R60 Pros and Cons of a Countryman
#1
Pros and Cons of a Countryman
I currently own a 2006 R50.. and is looking to add to the family. Im looking at a Countryman. I need your advice and insight.
What year has been the most reliable for the Countryman? Base or S? Are their standard problems threw the years?
Honestly, I dont like the newer years of the Countryman... too big and seems like the fun fact has been removed. So Im leaning toward the cut of year of 2016.
Any insight you can give, while I search for my next MINI family member would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks!
What year has been the most reliable for the Countryman? Base or S? Are their standard problems threw the years?
Honestly, I dont like the newer years of the Countryman... too big and seems like the fun fact has been removed. So Im leaning toward the cut of year of 2016.
Any insight you can give, while I search for my next MINI family member would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks!
#2
Another subject that has been discussed a number of times in this forum..... just reading the titles of the threads in this forum will give you a good idea on the problem areas and what to expect but in any event;
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-reliable.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...rading-up.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ntrymna-s.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...e-i-order.html
And if you actually looking at buying new from a dealer, this is a great thread: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-the-deal.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-reliable.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...rading-up.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ntrymna-s.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...e-i-order.html
And if you actually looking at buying new from a dealer, this is a great thread: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-the-deal.html
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MiniMusician (11-16-2018)
#3
Interesting.... a NEW Countryman is not a option. Bigger isnt better... and all the new MINIs lack options... once upon a time you could get BRG is a Base model... now you HAVE to buy the S.
Ive owned my MINI long enough to understand that some engines are better than others.. and some models have more problems than others.. which is why I inquired.
So... what year did MINI make the Countryman Bigger?
Ive owned my MINI long enough to understand that some engines are better than others.. and some models have more problems than others.. which is why I inquired.
So... what year did MINI make the Countryman Bigger?
#5
I have a 2012, purchased used 6 months ago. I also have been in a few new Countryman, one of which I drove for a week. All of my experience has been in S -ALL4 trim.
If you already own a Mini you are aware of the quirks. I love my car. I have three kids, and when needed they all fit fine. It is a joy to drive and given the amount of hiking I do the ALL4 has been much appreciated.
Get the S trim for a bit more fun.
I did not find the new ones so compelling that I considered buying one, but it was still fun and a bit more refined. I like the look of the R60 more and find the more basic but still nice interior (no Nav) more to my liking. My Mini has all the options, I love the panoramic sun roof!
Good luck in your search. If you can afford it....get and extended warranty.
Frank
If you already own a Mini you are aware of the quirks. I love my car. I have three kids, and when needed they all fit fine. It is a joy to drive and given the amount of hiking I do the ALL4 has been much appreciated.
Get the S trim for a bit more fun.
I did not find the new ones so compelling that I considered buying one, but it was still fun and a bit more refined. I like the look of the R60 more and find the more basic but still nice interior (no Nav) more to my liking. My Mini has all the options, I love the panoramic sun roof!
Good luck in your search. If you can afford it....get and extended warranty.
Frank
#6
I have a 2012 R60 S All4, I love it! I have had the newer F60’s as a loaner and do not like it nearly as much as the R60. They have a lot of usable space for family/pets etc. full adults can comfortably ride in the rear seats, which is great. Get an S, they are pushing around more weight with the same engine as the hardtop, so they are just a bit doggy, until you get an ECU tune, lol. They drive great, the All4 grabs like mad in corners, it’s a blast! They have their quirks and issues, but they are mostly the same as other Mini’s as far as that. Turbo, FRM, HPFP, etc.
#7
We had a 2012 Base model and my wife drove it because she loved the size and liked the attention MINIs get (I have driven R 50s since 2002. My 2nd R 50 I bought in 2006 because of the high resale value and I did not like the changes I saw coming in the 2007 model year. My wife started looking at having an All4 about the time the 2nd generation Countryman came out, and wasn’t happy with the changes in the second generation also, and I was able to convince her to trade for the 2016 because after four years of production the bugs have been worked out and reliability numbers had gone way up. She was able to get a really good deal as well as moving up to the performance of All4 driving. Just had her 2 year checkup and the car has been perfect....no problems!
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#8
I've been driving a '06 R52S for that many years and my co-pilot went on line and spec'd out her '15 CM justa. I drive her's mainly when it needs gas. From the R52, the CM is a whale. It could just as well be Detroit iron though it is very comfortable, stable and in sport mode it tries to keep up with it's room mate.
#9
I've been driving a '06 R52S for that many years and my co-pilot went on line and spec'd out her '15 CM justa. I drive her's mainly when it needs gas. From the R52, the CM is a whale. It could just as well be Detroit iron though it is very comfortable, stable and in sport mode it tries to keep up with it's room mate.
#10
#11
I agree with much that has been said....we bought a low mileage ‘15 CMS All4 this past summer when many nice Countryman’s were coming off lease....plus, we absolutely LOVE the Light Coffee color which is NLA (dumb move MINI)...good for us tho! lol!
