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Hi there,
haven’t posted much on here recently been trying just to stay safe and hope everyone is keeping well.
Anyway have seen that the New MINI Countryman has been added ( New lights and a digital dash ) and in doing so they have reduced the power output of the Cooper S variants from 192bhp down to 176bhp.
As the higher output was one of the main reasons for our choosing the Cooper S which we got at the beginning of the year genuinely curious as to why they have dropped it down.
Coupled with the extra £500 they have added to the AP’s it does put me off in future.
Any Ideas
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Noel the old 4 cylinder 1.6 engine could also be tuned to near 300bhp.
I think the Bev now looks more attractive if you think you would miss the small drop in performance.
In a straight line sprint it would be feel like a bolt of nitros oxide was being used.
Thanks, Mitch and JS. Beautiful!
I toy with the retro white roof and bonnet ‘straps’, but I think I just prefer it BRG all over. But it’s a very close call.
Georgie – cannot comment from direct experience of Countryman but do have the Cooper S 2-door with 2.0L and auto as used in the new big ‘un (more or less). Quite excellent power train. Very unlikely one will use the top edges of performance but in the normal limits of driving it is never stressed and an easy and enjoyable piece of kit to use. With the 4×4 in play it should be an absolutely excellent choice (not available on 2-door sadly!). The adjustable suspension may be worth considering. Needless to say, get in one and try it – Mini used to do a 48hr test drive scheme which will be helpful. If the build quality is anything like that on mine then you will not be disappointed. Very well made with quality bits all round.
So earlier this month i’d phoned my local mini dealer about ordering another countryman and also to see if they would match an offer from another dealer in scotland. they said that should be fine and two days later the countryman had been taken off the ever smaller car list. so what to do…hadn’t looked at any other car as we love this car and were very happy with another. couple of days go by and the motability sales person from local dealer contacts me to see if i was still interested. i said yes and they came back with an offer of a 2.0 cooper s classic petrol. only difference from current car is iv’e a Diesel and there’s no heated seats. so happy to get another mini countryman with £249 AP instead of the £1300 at the time and looks like £749 now…just not sure now as going to have a lovely car but will be older model from day one.
On the subject of Minis… I can vouch that they hold up pretty well should the worst happen. Of course, if you’re travelling along at exactly 38 mph and a big, nasty Volvo XC90 pulls out of a side junction – there’s only going to be one ‘winner’ sadly!
Fifteen months old and written off due to a buckled chassis.
What mpg are people getting on the mini automatics ? I’ve looked at honest John mpg and the mini autos have poor mpg ? I’m surprised because isn’t it the BMW 8 speed auto etc
40-43 both for the mini 3dr 1.5 and the countryman cooper s excl auto.
thats mostly normal mode goes down obv if you put it in sports and have fun, you just have to ration yourself.
they were both petrol.
geohfc thats better in my opinion as you get the full 2.0, the “new” 2.0 has less bhp, admitedly not much 15 i think.and the other tweaks arent honestly noticeable if it were me i would bite his hand off.
solent60, a buckled chassis is that all lol.
hope everyone was ok, it is painful seeing such a nice car in such a poor state.
I’ve a 2 door Cooper S that I have had for 2 year’s and I get about 34 mpg but if your that way inclined it really fly’s.
So, after reading the posts on here regarding Mini Countryman I went and had a test drive yesterday. I’m due to put my order in for a Volvo XC40 this week, but the Mini was ‘on the list’ before it was taken away, so I thought why not have a go? So here’s what I thought, obviously only personal opinion ?.
Dealer was very accommodating with test drives. At short notice provided me with a spec very similar to the one I was most interested in and let me have it for 3 hrs. Car was the outgoing model because they don’t have any of the new ones yet, and was a countryman sport cooper s, with a comfort pack. It was in the standard Mini colour of light grey, with black alloys, and looked really good. As with the Volvo the height was ok for me at 5’10” but the seat needed to be back to allow me to park my bum and then swing my legs around. I think I’d want electric seats if it were my own car, and that’s not a cheap option on a mini! The sport model had no lumbar support on the front seats (there is an option as noted by Noel, in that if you choose the exclusive trim level or spec leather seats in the sport you get manual lumbar. I had a seat in one that had this, and whilst it was more comfortable I couldn’t reach the manual control as it was quite high on the interior edge of the seats), but other than that they were comfy and supportive. They have a moveable front seat cushion so you can get it right under your knees for support.
