I'm brand-new to the forum and am currently specing a '15 Countryman S and need some advice on options.

I've done a couple of configurations on-line and watched my sticker price soar north of $36K due in-part to all the little things I've added that add $100 here and $150 there. Options like Homelink, Adaptive Lighting Control, Piano Black Trim and Black Headlamps really start adding up. Then there's interior options that upgrade Leatherette to real leather and Navigation ... cha-ching!

Due to all the dependencies adding certain options cause conflicts with current selections and many desirable options can only be added as part of more expensive packages. Sitting down with a dealer to determine a final config is probably required, but before I do that ...

• What are the options you have on your Countryman that you can't live without?

• Which are the ones that you would have skipped/omitted?

• Which if any can be added (potentially less expensively) using aftermarket parts (e.g. black headlight rings).

• With iPhone integration and Google Maps, does one really need a Navigation system any more??

Any help/suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

 

I bought used so I got what I got! It was a pretty loaded car, however when it comes to cars I'm an advocate of low tech. The less it has the fewer things that will break. Navigation seemed way over priced when I was considering buying a new mini. I have a $70 refurbed Magellan with a $20 dashmount that more than works for me. I think the HK stereo is worth it unless you want all aftermarket. The base stereo on the 2014 loaner I had recently was awful. ALL4 was important for me so I got that. I've got a sunroof that I never open.

 

I would never pass on the Xenon headlights. Just a glimpse on the threads of people wanting to after market that upgrade stands out as a top one.

I regret not getting the Homelink.

Big fan of the heated seats.

I like the Mini connected, but the GPS as you noted was too much for me. Check out the thread on dealer cost to upgrade the maps, a smartphone pulling from the web never needs an update.

The other big one that people seem to regret is the Load Flat floor, for the boot. It requires modified interior panels on either side so you can't change your mind later on.

Unless they've changed the 15s, the connected cradle is a waste of time. I don't think it works with any iPhone since the lightning connector, despite what reads like 5 years of promises on the forums so don't pay for a compatible cradle till you can test it.

for looks and cheap I much prefer the stubby antenna.

 

Xenon Lights for sure. Mini-Connect too. I agree about NAV, most car systems age faster and are often harder to update than aftermarket like Garmin or just your Smartphone.
Heated Seat and Outer Mirror Package. I really like the powered mirror fold for life in the City where anything can come too close to your parked vehicle...

We have the flat floor option, so I can't speak about the stock cargo spec'ed CMs
Our used CM came with the $2 grand Lounge Leather, which I love, but I'm almost as comfy in my Clubman with its leatherette standard seats....
We have the rear bucket seats, not the bench option, so if you want to squeeze that extra person in the back, I think the Bench Seating is the way to go for that occasional 3rd person.
Both our MINIs have the Sunroof option, the venting feature alone is nice in the Summer when you want to help keep your interior cool.
We have the Center Armrest with the Phone Dock inside of it. We never use the internal docking since i have installed a Pro-Clip Phone Mount system to the left of the center dash/Speedo. Having said that, I added an arm rest to my Clubman which didn't come with one, so even if the phone connectors are not for you, your arm or your passengers arm/elbow will be grateful for that Center Arm rest on longer drives.
Both our cars are S models, so I can't speak about base engines as I've never driven one.
I did drive the 3 cyl.. 4 door Hardtop MINI recently with 3 people in it, very peppy for a Turbo 3, but it's not going in a Countryman, so not much help for you there

 

I guess its different stroke for different folks, we deleted the sunroof on my build. I probably use it once every 2 years and I hated the mesh screen which makes the car very hot in the summer and does not block out all the sunlight. Must have for me are Xenon, load flat floor and leather heated sport seats. Nice to have are comfort access, navigation and center armrest.

 

Well I'm in the UK where options combinations are possibly different , but after 3 months in my used '14 SDA4 I'd say..

1. xenon lights - excellent, even my son comments how much brighter my lights are on the road surface
2. flat load floor - at first i thought it was a gimmick and robbed you of some extra litres of capacity but I actually like it - you can store a remarkable amount of items under the floor, leaving you a nice flat area to start with more items. During the Xmas holidays I had to delivery loads of presents to family members and the ability to load all the more fragile items under the floor was a real help. Even as a daily driver the ability to store a few items such as detailing cloths, quick detailer bottle and some shopping bags is a bonus and keeps the boot space looking neat
3. Front arm rest - i don;t have one and don;t really miss it, despite having one on my last 10 cars
4. Audio - i only have the base system and its not too bad, not exceptionally loud but enough to drown out the road noise. I'm swapping the front door speakers fro some Focals to improve clarity ($100)
5. On a similar note to 4. I don't see the need for Mini Nav - google maps app is as good as any inbuilt nav, is free and is more up to date than most systems
6. heated seats - nice if you live in a area where winter temps often drop well below freezing. Ditto heated windscreen

 

I haven't taken delivery of my 15 yet, but the dealer set me up with a loaner since my delivery has been delayed.


My opinions are as follows based on my experiences so far:


- The standard headlights are HORRIBLE, get the upgrade.


- Comfort access was a must for me. I think it's stupid that you have to press the button on the door though to open the car. My 2011 XC60 doesn't require that and neither does my 2014 Civic. But it's still great to not have to ever take my keys out.

- With a little bit of tuning, the base stereo system is just fine, I don't really miss MINI Connected at all. No need for nav either, get a decent little windshield mount for your smart phone, and then a Anker USB charger to keep it charged, plenty of little nooks and crannies to route the USB cable and keep it hidden. The HK upgraded system in the CM is one of the worst I've heard. Yes it has bass and the highs are "OK" but the sub bass is a mess, completely muddy, not accurate at all, and in general complete garbage. When I did some extensive testing on a HK system none of the adjustments I made could get rid of that muddy bass without shutting it all the way off. A complete waste IMO. Took me about 45 seconds of adjusting the base audio system to be much happier with it.


