When I first heard about The Countryman I thought it would only come in all wheel drive. Of course, I was wrong.

When I stopped in at my dealer's for their "unveiling" they didn't have an AWD for a tester...not that I would have noticed the difference since there wasn't any snow. I talked to a bunch of people some of whom has just placed their orders that day... Quite a few were going with the FWD and just planning on getting some dedicated wheels for a good set of snow tires.

Here in the NY/CT metro area, we just has a blizzard so right now the AWD is tempting...even though my Clubman with snow tires did quite well backing out of the deep. I'm thinking that with the Countryman being higher that it might be just fine for me with some good snow tires for the winter.

What did you all decided and if you did go for the AWD do you live in a very snowy part of the world? I do realize that many people in non snow belt areas drive AWD cars...Subarus, Volvos, etc.

 

It wouldn't hurt going AWD...I live in the same area as you...The R60 has worked well in wet weather as well...the R60 drives well and the AWD is on all the time to compensate for the driving conditions...I don't have push a button, move a gear, or go outside of the vehicle to mess with the hubs...Just Drive.

It is the main reason to have the Countryman for me...I would have stayed with my R56 and R55...

 

I went with FWD (as you know) and made that decision today. Even living with the blizzards of last year, when I COULD drive, my FWD Element was fine. I'd probably drive that around, due to the higher ground clearance and lack of worry about road salt. So in general, I'm not venturing out on the roads that are horrible anyway. While I'd love to have the extra security and handling 4WD would provide, in the life of my cars I've never needed 4WD.

 

4wd because i started to hate understeering in my TT and the fact that it didn't have traction al all..... even in rainy conditions... So i "promised" my self that next car would have been 4wd...
Other thing is that i like to go and ski... Of course u can go in ski resort also with winter tires but last week this happened to me:
i was at the ski restor with friends we were in 2 different cars, me in my brother audi A6 quattro (with winter tires) and a the others in my friend's Opel Corsa (with winter tires too)... We reached the beginning of the road that lead to the ski resort and there there was a police checkpoint, they were checking if cars were equipped with chains or winter tires....
End of the story? My friend on the corsa was not able to continue to the ski resort because he didn't have chains (winter tires were not enough on the icy-fresh snowed road) but we, because of the 4wd were permitted to continue

4wd is a good plus point, i think that a fwd have its limits. 4wd takes of this last limits to the car letting you being able to go, wherever u want in wherever condition... (:D ok i know..... i didn't buy a wrangler.. but i think understand what i mean)
i don't care if it take 5kmh from top speed and 0.5sec on 0-100kmh acceleration, or if it consume 0.5l more of fuel, 4WD for life!!

plus. i wound't buy a offroad-jeep-a-like-car that doesn't have 4WD (Like the Qashqai for example) ...

 

I live in Philly and went with the AWD. My last 4 cars were AWD. I drive to DC and into northern eastern PA regularly. In looking at other vehicles, the AWD version usually has much lower mpg than FWD ( A3, A4 ) I think in the countryman it is only a difference of 1 mpg. One of the great things about this AWD system- if you are just cruising on the highway it is really FWD.

 

My concern with the AWD system is reliability. Anytime you add complexity, you increase the risk of mechanical problems. I will wait and see how this holds up by the early adopters. I'm more interested in the Paceman which is planned to be available in a couple of years. By then, I would think the verdict will be in. Meanwhile, my FWD Econobox, (a Scion xB) does great in the snow as long as the Blizzaks are on.

 

If not AWD, I would buy the Clubman. I don't need 4 proper doors and I like the barn door in the rear better than a normal pop up tail-gate.

 

The ALL4 was always the main reason for the Countryman, going with the FWD only...never a consideration. The Countryman replaced a 06 VW Beetle, great little FWD car BUT not as good as an ALL4. The recent snows have both justified and verified the decision, on a hill we just let the clutch out and up we go, no slip just grip. OK, reality check here, any vehicle can slip/slide/get stuck in snow and ice. For everyday, 'normal' winter Iowa winter driving this system is great, better than on my 07 Sivlerado as it is seamless, no button pushing.
The downside is the packaging, ALL4 is S only, top of the line and the price reflects it. In my wife and my opinions, well worth the cost.
I am not concerned about the ALL4 system, my MINI experience so far leads me to feel the system will work for many winters to come.
As we all know, if man can build it, it will eventually fail. I used to remind some customers of a previous job that on the side of every dealership, KIA to Mercedes, are the words "Service Department".
Loving the car after 3 weeks

 

...what they said...

if it weren't for the ALL4 I wouldn't be interested in the Countryman AT ALL. I'd previously fallen in love with the Clubman.

