He did it come to this…
Discussion
My Mrs is a big Mini Countryman fan, she’s in her second which is the F series Cooper S. it does make a pretty decent family car for us too.
I’m sure eventually she will want the new one but I don’t think she’s seen it properly so far.
Still think my old R53 Cooper S is the best shape
I’m sure eventually she will want the new one but I don’t think she’s seen it properly so far.
Still think my old R53 Cooper S is the best shape
The Countryman definitely looks better in certain colours / trims and in JCW spec I would actually say is…interesting to look at compared to lots of stuff. I’m not sure I’ll ever grow to like it though. But everyone was the same about the F series cars and the new design language eventually becomes familiar.
What I don’t like about the latest gen is the interior. All the plastics feel so hard and I’m really not convinced by the fabric on the dash or that weird strap on the steering wheel.
They’ll no doubt sell loads though.
What I don’t like about the latest gen is the interior. All the plastics feel so hard and I’m really not convinced by the fabric on the dash or that weird strap on the steering wheel.
They’ll no doubt sell loads though.
Mrs ZS has always been a fan of MINI's, had a few over the years. Last year she needed to move on her JCW hatch as she needed something with a bit more space, and we ended up with an F60 Countryman (Cooper S Sport). Despite my reservations, as I'd never been a fan of the Countryman, seeing it up front and in that spec it's a nice looking car and drives really well.
I can say the same about the new Countryman - the pictures don't really do it any favours, and obviously in a more basic spec it doesn't quite look right. But a few months ago I saw a dark green JCW version and thought it looked quite nice. Still to be convinced by the interior, I think that's something MINI has done quite well for a long time, and differentiates it from its rivals, so the new approach doesn't seem right. But I suspect in a couple of years, if we need something a bit bigger (and it is noticeably bigger than the F60) this will be on the list of possibilities.
I can say the same about the new Countryman - the pictures don't really do it any favours, and obviously in a more basic spec it doesn't quite look right. But a few months ago I saw a dark green JCW version and thought it looked quite nice. Still to be convinced by the interior, I think that's something MINI has done quite well for a long time, and differentiates it from its rivals, so the new approach doesn't seem right. But I suspect in a couple of years, if we need something a bit bigger (and it is noticeably bigger than the F60) this will be on the list of possibilities.
The_Nugget said:
I always liked the “new” mini.
I felt like they captured the essence in an updated package.
Gradually it’s stepped away from that brief and just seen this…
I mean, what are they thinking. Looks like a generic s
tbox from A.N. other manufacturer.
Identity in the toilet.
Yes I saw one of those the other day they’re absolutely rank. I felt like they captured the essence in an updated package.
Gradually it’s stepped away from that brief and just seen this…
I mean, what are they thinking. Looks like a generic s
tbox from A.N. other manufacturer.Identity in the toilet.
Olivera said:
On the fabric dash - as my other half pointed out when choosing a 1 series over the new MINI:
Fabric on the entire dash means it will collect dust, can't be wiped (hoovered?), and will be fked if you spill a coffee or even soft drink all over it. Is this really a good idea?
This is what I was thinking, there must be a reason why no one else in automotive history has designed a textured interior like this?Fabric on the entire dash means it will collect dust, can't be wiped (hoovered?), and will be f
ked if you spill a coffee or even soft drink all over it. Is this really a good idea?Olivera said:
On the fabric dash - as my other half pointed out when choosing a 1 series over the new MINI:
Fabric on the entire dash means it will collect dust, can't be wiped (hoovered?), and will be fked if you spill a coffee or even soft drink all over it. Is this really a good idea?
What the hell are you doing to spill drink over a dashboard?Fabric on the entire dash means it will collect dust, can't be wiped (hoovered?), and will be f
ked if you spill a coffee or even soft drink all over it. Is this really a good idea?Seats can be cleaned, surely we have the technology to clean this dash too
Our Cooper S was in for service today and I was loaned a new one as a courtesy car. It seemed quieter and a bit more refined than ours but I absolutely hated the interior and wouldn't consider buying one for that reason alone; stupid touchscreen instead of buttons, no facility to easily put the gearbox into sport mode, no paddles to enable you to take control of the gearbox should you want to, etc. Oh, and there seemed to be some sort of hold function on the brakes that made things like manoeuvring in car parks unnecessarily difficult - perhaps there was a facility to switch it off buried somewhere in the touchscreen menu but I didn't have the car long enough to be bothered to try to work it out!
When I went to collect ours I had a nosey round the showroom whilst the chap on the service desk was dealing with another customer and the other thing that shocked me was the price of these new cars. An electric Cooper SE was just over £42k and a JCW Countryman wasn't much short of £50k - I know car prices have gone up in the last few years but those numbers are just nuts as far as I'm concerned.
Have to say I was glad to hand the keys back for the new model and get back into our own; suspect we'll be keeping it a while longer as it's still a great car but on the evidence of today sadly I don't think we'll be replacing it with a new Mini when the time comes...
When I went to collect ours I had a nosey round the showroom whilst the chap on the service desk was dealing with another customer and the other thing that shocked me was the price of these new cars. An electric Cooper SE was just over £42k and a JCW Countryman wasn't much short of £50k - I know car prices have gone up in the last few years but those numbers are just nuts as far as I'm concerned.
Have to say I was glad to hand the keys back for the new model and get back into our own; suspect we'll be keeping it a while longer as it's still a great car but on the evidence of today sadly I don't think we'll be replacing it with a new Mini when the time comes...
mikeswagon said:
Olivera said:
On the fabric dash - as my other half pointed out when choosing a 1 series over the new MINI:
Fabric on the entire dash means it will collect dust, can't be wiped (hoovered?), and will be fked if you spill a coffee or even soft drink all over it. Is this really a good idea?
What the hell are you doing to spill drink over a dashboard?Fabric on the entire dash means it will collect dust, can't be wiped (hoovered?), and will be f
ked if you spill a coffee or even soft drink all over it. Is this really a good idea?Seats can be cleaned, surely we have the technology to clean this dash too
Needless to say I learnt my lesson, and banned her from having drinks in the car.
WayOutWest said:
I once accelerated from a standing start a little too keenly and girlfriend of the time spilt coke all over herself. It was a close call but luckily none of it got onto the cloth seats or dash.
Needless to say I learnt my lesson, and banned her from having drinks in the car.
Was expecting you to say you learnt your lesson, and she got swiftly dumped. Needless to say I learnt my lesson, and banned her from having drinks in the car.
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