- Flat load floor is a must

- Auto dimming rear view mirror. The manual one has this annoying little **** that you twist instead of the typical flat piece that you press on, I don't like it.

-Heated seats, even living in a cold environment I've never used them when I had them. Not needed IMO.

- I'm not a sunroof guy, and I'm going to have a roof cargo box covering the roof quite often anyways.

I spent money on the JCW exterior and interior package, and skimped other places that I didn't see any value. My MSRP w/destination was $33800 which is less than any CMS4 I've seen on the showroom floor and I like it much better than any of the others.


I'm a bit of a minimalist though.

 

4-year Countryman owner chiming in:
-Homelink: nice and clean, but I when I moved, I never set it up again and just used the remotes and realized I didn't miss it.

- Adaptive lighting: If you're getting xenons (and you should...the extra visibility on the road is worth the price), why not spring for the extra $100, especially if you're financing? I love them on mine, but I do drive on a lot of winding poorly lit roads at times.

- Black headlights: they weren't an option when they bought mine and with my color I don't think they would have worked as well. This is a purely cosmetic option, so it's up to you, but keep in mind with black headlights, you cannot equip adaptive xenons.

-Leatherette: Leather and nav were the only options I didn't spring for. The leatherette is really nice for fake leather; it will hold up better, requires less maintenance and my seats have not worn at all in the last 4 years. That being said, they don't breathe as well as leather when it's warm and leather is leather...it's a luxury option for sure. Your call, but that $1500 could go towards some other options...

- Navigation: Get Connected - it adds value to the car, it's much easier to use than the base radio and you will also get Bluetooth audio support, which you don't get on the base radio. Skip navigation. Map updates are yearly and will cost you a couple hundred and the nav software is not as good (or up to date) as Google maps or Apple maps on your phone.

Must haves:
- Comfort access: It is SO nice keeping my keys in pocket and never having to take them out.

- Flat load floor: worth the extra versatility. I can keep a lot of stuff tucked away under the floor and still have a nice, clean boot or extra space for more cargo without having to fold the seats down.

- Connected: again, because I use BT audio a lot, and it's just nicer to interface with over the base radio, especially when changing options, phone functions, or audio.

-Xenons: again, much better visibility. Once you get a car with xenons, you won't go back.

- Cold weather package: Heated seats - oh so nice when it's cold out, and for me, I also like the powerfold mirrors when parking in the city.

 

Great advice everyone. Thanks!!

 

I picked up an used 13 and loaded except the folding mirrors and comfort access.

For sure Xenon, the Nav is great. Easy to use and adds value. If we look into it deeper, i will do the JCW exterior, makes the car looks alot better

 

Picked up a new '14 in Dec.

Got Navi, Connected, heated seats, flat floor, black headliner, park distance control.

Didn't have too many choices in options, as there weren't that many 14's left on the lot. But at the expense of options, I saved on cost. Snagged $4250 off sticker price!

 

I just gave up and got everything except the sun roof. I cooked under and listened to my Clubbie roof for 5 yrs and did not want another one.

 

For us:
Homelink, Adaptive Lighting Control, Piano Black Trim and Black Headlamps (can you tell we hate chrome?), JCW exterior and interior Trim, JCW Aero kit, JCW door sills, LED fogs, Xenon, heated seats, Sport seats, center armrest, 18" twin spoke black burnished wheels and All4 are the must haves for us. We didn't want the Leather, preferred the BMW Leatherette. Faux leather is so nice now days. We've had it in our last 2 BMWs and our C-Class and loved it.

We didn't get anything we didn't want since we built it on the Mini configurator.

Things we skipped: Nav (our Garmin is great), Connected is just a toy for Iphones (don't drink that kool-aid) that looks and acts a little like a "my first tablet".

Things that can be added later: Yep you can add the black light surrounds, JCW kit, etc. You can certainly throw on a cup kit with mated springs and shocks. You can throw on a sway bar kit to get rid of any body roll. A JB or a tune to get the extra HP.

We took our build sheet to our dealer and she plugged in the option codes and it showed up 2.5 months later. It was great buying experience. I had never custom built and ordered a car before. I wish we had done our prior BMWs and Merc like that.

 

Stuff we use all the time and wouldn't want to live without:
Xenon headlights, Heated Seats. Comfort Access, Homelink.
Stuff we rarely use and wouldn't miss, if we didn't have:
MINI Connected, Dual Sunroof.

 

Winter package. HID headlights. Everything else, meh. :-)

 

I added it to my wife's CMS. Bought the folding floor panel from another forum member, picked up a sheet of 3/4" hardwood ply, cut to fit the panel and trunk space, added supports to hold the folding panel, set it into the trunk. Works great. Total cost about $90.

 

I bought used, and really, really wanted heated seats, but alas, I found a great looking car with very low miles for a good price, so I had to compromise. :( I also wish I had comfort access (keyless), some of the cars I considered had that, but they had too many miles.

I do love the dual panel sunroof, and use it almost daily. I have the HK audio system, and it's only marginal. I think I would hate the standard audio. The flat load flat floor makes the cargo area on this small car much more productive.

I don't have xenon headlights. I think the regular headlight output is fine, similar to my former car (Volvo wagon) and the wife's Mercedes, but based on how everyone raves about the xenons, I'm probably missing out, and I just don't know it.

 

The difference between the halogen and the xenon light is night and day, no pun intended.