I custom ordered a 2015 F56 JCW back in the Spring of 2015 that is an outstanding car, and due to high mileage in one of our beloved Jeeps, I started looking at Countryman’s not really knowing much about them.
Thr R60 just plain looks better than the F60...the N18 engine is surprisingly quick, visability is great, and I have a dipstick!...yay! as the B48 engine in the F56 has no dipstick. We love the Countryman.,..it’s fun to drive and has plenty of power...of course it’s not as fast as my JCW, but it’s respectable...and you have the sport mode and paddle shifters too! We didn’t buy it for speed...it’s all wheel drive, comfortable and different than so much of all the ugly crap you see on the roads today!!!! MINIs are unique thank goodness! 😊
Buy a 2015 or 2016 if you go for the R60 as those are the newest available, unless you find a low mileage earlier year Countryman. We also negotiated a 3 year extended warranty on ours which still only has 15k miles. The later model years seemed to have more black on the gauges, etc which I also prefer!
Look around and go drive a few...if you’ve had MINIs before you’ll be sold is my bet!
Have fun!
I custom ordered a 2015 F56 JCW back in the Spring of 2015 that is an outstanding car, and due to high mileage in one of our beloved Jeeps, I started looking at Countryman’s not really knowing much about them.
Thr R60 just plain looks better than the F60...the N18 engine is surprisingly quick, visability is great, and I have a dipstick!...yay! as the B48 engine in the F56 has no dipstick. We love the Countryman.,..it’s fun to drive and has plenty of power...of course it’s not as fast as my JCW, but it’s respectable...and you have the sport mode and paddle shifters too! We didn’t buy it for speed...it’s all wheel drive, comfortable and different than so much of all the ugly crap you see on the roads today!!!! MINIs are unique thank goodness! 😊
Buy a 2015 or 2016 if you go for the R60 as those are the newest available, unless you find a low mileage earlier year Countryman. We also negotiated a 3 year extended warranty on ours which still only has 15k miles. The later model years seemed to have more black on the gauges, etc which I also prefer!
Look around and go drive a few...if you’ve had MINIs before you’ll be sold is my bet!
Have fun!
Last edited by 02fanatic; 11-26-2018 at 04:17 PM.
#12
+1 on the color O2fanatic!! Mine is Light Coffee as well. I think it’s a great looking color, especially on a Countryman. It’s more unusual and not as common to see that color. I get a lot of positive compliments on it. It stands out up here since, although I’m seeing more R60’s out on the road now than ever, they majority of them up here seem to be white, followed far behind by black and red. Seriously, there are so many white ones it’s crazy. My buddy just bought a white one! An uncommon color sticks out. I really like the color of blue a club member near me has too. It’s the only one I have seen in that metallic blue, not the dark blue, but a lighter shade, but really deep looking, if that makes sense. I have a picture of it, but will not post it without her permission. Obviously.
I don’t care as much for some, like the coffee, in one solid color either, it’s gotta have the black roof and some stripes or it just doesn’t look right to me.
Dang I never realized I was so picky!
I don’t care as much for some, like the coffee, in one solid color either, it’s gotta have the black roof and some stripes or it just doesn’t look right to me.
Dang I never realized I was so picky!
#13
Dissenting opinion here:
I had a 2005 R52 (convertible). Loved it. I mean LOVED it. Hated to see it go and still have second (or rather second thousand, ha ha) thoughts about it two years later. When the Countryman first came out I went and tested one and really liked it. I knew it would be the car that would replace the convertible. In December 2016 I got the Countryman (R60). I'm now 55 years old. I always felt younger in the convertible (obviously). With the Countryman, I feel 55. I'm still a bit disappointed in it. It's just not what I was hoping for. Not nearly as peppy (I have the S ALL4..but it's automatic) and doesn't have the cool exhaust sounds. I know I can do both but it's not worth extra money for me to do that. It is roomy though and easy to get four people in it so there is that. However, those four people cannot all have luggage in the trunk. The trunk is smaller than most sedans. A few other things I don't like either but you're heard enough, mostly minor things that annoy me. All that being said, it's not horrible, just not what I was expecting. I think going from smaller Mini (isn't that redundant?) to a Countryman just makes me miss my old Mini more. I've driven other SUV's (rentals) and my wife has a Jeep and I don't feel that way when driving them. They are what they are. The Countryman isn't a Mini to me. Just a smaller SUV with the name Mini on it.
Funny, my wife likes the Countryman more than I do. But she doesn't drive it as much or the convertible either. Glad I didn't wait until the F60 though. I really do not like the look of those at all. More of a BMW look and you might as well spend the extra money for a BMW at that point.