The interior of the car is really nice! It didn’t feel like ‘cheap bmw’ at all. Very premium feel to it. I’ve watched too many CarWow YouTube reviews to not test the scratchy plastics and it passed my test ?. The infotainment set up was easy, and has a rotary dial for control down where a handbrake used to be, a Minified version of the BMW iDrive. Works so well, why don’t all manufacturers do this!? And while they’re at it, they can return the knobs for climate control! The Mini also has these ?. In comparison to the Volvo, it felt slightly off the pace in terms of quality, but redeemed itself with ease of use. The hifi is fine quality wise, but not as good as the Volvo. Apple CarPlay is now standard too.
I drove around 30 miles in the car, using various road types. In the right mode this car was properly fast (the 192bhp version), and the auto gearbox was good (but I felt the character of the engine would suit a manual better). The steering is fantastic when you’re giving a B road some stick, but less so on the motorway where that really direct nature made me feel like I was constantly having to make tiny corrections. Where I really didn’t get on with this car was the suspension set up. Whilst I concede it would be great for some, and whilst it makes the car handle like a proper go kart, it just wasn’t comfortable enough for me. I used the same test roads I’d done the Volvo in and it was substantially harder. On returning to the dealer we had a talk about this and the Cooper S and Cooper D models all come with this suspension, you have to move to a Cooper to get softer set ups, or add adaptive damping at significant cost. The cooper drops the bhp into the 130’s and I’d prefer more just for easier overtaking.
So, in summary, a design masterpiece that makes you feel like you’re having fun before you even get in. Fabulous looks, great spec, easy enough to get in for those of limited mobility, and of course BRG! Who doesn’t love a bit of British Racing Green? Not for me, but for others I can definitely see the appeal!
One final note. When back at the dealers we discussed pricing. The numbers used by the dealers to order are changing, currently they begin with a 6 and the new models will begin with an 8. The dealer can no longer order with a 6 which is how they all appear on the motability site. She said that they had been advised of a £500 increase across the board when this new number system is released (imminent apparently). I questioned whether the increase had already been applied as that makes sense when considering the price rise when it reappeared, but she didn’t know and couldn’t find out. I won’t be progressing with a mini, but if you are this might be worth checking. Personally I think Mini has its wires crossed a bit, their configuration tool on line shows the new bits of kit but still shows 192bhp for the Cooper S! So I think they’re mid change and it’ll even out over the next week or two, and I think that price hike is already on there. Hope so ?
solent60, a buckled chassis is that all lol. hope everyone was ok, it is painful seeing such a nice car in such a poor state.
There was only me in the car driving it mitch. My chest was killing me for days afterwards where the seatbelts did their job & yanked me back hard into the seat on impact… that and a few minor cuts to my face where the airbags blew. The XC90 was only 4-days old! The old fella driving it said he didn’t see me (?!?!?) and admitted liability straight away to the four (yes, four) cop cars that turned up. At least Mini have dropped those awful halogen headlights and gone all-LED now. Incidentally mitch, I was well impressed with the Mini SOS system that activated immediately upon impact. The cabin was full of smoke from all the airbags that blew, it was a dark January night, on a country road, and it takes a few seconds for your mind to comprehend what’s just happened. But the SOS system immediately came on with a guy’s voice telling me my name, that I’ve had an accident, am I okay?, and that he’d called the emergency services and they’re on their way. Most impressive indeed!
As for my car – the insurance loss adjuster eventually wrote it off because of the twisted chassis mainly. From the photo, you can see the obvious frontal damage – but his report said it wasn’t economically viable to repair it even though it was only 15-months old. Motability were as good as gold with the claim from start to finish… as were RSA. It’s my one & only accident in 40+ years of driving and I’m sure as hell hoping it’ll be my last!
The plan at the moment is to get another.
