All,

I read with great interest the 48-hour review from Sevenfeet. Thanks for taking the time!

I thought I would jot some initial thoughts down from a different perspective - as someone coming from a Clubman. Here goes:

Initial Impressions / Size
The Countryman, I think, actually tries to capture the shape or profile of the original hatch better. The Clubman is definitely a long-roof "Shooting Brake" by comparison. Sizing is what you've read; a little taller, a little longer, a little wider. Not huge amounts, but less of a shock coming from a Clubman than say the hatch.

Here are some pics of my old Clubman and new Countryman next to each other on delivery day:





Getting In and Sitting Down
The Countryman is definitely taller. You open the door and kind of just slide across - rather than falling into the lower Clubman. The 4 Countryman doors are obviously shorter than the longer doors of the Clubman. While this makes the swing opening smaller/easier, the space afforded by the longer door for ingress/egress can't be matched.

Interior
My Clubman had the Punch Leather sport seats. This time I've opted for the Lounge Leather seats. The pleating and piping on the Lounge Leather are luxurious and a nice touch. The Punch seats though seemed to hug the sides of your body more (more pronounced bolstering). We test drove another Countryman that had the Punch seats and they too were more body-hugging. My unscientific conclusion is that the Lounge seats just feel a little "wider" and less intimate. That said, the are incredible comfortable.

The Countryman seating position overall is also more natural and dare-I-say "straighter"(?). I always felt there was a little bit of an unnatural positioning with my legs/feet in the Clubman - not uncomfortable, but noticeable. I don't find that at all in the Countryman. Also, the edge of the cup holder always seemed to dig into my right leg in the Clubman. I find no such protrusion in the Countryman as that whole console-side seems a little more spacious.

Rear seat room in the Clubman is deceptively impressive. It was the balletic routine required to get in/out that made things interesting. Obviously getting into the back of the Countryman is much easier. The seating position is also higher/taller which affords the kids a much better view of our surroundings. Leg room is crazy-good and the Countryman offers the benefit of not only reclining, but rear seats that also slide back-and-forth some five inches.

The rear hatch is cavernous by MINI standards, and can accommodate a golf bag (sideways across the space) provided you remove your driver and 3-wood. I always had to give-up one rear seat to fit a golf bag in the Clubman.

Overall lines-of-sight and outward visibility seems better in the Countryman. For my height/leg length (I'm 5' 8", long torso, short legs), the driver's side B-pillar was always in the "wrong place" for me in my Clubman. No such issues now. I was never one to be bothered by the split windows of the Clubman barn doors, but it bugged the hell out of my wife who finds the visibility better in the Countryman.

MINI Connected
Obviously the star of any new MINI interior is MINI Connected. This new ICE offering certainly checks alot of boxes in terms of entertainment, novelty and distraction.

With iPhone 4 connected (assuming you've already downloaded the accompanying MINI Connected app from the App Store), you must choose an initial setting between either the ability to listen to Web Radio or be amused/annoyed by Mission Control and Dynamic Music (it's one or the other).

Web radio seems to stream well (at least for me, here in Western Canada), and provides a good mix of local and international choices. We don't have Pandora north of the boarder, so that is not an option.

I have yet to activate the 1-year of free Sirius sat radio service, so I'll report on that later.

The iPod-out functionality (called "Plugin") is a UI lifted right off the iPod, when iPods still had the touch wheel. It's immediately intuitive and very fast (when compared to the scrolling in my BT/USB connected Clubman's interface). The only minor gripe here, as some have reported is that the album art seems not to be the best resolution or quality.

The USB interface allows you to plug-in a (wait for it) USB device. This is also where you can find and play video media off of your connected Apple (and I presume other) devices. Scrolling to my video playlists, I was able to play any video on the iPhone at full-width across the curved MINI screen. The resolution here was definitely better than the album art mentioned above.

RSS, Twitter and Facebook integration are nice, but I don't see me using this too, too often. The ability to send a canned response is nice, but probably more a novelty. I'll see how often I'm still doing that a year from now...

I didn't elect for the NAV system, but Google services (Send to Car, and Local Search) still provide basic information (address, phone number), just without the guidance.

