Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up
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We bid our Countryman a farewell both fond and, well, not.
Date: June 2012
Months in Fleet: 15 months
Current Mileage: 40,034 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 27 mpg
Average Range: 335 miles
Service: $0
Normal Wear: $363
Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $2364
Mini’s Countryman was a revolutionary vehicle when it debuted—although, kind of like the revolution in Michigan that now allows us to legally buy the fireworks we’ve been buying illegally for years, this revolution was small. The appearance of the biggest Mini ever was of little consequence to anybody, except for the people who wanted bigger Minis. Following first contact, our advice to those people might have been best summed up as: “Proceed with caution.” The turbo 1.6-liter four was peppy and the steering quick, but the suspension was a bit wobbly and the body shell seemed flimsy. Still, Minis typically make a lot of friends in our office, and so we ordered one up for a long-term test.
Following a lengthy ordering process (you try to use Mini’s online configurator and not get carried away/drawn down countless tangents), our Cosmic Blue metallic Countryman arrived in March of 2011. Our time together quickly reinforced our initial impression: The Countryman is fun*.
(*Fun up to and including straight-line acceleration, gentle sweepers, relaxed transitions, and inclement weather. Fun particularly includes snow and ice. Fun does not include rapid switchbacks, off-camber or decreasing-radius turns, or other corner constructions and series that might upset an unsteady chassis.)
We also spent a lot of time together thinking of creative new ways to call the Countryman ugly. Maybe that’s unfair. The car looks unique. So do hairless cats and blobfish. (We can’t stop.)
I’ve Been Doing This for a Long Time
Another area of complaint that dogged the Mini throughout its stay was build quality. We’d like our long-term tests to last only a year, but the reality is that it usually takes a bit longer to drive a car 40,000 miles (pity us!), and 14 months is more the norm. It’s strange, then, that our Countryman began exhibiting such extreme signs of old age so early. With just 10,502 miles on the odo, the word “rattle” appeared in the logbook for the first time. It and its close acquaintance “squeak” reappeared regularly, usually preceded by modifiers such as “more,” “all these,” “so many,” and “damn.” Cold weather brought out the worst of these, though, and as this is written in early June, the relative quiet of the Mini’s interior is a welcome change. One staffer called the car “much less annoying in warmer weather.”
The cost to operate our Mini was less than the typical tab for snowbird maintenance, thanks to observed fuel economy of 27 mpg and the fact that Mini covers maintenance for the first three years or 36,000 miles. Our only out-of-pocket expense related to wear was $363 for fresh brake pads up front shortly after the warranty expired. (At 26,503 miles, Mini also had to repair a rear brake-pad sensor that was prematurely requesting pad replacement. The work was covered under warranty.) In addition to regular service visits, we had to take the Mini in twice for problems that caused it to believe it didn’t have enough oil. The first time, the timing chain tensioner was leaking. Just 4400 miles later, the oil-pump solenoid went on the fritz. Both were fixed under warranty.
Hail Hail!
That is not to say, however, that the Mini didn’t cost us a few bucks. Even warmer weather was not particularly kind to the Countryman. A freak mid-day hailstorm this past spring caught most of our fleet unprotected in a parking lot, and the Mini was among the casualties. Between 100 and 200 dents, the biggest about the size of a quarter, pocked its roof and hood, and Dent Wizard charged us $1665 to magic the panels back to smooth. The company charges a 25-percent premium for roof repairs on minivans, SUVs, and crossovers, but thankfully, nobody told them to think of the Countryman as a crossover, and we saved a few hundred bucks. Actually, we don’t think of the Countryman as a crossover, either. We just think it’s a tippy Mini.
As a Mini, the Countryman is subject to some creative ergonomics, which we’ll forgive because an owner—as opposed to someone who cycles in and out of the car frequently—would have more time to grow accustomed to them. And the liberties taken with button and switch placement do result in an attractive interior layout, if not a functional one: Put a tall drink in the cupholder, and you’ll punch it over when shifting. But we don’t think we could ever get so used to the Mini Connected infotainment system that it wouldn’t be terribly distracting. One driver wrote, “With the exception of the ‘send to car’ function that lets you send Google maps to the Mini through your phone, Mini Connected is just about useless. I would contend that reading your Facebook news feed and posting your status through the nav screen is as distracting as doing the same thing on a phone.”
Just Can’t Help Ourselves
And yet, in spite of itself, the Mini charmed many on staff. It’s not as satisfying as Mini’s smaller wares, but remains engaging and fun. “I hate being in this car, but it is a blast to drive,” wrote one logbooker. Another said, “Although it seems as if our Mini is trying to self-destruct at times, I really do enjoy driving it.” The eager pull of the turbo and the playful way the car takes a set in relaxed corners invigorate drivers resigned to settling in for a bland commute. Toward the end of its stay, the Countryman’s turbo was perhaps a little less eager. The car’s 0-to-60 time remained the same 6.9 seconds, but it lost a couple of tenths in the quarter-mile (15.5 seconds at 90 mph compared to 15.7 at 88), more than a full second to 100 mph (19.6 to 20.7), and 5 mph off the top end, terminal velocity dropping from 136 to 131 mph. Skidpad grip (0.86 g) and braking (157 feet) were basically unchanged.
We just wish the Countryman could keep its footing better in rapid transitions—and had fewer rattles and squeaks. Those who want a Mini for family use will perhaps forgive the relative slow-wittedness, but the rattles and creaks don’t seem appropriate for a so-called premium vehicle. Maybe Mini’s next revolution should be in the area of interior fitments.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 5-door wagon
PRICE AS TESTED: $33,400 (base price: $27,650)
ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 98 cu in, 1598 cc
Power: 181 hp @ 5500 rpm
Torque: 192 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 102.2 in
Length: 161.8 in
Width: 70.4 in Height: 61.5 in
Curb weight: 3220 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 6.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 19.6 sec
Street start, 560 mph: 8.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.5 sec @ 90 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 136 mph
Braking, 700 mph: 155 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.85 g
PERFORMANCE: 40,000 MILES
Zero to 60 mph: 6.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 20.7 sec
Street start, 560 mph: 8.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.7 sec @ 88 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 131 mph
Braking, 700 mph: 157 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 25/31 mpg
C/D observed: 27 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper;
4 years/50,000 miles powertrain;
12 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
4 years/unlimited miles roadside assistance;
3 years/36,000 miles free routine maintenance
Continued…