2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman: This One Looked Better

Any chance it could be a prototype of the new JCW Countryman?

Is he lowered? The rear camber looks weird. Could be an illusion though.

That's a JCW Countryman. Not only is it lowered, but having a red roof has recently become a JCW thing.

Black paint? Sure. Black/dirty/who cares wheels? Nooooooo...

im going to go out on a limb and say that the roof and the mirrors are vinyl

Nice to see Mini offering more (maybe with the JCW) as the current color options on the countryman are limited.

The colour looks cool but the size is over the top. It doesn't even look small following a full size pick up.

BMW needs to look up the definition of "Mini".

@first it's an optical illusion. Have you been near a countryman? It's 4 inches shorter than a GTI. That's a pretty damn small vehicle.

@blueguydotcom, exactly. I've seen plenty, when you see it by itself it looks huge, parked next to something else it looks small. So why would I want a pseudo-suv that looks huge, is actually small, poor reliability, and costs over $30k. It's a lose-lose-lose-lose situation.

While I don’t care for the countryman I understand Mini’s reason for building it, like Porsche and the Cayenne. What is less understandable is building the coupe and roadster that are heavier than the standard hatch. So less practical, fewer seats, heavier and slower but yet more expensive, Brilliant!

@lost - to each his own. I look at most cars on the market and this is one of the few that has the packaging (size) for my family of 3 that works. Compact, roomy inside, 4 door, seating for 4, good handling, 6 speed manual, economical gas mileage, great dealer service, solid warranty, highly customizable, xenons. There's very little available like that.

GTI has the worst dealer network on the planet, matched to bad warranty and bad quality. Juke is not customizable, lacks xenons, lacks manual in top trim. Audi is the same as GTI it terms of horrible dealers/warranty/build quality. WRX lacks xenons, 6 speed or anything in terms of customizing from the factory. 328 is kinda an option but to get it with xenons it'll run 44k. EX is sold only with an automatic. TSX wagon lacks power, manual.

Really for my next car it's coming down to this, G37 Sport, 328i via ED or used M3 e90. The Countryman is losing me because the engine was adequate in my 2007 Cooper S but not nearly enough for another 500 lbs of car.

blueguydotcom

I've seen one (not a big seller around here) and it looked huge next to the cars around it. Yeah I know it's not the size of a full size but it's supposed to be a Mini. Maybe they should have called it the Maxi.

@blueguydotcom, every car is highly customizable, mini just does it for you with 100% markup. Xenons are starting be on all new cars, the Dart will have them and a 6 speed manual.

I guess I weigh the actual mechanics of a vehicle higher than xenons and color schemes. Also, I would rather have a sub par service that I never have to see, than an awesome one that I get to see all the time.

@lost- That's not possible with a Dodge Dart. It's FWD...the discussion with that car is done right there.

@blueguydotcom

"Compact, roomy inside, 4 door, seating for 4, good handling, 6 speed manual, economical gas mileage, great dealer service, solid warranty, highly customizable, xenons. "

I'm confused, you didn't list awd. In case you mean a fwd car can't handle, it's built on what many are calling one of the best fwd platforms, chances are it handles quite well.

@lost - sorry I've had FWD cars. some have been fun (Cooper S, Protege, Mazda3), but I feel I've done my time. I want back into a car that's gloriously fun in corners - the right sweep, some oversteer, some track time. FWD can never be gloriously fun in corners. Ever. And on a track FWD is just all sorts of a let down.

@lost - I just remembered the Focus ST is coming too. That might be a good option.

Oh wait that's also FWD. Darnit!

It's just a Countryman S with a red vinyl rood and mirror caps. Probably will be a factory paint option once the Countryman JCW (John Cooper Works) arrives. I think it looks "ok" but I am not a Countryman fan.

I've seen black/red roof factory JCW hatches and it looks smart. Mine is a 2012 factory JCW hatch is Eclipse Grey with the factory red roof and mirror caps and IMO it looks even better. ;-)