Crap that link got me watching the videos and dreaming again. Here is another with the bench down at 1:10 in....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB5Di...eature=related

 

Retro-fitters take note of the chest belt anchor point for the center position, shown at 0:53 - 0:56 in this video. Probably not a different headliner Just mods and cover trim to the existing headliner. Anyone with access to a trim parts breakdown?

 

We have a couple of dogs and thought about selling our Honda Element and 05 MCS and getting the Countryman as a replacement for both cars. I went to look at a one yesterday and would have bought it on the spot except for that horrible rear seat. We'll wait until the bench seat option gets sorted, I'd rather not pull the trigger now and find out later that the bench seat retrofit is either a real pain to do or cost prohibitive.

 

Question would be: "Can I lift the second rail and put in the middle seat section?"

 

Absolutely.

 

After looking at those videos and pics of the rear bench on the Euro spec, I don't like how the floor doesn't fold flat... hopefully they can change that for U.S. models

 

What you see is what you get. These aren't mini vans with stow and go seating. Sorry.

 

If you look at the pictures online and the videos, or the countryman sitting in 10 feet from my destk at work.... You can clearly see that the bucket seats are not the same seats with the bench as without the bench. The bolsters are much less pronounced in the center. I'd be quite surprised if you didn't have to swap out the center rail AND both of the rear seats to make the middle seat fit correctly. That is assuming of course that you will even be able to retrofit the rear center seat at all of course.

 

No question. The 5 seater uses an entirely different seat, a bench, in the rear. It is not just a middle seat added to the buckets where the rail currently resides. Personally, I think the notion of a retrofit is a little far fetched and even if possible, cost prohibitive.

 

Sorry but I find that funny. Why do people insist on buying a small car and want it to be able to do something it can't.

Do you really expect to fit a car seat in the center and 2 adults on either side, really?

That wasn't comfortable in my Explorer, let alone a Mini. Buy an SUV if that's what you want, but don't kid yourself about what you can fit in a Mini.

The only reason the Countryman in on our radar is the fact the kids are moving into boosters.

Sorry not trying to be rude, but I'm amazed when I read posts like this. It reminds me of the car I saw with one carseat basically sitting on the arms of the other two. Completely unsafe, but hey it fit.

 

Well, first of all we are a MINI family. Both my wife and I have always enjoyed sporty cars and we refuse to drive an SUV, minivan or wagon. I'm grateful that MINI has now offered something for families where we can easily place a child in a car seat.
Secondly, it's an idea we are toying with as far as the bench option when it becomes available. Not necessarily saying we'll be using the center for a car seat because I honestly don't see one fitting in there. Right now the buckets are working great for us.

 

I've had two kids in the '04 for four years now. That included Sam's infancy where it was easier to load him into his rear facing car seat through the rear hatch. And he rear faced until 2.5.

I am very happy to be getting rear doors. Very.

But one of reasons we stopped at two kids is, well, you can't get three into the back seat of a mini.

Very few sedans even. boosters don't take up that much less real estate, and infant seats are the biggest space hogs Of all. especially in terms of impinging on leg room in the front seats.

 

We have been hauling 2 kids in my '06 for over 5 years. When I got El Kabong my son was 14yo and my daughter was 9yo. My son went from just over 5 ft to just over 6 ft in that time and still rides in the back of the MINI on occasion! My daughter was one of those tiny kids who had to ride in a booster FOREVER, so there was a booster in the back of El Kabong for over a year. While they are very happy that we are getting the Countryman (son thinks it means he will get the truck, daughter thinks she will get son's car ) I know they will both ride with me in the "regular" MINI when they can, either that or drive it .

Stopping at 2 kids because that's all you can fit in the back of a MINI is a perfectly logical reason to me .

Annette

 

I am really leaning towards ordering a CM as soon as I cancel my A4 Avant order but at the same time I kind of want to wait for the rear bench seat only because my 10-yr old likes to use armests to sleep on during trips. I like the look of the rear bench as well. Oddly, they limit WHICH leather options are available. Gravity leather is ok, Lounge, not. Weird.

Decisions, decisions.

 

Visited a dealer yesterday to look at the CM in the flesh. I'm leaning towards ordering a base model. The sales staff indicated that they received a memo this weekend saying that the bench rear seat would be available to order in the US in mid-spring, and that I should keep my eyes on the configurator for its availability.

I was originally interested in having a bench, but after seeing the split buckets (they looked rather cool), I'm not sure which I will order. Ah well, I must leave one option open to an impulse buy.

 

You guys might want to consider a Toyota Highlaner Hybrid. This was my way out of a mini van. Incredible gas milage!

 

Really? EPA quotes 28 MPG Hwy vs 35 MPG for the base CM and close to the same around town. Toyota makes a nice car to be sure, but the CM has quite a bit in its favor as well.

 

I'm not sure if I understood you correctly. I suggested the HL Hybrid as a substitute to the Mini Van and not Mini Countryman. My Countryman ALL 4 did 20KM on just 1Liter of fuel (8km City and about 12 Highway). That's according to my Mini connected app (not sure about the accuracy of it). VERY impressive considering I'm on winter tires and that's if it's accurate.

 

I have found that EPA overestimates the gas mileage for regular cars, and underestimates the gas mileage for hybrids.

My Mariner SUV hybrid gets me 33-35 mpg but my MINI Cooper gets me just 24-25 mpg.

 

But you probably don't drive your Mariner like you drive the MINI and that explains the fuel economy. This must be around town driving? I can see average around town driving of 24-25 mpg.

 

So 5l/100km roughly? That's 47 US MPG!!!

 

Motoring File just referred to the rear bench seat again...said it won't be a March upgrade but will be here shortly after. Here's the link:

http://www.motoringfile.com/2011/02/...es/#more-15083

 

Sorry. I misunderstood you on that one.

 

Bwah, haa, haa, haaa - - - Pure Orange lives!

 

It can be all over the map. My Smart earns me a long term (3 year) average of 46.5 mpg (EPA 41), but the Cayman gives me around 28.4 (EPA 29). I'd still be happy if I could get near the theoretical of 35 in a CM.