Mini mpg: getting just under 40 from Cooper S 2.0L 2-door. Most journeys have been ten miles or less so expect much better when I can get back to normal and make longer trips.
Solent – Ouch! Hope everyone OK. Just goes to prove that the front protection design issues which are “making cars boring” (video in here somewhere) are a damn good idea. What would you rather have: a less-than-perfect looking front end of car and a couple of bruises or a really sexy car and be dead?
Mini mpg: getting just under 40 from Cooper S 2.0L 2-door. Most journeys have been ten miles or less so expect much better when I can get back to normal and make longer trips. Solent – Ouch! Hope everyone OK. Just goes to prove that the front protection design issues which are “making cars boring” (video in here somewhere) are a damn good idea. What would you rather have: a less-than-perfect looking front end of car and a couple of bruises or a really sexy car and be dead?
Indeed Tharg. All in all – considering the little Mini hit a hefty Volvo XC90 (couldn’t have picked a worse car to slam into) at 38 mph, I think the designers did a very good job & no doubt we have organisations such as NCAP to oversee all the safety rules & regulations when it comes to design, etc.
Stupidly, when I went to the compound a few days later to retrieve all my personal belongings from my car – I did think that “Yeah, a drop of T-Cut and she’ll be just fine!“.
“Yeah, a drop of T-Cut and she’ll be just fine!“.
“Don’t worry, mate – It’ll buff out.”
Poor little car. 🙁
I saw the pictures after my sister hit a truck side on and the airbags deployed, so I can imagine the bruises. Major ‘Ouch’!
{{{ Solent60 }}}
Did you replace it with another Mini?
“Yeah, a drop of T-Cut and she’ll be just fine!“. “Don’t worry, mate – It’ll buff out.” Poor little car.
I saw the pictures after my sister hit a truck side on and the airbags deployed, so I can imagine the bruises. Major ‘Ouch’! {{{ Solent60 }}} Did you replace it with another Mini?No I didn’t. The thing is Georgie… I really enjoyed the 15-months I had the Mini Cooper. It was a fun little car and great to drive. What I found really annoying though was the amount of ignorant & arrogant drivers on the roads who, when I was at a roundabout or junction for example, would look up… see a Mini… and think instantly “girl/woman driver”… and just pull straight out in front of me. I don’t know if any of you with Mini’s have the same experience? For me it was a constant hazard & I eventually got p*ssed off with having to slam my brakes on or take avoiding action. Of course, it happened once too often & eventually it was written off by the Volvo XC90 as per above. In a way, it didn’t come as a total surprise to me. I always had a strange feeling that “One day”…
Anyway, when I was driving the brand new Merc C-class courtesy car that RSA had provided me with & I was thinking about which car to replace the Mini with – I thought ‘If you can’t beat them – join them’… and chose something much higher & a bit chunkier in order to avoid idiot drivers. I chose the Toyota C-HR which I’ve now had for over two and-a-half years and guess what? Barely anyone ever pulls out in front of me! Added to that the fact that the C-HR has been a superb, comfortable car & I really haven’t got a single complaint to make about it!
I’m due my next car come December & have shortlisted a few. I have even considered the Cooper S/Cooper Countryman… but with the appalling standard of driving on UK roads these days Georgie, I’m probably going to opt for something a little bigger/taller/chunkier again!
Iv had my Mini Countryman PHEV for a year now and I absolutly Love it! I got it in British Racing Green with black roof and morrors, I got the leather with the £500 discount. I also got the comfort plus pack. I love the tweeks on the new one and can’t wait to try that as there is no other option for me now, it suits me perfectly and all the stuff I carry round.I just hope a decent Countryman is still available come renewal time.
I saw the pictures after my sister hit a truck side on and the airbags deployed, so I can imagine the bruises. Major ‘Ouch’! {{{ Solent60 }}} Did you replace it with another Mini?
Iv had my Mini Countryman PHEV for a year now and I absolutly Love it! I got it in British Racing Green with black roof and morrors, I got the leather with the £500 discount. I also got the comfort plus pack. I love the tweeks on the new one and can’t wait to try that as there is no other option for me now, it suits me perfectly and all the stuff I carry round.
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