I do have "Office" as a selection from the Connected screen. It only seems to show (redundantly) my Address Book contacts. My understanding is that this is an area where the Blackberry connectivity is optimized and not yet fully realized on iOS devices.

As you've no doubt read, the MINIMALISM Analyzer and Mission Control are disabled without a docking cradle in cars built after March 2011. I have confirmed this to be true in my car. Dynamic Music though is operational and seems to vary the intensity of canned, looped tracks with the velocity of the car. Cute, but other than to show it off, I don't think I would give up Web Radio for this.

Exterior
Bulked-up? Steroidal? Muscular? Fat? Oxymoronic? An abomination?

I've heard all that and more when it comes to the Countryman's exterior appearance. I think, given the modern use case of visibility, room and the perceived need for AWD systems, the Countryman is a fabulous, and still comparatively "mini" execution for that need state.

It's MINI's Cayenne! You bet it is, and in talking to my local dealership is accounting for the majority (yes, more than 50%) of sales to date this calendar year. MINI's style and essence come from the late '50s and '60s, but it is also a modern car company that has one mission - to sell cars. Like it or not, this is bringing people into the showroom and getting cars off the lot. I started with a smaller sample and grew into this one. For others, this may be the car that is "their 1st MINI", then allowing them to look at other MINIs as secondary transportation options.

For me, I now like the look (I was one of the haters when it first came out). Once I start personalizing the vehicle, it will no doubt (in my mind) be even better. And really, the fun is in the You-ification, regardless of the canvas.

Driving / Performance
After a day-and-a-half, my initial reaction is it's still a MINI, but just a little different.

Straight line speed seems comparable, this car having the new N18 VANOS-equipped 181hp engine, compared to my Clubman's 175 hp. Obviously the Countryman weighs more and suffers from the driveline loss of the ALL4 system, but it hides its weight rather well.

Cornering has a little more roll, but with the sports suspension equipped on my car (which my Clubman also had), turn-in and pitching are still crisp and planted.

The ride on the 18" RFT tires is more comfortable than the 17" RFTs I had on the Clubman. I was one of those who eschewed the need to switch to "regular" tires, and never felt beat-up with the 45 series tires on my previous ride. The new wheels and tires, combined with the suspension tuning on the Countryman provide a taut, yet compliant ride that I actually quite enjoy.

Conclusion
Well, there you have it. Will everyone love the Countryman? No? Do I? Yes! This can't be all things to all people, and that is a very good thing.

Happy motoring!

 

Awesome write up! Great comparison and perspective coming from the Clubbie! Thanks for posting

Don

 

My PO's official name is ZAFTIG.

 

I initially went in to get a Clubman but came out ordering a Countryman for exactly these reasons. I didn't really like the CM look at first but it has grown on me quite a bit. Driving them back to back, and the fact that the Clubbie and CM were going to be very close in price, the CM just seemed to be the more logical choice for daily driving.

 

That is awesome! I may have to steal that...

 

I went from an '06 ConvS to an '08 ClubmanS to the '11 Countryman (also threw in a "classic" in the mix). I love them all! The All4 gives me the same smile my first '06 one did!

 

I went from an '04 Cooper, to an '05 Convertible, to my brand new Countryman S. I've loved the upgrade every time, but the switch from "itty bitty car" to "decent sized SUV-ish car" was a nice change of pace. The engine power difference is nothing to sneeze at, the ride height is much nicer, and my wife doesn't complain about contorting to get in the car anymore. (:

 

Additional, random observations so far:

NVH
I thought our Clubman was "solid" from a build POV. It's one of the things that convinced us to get it when we compared it to the competition back then. The Countryman takes it up another notch. Maybe it's the width, or extra wheelbase. Maybe it's the fact that it has full-frame windows (which make the cabin much quieter by comparison). Maybe the car is just structurally "tighter"?

Satellite Radio
I called Sirius to activate the free 1-year of service and now seem to have an embarrassment of riches when in comes to audio sources.

Source Volume
With all of those sources though, I wish the base volume was more even across them. The Plugin (iPod) and Web Radio are close, but basic FM is louder and Sirius even louder.

