been looking at different cuvs as potential replacement for the fit, but was floored when i saw a loaded cr-v retailing for 32k this past weekend. so i came across this review in autoblog First Drive: 2011 Mini Countryman — Autoblog and i'm thinking it's perfect. reviewers compare its dimensions to the size of a nissan versa, which means just a few inches longer and perhaps a bit taller than the fit. apparently driving dynamics are similar to a clubman -- which i test drove and really liked before buying the fit. mini also did away with those stupid double doors that killed rear visibility.

in all, the review sums it up to a pretty attractive package. with the cooper s clubman starting at 25k, i'm thinking that same 32k for a cr-v will get you into a decently equipped cooper s countryman.

anyone else feeling the love or care enough to rain on my parade with a downside to this?

 

I actually love the countryman, It was going to be my car of choice if it had come out sooner. For about 4 years I was planning on getting the Cooper S then the Clubman S for spacious needs, then I came across the Fit and ended up going with the Fit Sport because of the price and what I was getting for it. About a year ago I heard about this new Cooper model coming out and I was very intrigued, If i didn't need a new car right away I would have waited for it but that wasn't the case. I think its a really cool idea and they followed through with it nicely but as for all of the MINI's the price is a little steep but I guess thats what you get for the name. If you do end up going with it I think you'll love it just as much as I would have.

Good Luck on your decision!

 

I can't give you reasons to NOT like the Countryman.

When I was evaluating my next purchase I did consider Mini's. I love the styling and look. To me they look more upscale or classic than most new cars made today.

But ultimately that was the problem. I think with the Mini line, when you evaluate exactly what you are getting...you are paying a lot for that styling.

I feel better about the potential reliabilty of my Honda Fit, and obviously the entry price was a LOT lower than any Mini. Plus even with the Clubman or now The Countryman, The Fit was just more of a peoples car as far as utility. Icing on the cake for me (not a deciding factor) was that Mini's require useage of premium gas. Fits do not.

But if you want a Mini? Go for it. I almost did. I love the way they look. But I needed a tad more utility and I also thought I would be paying a high premium for that Mini look and prestige. But Mini is one of my favorite small vehicles on the road...someday I may own one.

 

The only thing I don't like is that in the rear seats, you couldn't carry 3 if you needed to. I carry 3 in my back seat at least a few times a month.

 

There are a lot of awesome cars out there that might be better than the Fit at most things, but reliability is not one of them. :)

 

Well my problem with it is the exterior styling. Its not my cup of tea.

 

Just looked up the seat thing somewhere else and there may be a 5 passenger seat capability. Now I'm wondering about mpg as this would be a nice wifey car.

 

The mini guys hang out one Sunday each month at the coffee shop by my house. I'll let you know when I see Countryman show up. Those guys are pretty cool, the guy who was leasing the all electric mini threw me the keys and I got to take it out for a trip around the block.

 

I did a consumer survey for mini.. didn't like it..at all. Also, minis are known for reliability issues down the road as miles accumulate

 

Those are some of the same reasons why I'm happy I ended a Fit opposed to an early R56 or late R53 Cooper S but the price gap is the biggest reason as well as what comes standard.

Looking at the MINI USA site and using a non-S 2011 Cooper R56 (MSRP is $19,500) without options as a base they come with a 6 speed M/T, leatherette seats, leather wheel w/ button functions, 15 inch alloys, stability control, 6-speaker AM/FM CD player, and an on-board computer (similar to BMW's I-Drive). They also have key-less entry, but there is a catch...

Its doesn't have an alarm function, that is a $500 option. And if you want a garage door opener thats $250. Want front fog lights? Thats $250, add $100 more if you want rears. For 16 inch rims you'll have to shell out an additional $750. Here's a kicker, to get a metallic paint job it costs $500 otherwise you are stuck with either Pepper White, Chili Red, and Interchange Yellow since they are gloss paints. Selecting these options alone are going to cover the Sport option for the Fit. If you want an A/T R56, you might be able to get a Navi Sport since that is an additional $1250 on top of those previous options.

With all of these costly options its easy to have a Cooper's MSRP to easily be around the upper 20s. If you do JCW options and/or the flashy or luxury things like the "Union Jack Roof", Xenon lights, leather seats, and more the price can rocket into the 30s.

Despite that you have to pay a pretty penny for basic and essential factory options (excluding the dress up bits besides the 16s), the maintenance may make up that price difference for the options. The reason being is that MINI/BMW has a killer free maintenance for 3 years/36k miles which includes new belts, wipers, filters, and more. However, once that MINI is off of warranty and something breaks, its going to cost big bucks to fix it. Which typical for the majority of modern European vehicles.

For example: Some early ('07-'09) R56 Cooper S had to have the engine replaced due to a cold start issue until MINI finally figured out that the timing chain tensioner was the source of the problem. The link below is to an article about it.

MotoringFile Archive MINI Solves the R56 Cold Start Issue

Other than that, that's all I know about MINIs. A friend of mine has an '08 R56 Cooper S and she hasn't had any mechanical problems with it after racking up over 50k miles in less than two years.

 

thanks, everyone, for chiming in, and for the well-wishes.

called my local dealership this afternoon and was placed into a queue that apparently already has 70+ names. no deposit was required, so i expect a good number of folks are, much like myself, a bit more of a spectator than true committed buyer at this point.

salesperson believes a well-equipped awd turbo countryman will likely run mid to upper 30s. based on current list of perspective buyers and anticipated allocations, i'd be looking at a delivery date sometime after july-11.

i'll wait and see where the pricing settles...part of me thinks mid 30s is a bit of a stretch but, then again, the acura rdx starts at 34,500 so perhaps the premium isn't entirely out of line.

as for reliability, i've had very positive experiences in recent yrs with not only the fit, but vehicles that have notoriously bad reputations (e.g. land rover) just the same, so i've become rather fearless.

obviously lots can change between now and next july, but i will provide updates on any major development.

appreciate everyone's input!

 

Mid-30s for a well equipped AWD Countryman S? Jeez, that's a bit steep; kinda killed my hopes of looking into one there. ha

I think that's the Ridgeline and Pilot price range somewhere around right there.

 

that's pretty cool. im not a big fan of the current MINI line up (was a earlier gen 2003 MCS owner) but have seen maybe two cool clubmans that i liked which were both modded.

the countryman actually looks pretty sharp in stock form. add some 18's 19's on there and it would look like a very sporty wagon. good thing about the countryman vs the clubman is that it offers 4 DOORS instead of the stupid 3 door setup on the clubman (with the 3rd door on the wrong side of the car!)

 

That and those strange barn style doors with a center pillar that obscures your rear view.

If MINI should have designed the Clubman with a lift up rear door like most hatches and had suicide rear doors on both sides of the car, it would definitely look cleaner by not having the strange hearse style rear handles and be more functional with the additional side door.

 

of the Clubman pretty much sums it up in the first sentence...

2010 Mini Clubman is bigger, more powerful | Washington Examiner

Put me in the NOT category...

 

you'd think so, except the same dealer that had a 32k cr-v on their showroom floor was also selling a pilot for 42. nice as it was, for a split second it had me thinking i must've stepped into an acura dealership.

that statement seems more applicable to the mini and mini clubman than the countryman. ironically, i see this being far more polarizing to a mini enthusiast, while widening the brand's appeal to a broader base.

 

When I was looking into the Mini line a couple of years ago, I kept seeing complaints around radiators, electrical and transmission issues. Have those issues been cleaned up?