Ive been rockin a bimmer and a jeep for 10 yrs or so, the combo of fun driving vs utility cannot be beat. And jeep snow traction is legendary btw.

 

I traded my beloved 06 Z4 M coupe and my 02 Toyota Tacoma prerunner for my CM All 4 S. I miss my 330 hp M and the fun I had in my Tacoma but I needed to consolidate 2 into 1 ride. It was a grown up decision and it was worth it. The CM was my 61st car and I think I am going to hold onto this one for awhile .

 

Yeah, my Jeep has a front LS/locker and a rear auto-locker plus 4.88 gears. It really is unstoppable.

 

I too miss my 540i, but the CM is a horse of another color. Go kart in curves, my All4 is outstanding in snow even without winter-specific tires. You can push it if you like, but if you act sensible it drives as on dry pavement. It's quite remarkable, IMO.

Re the clutch, I think an aftermarket upgrade might be the best solution there if MINI doesn't make an improvement of substance. My clutch is passable from an inclined stop, but barely. Hammering it in hard driving it's fine. Just a little too much weight from a dead start.

 

FredoinSF and pmr49 know whereof they speak. First gear is a little too tall, the ALL4 is a little too effective at getting the power to the wheels, the weight of the ALL4 is a little too much, and starting on steep hills or aggressively from a stop there's not enough low-end torque to work well in manuals. Time for an automatic?
But for playing in the dirt or snow, the pleasure is definitely there!

 

The countryman really is a great car, I have a '12 S ALL4 I live in Colorado and the car doesn't do to bad in the snow but I have the stock run-flat all seasons on the car, if you were to put some Pilot Alpins 3's on there it would be great. The AWD system is certainly not up to par with the Quattro system in my S5 or the Haldex system in my Golf R, but its for sure not as bad as the SH-AWD in my sons Acura. But overall the CMS ALL4 does well in the snow and it will get you where need to go safely. I have an auto in my car but I test drove a manual CMS And CMS ALL4 and I absolutely hated the clutch feel, it didn't feel very solid and I don't think it shifted that nice. Also what swayed me to the auto was I knew that people were having trouble with the clutch. I just wasn't a fan of the manual in the CM and that's part if the reason I bought the Golf R to just have a fun manual car.

 

We had an A4 Quattro and it almost defied the laws of physics. It just went better than it should have. My Jeep goes but it doesn't always go where I want it to. I have to use the throttle sparingly if I'm climbing a steep hill with curves in it like the one going into our development. I know its going to go no matter what but I'm not always sure where lol

 

I had an A4 quattro with snow tires that's winter for a loaner when the S5 was getting some work done and it just felt different from my S5 in the snow, not quite as planted I didn't have as much traction. Then I realized the S5 has the sports rear diff which will send more power to the outside wheel. I have had cars like that! Mash it and steer!

 

Ohhhh Quattro.... I don't know how they do it but of all of the all wheel drive systems that I drove in my opinion Audi has the best one when it come to cars!! Sorry Xdrive or 4Matic for that matter !!!
I'm surprised that the manual tranny on the CM is not as good, I was thinking about getting a CM in a couple of years maybe they'll fix it by then.

 

The Haldex in my Golf R I think is better than both Xdrive and 4matic but not up to par of the Quattro. You might like the manual go drive one and see, but I just felt like they could have made it a whole lot better!