Center Rail Device Holder
Not the best. I do like that the arms which pinch your device are rubber coated (waiting for Sealy to make a comment...), but the placement, especially when you have MINI Connected/NAV and an armrest (and a huge handbrake handle) just make the whole affair a rather silly.

It really leads one to want the armrest cradle, which is:
a) too expensive, and
b) non-existent

Manual Transmission
I wish the throws were just a tad shorter.

I also wanted to send a shout out to the team at MINI Crowfoot in Calgary! They've treated me great while I had the Clubman and thru the purchase process for the Countryman. This might seem odd to some for mentioning, but after reading that some dealerships are charging for things like roof rack installations, and cargo cover installations, it makes me appreciate the team their more.

So, to Matt, Divina, Craig and the whole team, my thanks!

 

i went from the Clubman to the Countryman. The things I like are:

1 - Ride height and comfort - no comparison. The Countryman still feels as tight but you can actually see traffic lights, there is space for your elbows and your spine does not take a pounding.

2 - The four door size and location are perfect - the two Clubman doors were way too long and heavy.

3 - I am getting 27-28 MPG with my All4 compared to 29-30 for the Club. I would imagine the 2 wheel drive version would be much better.

I think it will be tough to sell a new Clubman to anyone who drives both.

 

No comment except to say you're right. It's like all the parts were designed by different people and no one thought to look at how they would function together. There is a lot of room for improvement there in an otherwise well thought out vehicle.

 

Disappointed. Thought you'd be all over the "rubber arms pinching your device" bit...

 

I try not to go for the easy ones.

 

Noticing more things as I live with the new car:

iOS Notifications
When using the Plugin feature in MINI Connected, if your iOS device gets a notification (the blue bubble on screen), it also comes thru and shows on the car's screen. It's the same blue bubble - they nailed the consistency!

Driving
Torque steer seems much better managed in the Countryman. I know there were some running updates and improvements across the line since the time my Clubman was produced in 2008, so maybe the new car is just the beneficiary of those changes?

The clutch. The play, travel and engagement point seem SO different in this car. Based on the other Countryman samples I've tried, they're all like this. The Clubman was setup in a more "natural" configuration (for me). I'm curious what the period of adjustment will be for the driver...?

Door Sills
The door sill width on the Countryman are much wider than on the Clubman - or at least is seems that way. You notice it especially when getting out of the car.

Storage
The door pockets, at first glance, seemed less useful than those in the Clubman, but they actually extend further forward and are more generous than I thought.

I do miss the "secret compartment" though. Having that second, small extra glove box came in pretty handy...

 

Hmm, Bentyyc, do you see the plugin under the Mini Connected section? I don't see it on mine, even after I plug-in my iphone and turn on the connected app.

 

Hey Youth - yep, in the MINI Connected section.

I plug-in the iPhone, and starte the MINI Connected app. If the car is already on, then I see the "connecting" message right on the phone.

You can tell if it connects successfully if:

1) the phone itself says "connected", and
2) thru the car's interface, the MINI Connected option shows things like Twitter, Facebook, Web Radio, and of course Plugin (right near the bottom of the list).

I'm running the iPhone 4 with the latest iOS version and latest Connected app version. The phone is not jailbroken. I have not tried my wife's iPhone 3 yet.

Good luck!

 

That's pretty cool! I didn't know it would do that. Thanks for sharing all of this.

 

I have everything else you listed except plugin. Hmm, maybe I'll give the service centre a call. I have the latest iOS + iPhone 4, no jailbreak.

 

hmm, I tried having my wife send a text and didn't get any notification. But I think I have an early firmware version as I don't have any of the "must be used in the cradle" messages a lot of others are receiving.

 

I threw the rack crossbars and roof box on this weekend. Initial impression is that it's actually quite quiet! I had the car upto highway speeds and there was no real buffeting or aerodynamic issues, though I'm wondering about optimizing the positioning...

I'll start a separate thread for that topic.

Here's a quick pic:

 

Improved the rack/box positioning, but still not as per MINI specs (rear bar just seems a little too wide).



Bike rack trays to be installed soon. Stripes go on next week...