2014 Mini Countryman S

[Huronlad]

I have a 2014 Countryman S as a loaner from Discount rentals while some maintenenance is performed on my 2011 smart.It is a rental so it is equipped with an auto gearbox but it does have paddle shifters. It has the turbo engine, much peppier than either of my smarts. It is also thirstier. When I return the car tonight it will have about 3100 km on it. I will have put on about 500 of those.All the controls are fairly intuitive. I think these are all the options on the car and the associated pricing.

Selected Colour:Crystal Silver Metallic $490.00Selected Interior:Carbon Black Gravity Leather $1,500.00Selected Packages:6-Speed Automatic Transmission with Steptronic Paddles $1,300.00Wired Package $1,850.00Premium Package $1,990.00

Base Price: $29,900.00Base Est. Monthly Payment $481.80Options Added: $7,130.00All In Configured Price:$39,466.09

The car handles much better than I was expecting. It looks chunk and top heavy but stays flat around corners and grips very well. The steering is a little vague but coming from direct steering in the smart, it is likely better than my impression of it.The sport seats are not designed for someone my size and cut into the bottoms of my legs. With the sunroof headroom is just adequate. With a flatter seat I would have no comfort complaints. Still have to see if I fit in the back seat comfortably.It has a large center display for the radio and nav controls, had some initial issues using the nav but it was more operator error than anything else. The trip info is in a violet hue and not as clear to read as I would like. If the colour can be changed I can not figure out how to do it.It has night time mood lighting that you can change the colour of and adjust for brightness. It lights up the shifter, cup holders and center storage, I would do without it personally.It already has a rattle somewhere on the drivers side that pops up when the road is less than smooth. I expect much more from a $40k car. The suspension handles rougher roads well but the rattle/buzzing is annoying. It was rather windy on the 401 Tuesday evening but did not notice it at all. The car goes where you point it and is not bothered by wind or transport trucks.As for fuel consumption at 120kph the computer thinks it is using close to 10 LHK. That was under windy conditions. Running along at 80kph that number drops down to about 7 with the wind at your back. On my back and forth drive to work it is showing 7.7. At slow speed better than the C class Mercs I have had as loaners. At higher speeds the Mercs uses less fuel.The ease of getting in and out is not on the level of the smart but better than a C class or most cars for that matter.Even with the uncomfortable seats I would take the Mini over a C class Merc as a loaner, I would never buy either.I'll post some photos when I get a chance.

[MikeT]

I call those things the MINI Chubman. They are so hideous... and smaller inside than you might think. That fuel consumption just goes to show that putting a 1.6 in a beluga whale is not a good formula for good fuel consumption.

[Huronlad]

The hwy rating is 6.1 LHK IIRC, it would be very hard to achieve that number. At 80kph the engine is only turning about 1500 rpm and it is still burning 7LHK+ in this cooler weather. The auto appears to always start off in 2nd gear, not sure how much that effects FE. Legroom looks lacking in the rear, not sure about headroom.

[Huronlad]

Photos

[Huronlad]

The back seat is very roomy and more comfortable than the front for me. Photo of the trip info display. The violet shows up very well with the camera flash, not so much from the driver's seat.

[Huronlad]

I went 474 km in the Mini and used about 42L of 89 octane fuel. Average of 8.8 LHK. That trip from Kitchener to Strathroy at 120 kph, into the wind, hurt.Photo of the front.

[Huronlad]

The other end.

[Huronlad]

Happy to be back in the smart.

[MikeT]

Chubman!

[dmoonen]

Haha "Chubman" now every time I see one I think of that. Personally the previous model looks much better then the current.