2012 MINI Cooper Countryman

Buyer's remorse

By Hot Flash (NH) on Wednesday, February 27, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 3,800

Pros: "Nimble, fun to drive short distances,"

Cons: "Poor ergonomics for seats and controls"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 2

"The owner's manual praises the ergonomic driving position. Maybe if you're a 6'2" man. The standard seats are hard, the sport seats not much better. The headrest has an awkward tilt and can only be raised or lowered. So if it is in the correct position to protect your head in the event of a rear-end collision, the headrest pushes your neck forward out of alignment. MINI needs to read up on the definition of "ergonomic." The seats don't have an adjustable lumbar support which is hard to believe in a car that costs as much as this did. I drove Swedish cars for 25 years, even the base models had great seats. The run-flat tires react to the slightest irregularity in the road surface so you constantly have to correct the steering.The tires have a life expectancy of 10,000 miles per Pirelli's website. When I test drove the car the sales staff told me they were good for 20 - 30,000 miles. I drive 20,000 a year so I'm not looking forward to replacing all 4 tires twice a year. The gas mileage is far below expectations based on MINI's estimates. My last car which was larger, heavier, more comfortable, and had a full-turbo with twice the horsepower got better MPG combined and on the highway. Yes, it's cute. It's nimble. It probably gets better MPG than what most people are used to. I don't consider it to be a car for "motoring" longer than a couple of hours. If you want this MINI I would recommend building your own on the MINI USA website. Upgrade to the cloth/leatherette seats with the adjustable lumbar support, the headrests are also better designed, order a center armrest even though the charge for it is ridiculous, get the automatic dual-zone climate control to avoid having to constantly adjust the heat and fan settings. If I had been able to test drive the car for longer than 15 minutes I wouldn't have bought it. And last but not least find a dealer who doesn't act as though you should be honored that they took your money."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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Fun car, marginal mileage

By Jerseyguy (NJ) on Tuesday, February 26, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 1,000

Pros: "Fun to drive. Comfortable and practical."

Cons: "Marginal gas mileage, compromised performance"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"The ability to carry four people and still have the dynamics (for the most part) of a MINI is terrific. The ride quality is dramatically better than the R56 Cooper because of the longer wheelbase and additional heft. However, the additional heft, due to the AWD, diminishes the fun quotient somewhat. Performance suffers because the 1.6 turbo is pulling an additional 600 pounds around. A larger motor is definitely called for this vehicle. A 1.8 or the 2.0 turbo four from BMW would do wonders. Also, the fuel mileage is marginal for a car of this type. Around town I'm getting under 22 mpg. Highway, about 27. Obviously, the EPA numbers are a bit fanciful. Maybe with more break-in those numbers will improve. But I've heard from other owners not to expect much more. Otherwise, I fully enjoy this car. And the AWD has been great in the bad weather."

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