 

I'm definitely all for the Countryman because of the four doors and the useable back seat. With two teenagers, I will certainly need to be transporting people for a few more years. It also is tall enough to hold some of my music gear (although my Element is really mostly for that). I like the higher driving position for long road trips. It seems like it will be a comfortable long-range cruiser. So I certainly see the Countryman being a legitimate choice beyond just the availability of the 4. That said, I probably will always wonder if I should have just gone for and paid the extra $1750.

 

woops!

 

I went for AWD mainly just because I love the idea that all 4 tires can put power to the pavement. While this isn't a big issue with the stock Countryman I do picture doing what I can to get more power here and there where I can.

We're in Portland and while we do get the rain, we only have snow for a day or two each year.

While not a buying decision I am eager to see how the All4 will do on the sand. We get to the sand dunes a few times a year for ATVing, I'm sure before too long I won't be able to resist the temptation to see what the Countryman will do out there.

Oh, and the extra safety that an AWD vehicle provides? Completely not a factor at all in the decision making!

 

I appreciate everyone's comments very much. Keep 'em coming!

veggivet, nice to see you!

inimini2007, I'm sure you've been enjoying your Countryman during our recent blizzard. Hint, hint - we need some snowy Countryman photos.

Lenmonster, just so you know you are not the only person driving the FWD version and feeling the need for 4 doors, etc.

My problem is that I am a MINI addict, I think. Sort of kidding but not really. Love my Clubman, but miss having the little one. Thinking about how to have the best of both worlds with a bit more room and back seats with roll down windows...but I digress.

Good point about the slight difference in mpg, snowboard1. And FiremanMike - you are right and MINI has certainly improved its reliability record.

 

Otra-

You made a good point earlier. A MINI with snows does well in the winter. Add a bit more ground clearance and a bit more weight, and a FWD Countryman with snows will probably do well in everything but the deepest snow.

Motoringfile did a pretty good write-up after the press launch comparing the FWD and AWD Countryman and the consensus was that if you've owned a MINI before, the FWD gives you a driving experience much closer to what you'd be used to coming from a traditional MINI. Gabe's comments said that the AWD loses some of the feel due to the power transfer and added weight. You should head over there and find his review, it a was pretty detailed comparison.

 

Here's a new review:

http://www.motoringfile.com/2010/12/...snowy-streets/

 

Thanks sarafil and you, too, eeyore. I do frequent Motoringfile and enjoyed both right ups.

I also just spoke to my dealer and they just got a non S Countryman in as another test driver. I plan on heading up there as soon as it's available and all the snow from our recent blizzard has been removed. My non S Clubman has been more than fast enough with plenty of pickup for me, so perhaps this Countryman non S will be, too.

 

All4 for me. Always value the extra grip in bad weather - rain or snow. Plus the All4 system should mitigate most, if not all, of the remaining torque steer of a FWD vehicle.

 

When I saw the countryman, All4 was my only choice. But after the blizzard here in NJ, and yes I went to work on Monday. I had so much fun driving my Clubman S 8:30 in the morning when the road was still a mess!

The traction control is a very good feature to have on the road when there are some snow on road. So now if I'm going for Countryman, don't think I will get the All4 with higher price.

 

As my Countryman will be a D.D. and driving around NYC all day long. Went with AWD. Once the run flats are gone will buy snow tires. This way no problems geting around. Snow or rain. I want to try him out on the track to see what he can do.

 

I own a Cooper S hardtop and I test drove a regular Cooper Countryman yesterday and I have to say I liked it. Drove just like any other Cooper. Didn't feel too under powered to me..

 

MINIxB, thanks for your feedback - very good to know. I hope to have a chance this week or next. I am not in any sort of hurry but I would like to get a feeling for it.

Whenever I read people complaining about the regular Coopers or Clubman, I just say different strokes for different folks.

If I can save some money, still enjoy myself and feel in control on the highway...and get better gas mileage, I'm a happy camper. Reading your reaction as an S driver makes me feel quite hopeful!

 

I'm in Texas, so maybe it's overkill...but I'm a female and want all the control I can get. It seemed worth the price differential. Also excited about 4 doors!!!

 

AWD Vehicles typically exhibit understeer. I have friends with Subaru WRXs, and they handle great - once you dump a few grand into the suspension to cure the understeer.

If you're experiencing understeer all the time you're going too fast for conditions.

 

The reason I chose all4 was because I'm not the biggest fan of fwd cars... My previous audi a3 was fwd with a turbo. That thing had so much torque steer I hated it, burned up a set of tires in the first year. I kicked myself daily for not getting quattro, ended up only being with me for 2 years. I currently have two rwd bmw's and they drive so much better. Previous 2 audi's with quattro, and my old touareg never had the problem with torque steer. I ordered it simply to have at least a little bit of the power at the rear.

 

Yeah that's true... but it's recognized that TT suffer a lot of understeer... :(
When i installed the Eibach suspensions something changed in better, but not enough... And now that they went trough more than 62.000 miles on (my car have 130.000 miles :D ) they lost most of their efficiency....