Steve
I had a 2005 R52 (convertible). Loved it. I mean LOVED it. Hated to see it go and still have second (or rather second thousand, ha ha) thoughts about it two years later. When the Countryman first came out I went and tested one and really liked it. I knew it would be the car that would replace the convertible. In December 2016 I got the Countryman (R60). I'm now 55 years old. I always felt younger in the convertible (obviously). With the Countryman, I feel 55. I'm still a bit disappointed in it. It's just not what I was hoping for. Not nearly as peppy (I have the S ALL4..but it's automatic) and doesn't have the cool exhaust sounds. I know I can do both but it's not worth extra money for me to do that. It is roomy though and easy to get four people in it so there is that. However, those four people cannot all have luggage in the trunk. The trunk is smaller than most sedans. A few other things I don't like either but you're heard enough, mostly minor things that annoy me. All that being said, it's not horrible, just not what I was expecting. I think going from smaller Mini (isn't that redundant?) to a Countryman just makes me miss my old Mini more. I've driven other SUV's (rentals) and my wife has a Jeep and I don't feel that way when driving them. They are what they are. The Countryman isn't a Mini to me. Just a smaller SUV with the name Mini on it.
Funny, my wife likes the Countryman more than I do. But she doesn't drive it as much or the convertible either. Glad I didn't wait until the F60 though. I really do not like the look of those at all. More of a BMW look and you might as well spend the extra money for a BMW at that point.
Steve
#14
#15
#16
I am totally with you on F60’s though. I had one for a weekend as a loaner, I really didn’t care for it very much. It was definitely a nice car, but didn’t feel like a Mini, so I can understand what you mean. You just feel that way about the older ones too. Lol, and that’s fine. The tune really helps, because they are most certainly underpowered, with the extra weight and the All4 system. I drove my buddies stock R60 and couldn’t believe it was such a hog, because I’m used to how mine is now.
#17
Steve,
You need to swap out the run flats on your Countryman for a sportier tire and wheel combo. If you have the stock 17” wheels and runflat tires, I can tell you for a fact that a swap to 18” MINI Fan Spoke Wheels with non runflat tires (we bought 225/45/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S +3 tires) and it absolutely transformed the Countryman! Sure a tune makes it faster but this car is very quick in stock form. My other MINI is a F56 JCW and the Countryman is very quick! I also have a Jeep....which one puts a smile on my face? LOL!
You need to swap out the run flats on your Countryman for a sportier tire and wheel combo. If you have the stock 17” wheels and runflat tires, I can tell you for a fact that a swap to 18” MINI Fan Spoke Wheels with non runflat tires (we bought 225/45/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S +3 tires) and it absolutely transformed the Countryman! Sure a tune makes it faster but this car is very quick in stock form. My other MINI is a F56 JCW and the Countryman is very quick! I also have a Jeep....which one puts a smile on my face? LOL!
Last edited by 02fanatic; 11-28-2018 at 09:21 AM.
#18
Steve,
You need to swap out the run flats on your Countryman for a sportier tire and wheel combo. If you have the stock 17” wheels and runflat tires, I can tell you for a fact that a swap to 18” MINI Fan Spoke Wheels with non runflat tires (we bought 225/45/18 Michelin Pilot Spirt A/S +3 tires) and it absolutely transformed the Countryman! Sure a tune makes it faster but this car is very quick in stock form. My other MINI is a F56 JCW and the Countryman is very quick! I also have a Jeep....which one puts a smile on my face? LOL!
You need to swap out the run flats on your Countryman for a sportier tire and wheel combo. If you have the stock 17” wheels and runflat tires, I can tell you for a fact that a swap to 18” MINI Fan Spoke Wheels with non runflat tires (we bought 225/45/18 Michelin Pilot Spirt A/S +3 tires) and it absolutely transformed the Countryman! Sure a tune makes it faster but this car is very quick in stock form. My other MINI is a F56 JCW and the Countryman is very quick! I also have a Jeep....which one puts a smile on my face? LOL!
Thanks - Steve
#20
I highly recommend the tires I mentioned...the Michelins are exceptional tires. I haven't been caught in any snow "yet" but they are great on dry and wet roads for sure....handling & feel is so much better than the stock Continental runflats it's not even close! You will like them better for sure when the time comes. My Sis has a Wrangler and I agree they are a hoot to drive.....we have a Liberty and an old Grand Cherokee "Orvis" edition (which I love, but it's seen better days!) The Wranglers keep their value also!
#21
The 18’s and non-run-flats are a must! Yes it rides a little bit rougher, but not much, those run-flats ride really rough! And the tram lining....ugh! Those Michelin’s are great tires, I’ve driven a few with those on ‘em. I’m really happy with my Bridgestone Potenza’s as well, very good tires, I’ve had them on 3 different sports cars. A lighter wheel will add a little get up too. Any decrease in unsprung weight is like increasing hp. We get a brief bit of snow every year up here near Seattle, and last winter mine actually drove pretty well in the snow and ice, without winter tires, just my regular potenza’s. I was pleasantly surprised by how it did. With winter tires, I’m sure it would have no problem getting around in snow.
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