2013 MINI Countryman Consumer Reviews
Review Summary
Most Helpful Reviews
Positive Review
From a car guy; this car is a fun car to drive. I own the Countryman S with Mini Connect, Navigation and panoramic sunroof. PROS: "Meaner" looking than your regular cooper. Seats 4 people very comfortably. Feels powerful; When back seats are folded you get a lot of cargo space. Press that Sport button and you will definitely feel the difference in power and it's awesome! The Mini Connect feature works with your phone effortless, you’ll get your phonebook on the screen and when someone calls the picture comes on the screen (if you have a picture assigned) and that makes it a really cool feature. Music streaming using bluetooth from you phone works perfectly. The voice activation works great, radio stations can be changed, dial from phonebook and activate the navigation system. And much more; overall is a great car. CONS: The SUNVISOR, you have to be 1 inch from the steering wheel for the sun visor to shade you on your side; it’s very small and it should slide or have a slide coming out of it to work. That needs to be updated. Wind noise is more that maybe I’m used to, I guess for that car is acceptable but I notice it.
VS
Critical Review
The 3 year lease on my Countryman ended and thought I'd give a recap of my experience. Pros: As a fun drive, nothing beats a MINI. Great handling, braking and get up and go. The exterior styling was also one of my favorite things. Cons: As others have noted, the gas mileage for such a small car was abysmal. Add to that the need for premium gas and this was perhaps the main reason for my not keeping it. Second, the run flat tires are horrible... period. In terms of the interior controls, MINI's are quirky in that area and initially it seems cool. In the long haul it just becomes irritating. Simple things like finding radio stations, setting the clock and changing car settings like turning on the daytime running lights, setting the car to lock when you put it in drive are needlessly time consuming and frustrating. Other complaints, not enough interior storage, useless cupholders and the sunroof shade which was transparent, let in too much light and turned the car into an easy bake oven in the summer. Lastly, reliability. While nothing major happened during my ownership, there were a lot of nagging problems that occurred. Top of the list was the windshield which spontaneously fractured on a hot August day, the front window washer jets which constantly stopped working, the check engine light which came on constantly and the right front passenger exterior door handle which stuck and made it impossible to open the door. The final issue in my decision to get rid of the Countryman was the long term cost to own. Everything on it is expensive to repair and replace so, for me, keeping it was not good in the long run. In sum, while I thoroughly enjoyed driving the car, I was even more happy to get rid of it at the end of the lease.
2013 Countryman Reviews
Showing 8 of 97 reviews.
Amazing style and bmw-familiar performance.
Bmw-familier plastic cooling parts that need replacement.
Hard to find awd manual vehicles these days, especially ones that can get 30mpg+. The 2010-2016 R60 all4 S mini countryman fits the bill with style and a turbo. These come with the n18 turbo engine, which supposedly fixed the timing chain issues from the previous generation n14 engine (make sure to change your oil every 5k miles). At a hefty for a "mini" 3200lbs, but lighter than the later and larger 2017+ countryman models 3600lbs+, with the performance suspension option this older R60 feels planted and predictable in corners and is an absolute blast on a sunny day or in light snow with proper tires. I picked mine up at 105k miles. At almost 15 years old and at this milage, most of these cars will require routine maintinence to the timing chain, thermostat, water pump, crossover pipe, brakes and battery in typical bmw fashion. Make sure to clean the sunroof roof drains as they can flood the footwell module. Nothing that cant be accomplished in your driveway with the right tools. Only drawback is I wish it was just a little faster... but there are plenty of parts on the internet for that. 0-60 in a little over 7 seconds is no slouch, but about the same speed as a newer Honda crv or rav4. The ones of the same 2011 vintage were closer to 8 seconds so its no slouch for its year. If you can handle typical bmw quirks yourself these are fun little cars.... but if your paying a shop for upkeep it can get expensive fast. See you on the slopes!
Luxury
Maintance Expensive
This is one of the coolest looking vehicles on the market! The details are so special for this vehicle. I love the gas and the millage you get. I have owned this car for 3 years! It has had to go in for oil leaks twice and coolant flush, but other than that I love the car! The key fob is expensive when it goes bad like $500 because of the programming.
ride, style
burns oil, turbo faulty, fuel pump recalled
I really love my Mini Cooper Countryman S edition, its so fun to drive. But this car burns oil, and after it hit 119,000 miles, the turbo feature started to fail, and that is a $5,000 repair job (my Mini dealer has advised me NOT to repair). Since this car hit 100,000 miles it has been death of a 1000 cuts with all the little things that have started to fail or break, or just need replacing. This is my second BMW purchase that has burned oil, and it seems to be an issue for a lot of BMW cars, even with regular oil changes as required. They are only worth the purchase if you lease.
Super cute, stylish, good in snow
I loved my mini but it has major engine issues and my timing chain stretched causing skipping and misfiring so i couldn’t drive it. the coolant leaks and the tank cracked which was costly. Oh and the hood latch mechanism broke😭. I went to go get an oil change and it just broke😭.
Cute and fun to drive.
Reliability
I have had my 2014 Mini for less than six months. It is a fun little car, that is surprisingly roomy. I am amazed at the things I can fit in my. However I have had to take it in five different times for the turbo and she threw a check engine light again yesterday. I have also had the door lock on my right front door stop working, which is a major inconvenience. Although they are super cute, fun little cars do yourself a favor, don't buy one.
The Countryman is fun to drive. I like it with larger tires to fill the airwell tire space the car typically comes with. (lower profile, run flats which have noticeable road noise). This mini is supposed to be the SUV of the lineup so I went with bigger all terrain tires by Cooper tires because the name matches the car and its fun having cooper tires on my mini cooper. Plus the ride is softer and quitet
Good-looking and fun to drive
Internal controls
One thing I've noticed about Mini Coopers is that every time I see one, no matter the year, there is never a spot of rust on them. I think they are well made in that respect. The styling always gets lot of compliments, and the 6-speed manual is a blast to drive! Lots of peppy get-up-and-go (turbo)! The ALL 4 is great in the snow and rainy conditions. I've never once felt unsafe or unable to get where I am going. The complaints about the 2011 model I have are minor annoyances. For example, I hate the location of the cup holders next to the gear shifter, especially with the manual transmission. The storage space is practically non-existent, which is to be expected with a Mini but even the glovebox barely holds the car manual. I don't like the way the turn signals operate. The heating and a/c function leave a lot to be desired. The car fogs up on the inside easily and often if you don't stay on top of the controls. Also, the stereo controls are tiny and hard to use when driving. I understand the gigantic speedometer in the middle of the dash is a Mini staple, but it seems like that space could be better utilized. Overall, I would recommend this make and model to anyone looking for a dependable car. And this is my second Mini, so I would probably buy one again. Just keep in mind, if you don't do your own vehicle maintenance (and it can be a huge pain in the rear because of how compact everything thing is, to fix one thing requires moving five things out of the way first) you will pay an arm and a leg for a mechanic to do it for the reason I just gave and because genuine Mini parts cost more.
fun package for the price
outrageous cost of service at Mini/BMW dealers imo
The only problem I have on any pricing website(s) is finding appropriate private owner/private sale pricing. All the pricing forums show a Countryman/S/John Cooper Works with the ALL4 option whereas mine is not an ALL4. If you price a Countryman/S/JCW on its own merits without the ALL4 option, the pricing is appreciably diluted. Needs to be corrected imo.
