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countryman s all4 purchase

8K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  nobbyclark 
#1 ·
thinking about buying one and am concerned about reliability-i want to keep this car a long time and i am also looking at a VW Tiguan or a Jeep Cherokee in the same price range.I like the feel of driving the Mini over the other two.
 
#2 ·
Had mine 3 weeks as a 2nd Mini and no probs so far. It is a replacement for a 2010 Range Rover that was the opposite of reliable. Averaging 40mpg with mostly town driving. All the electrics work. Bluetooth works. Heating system works as I want it to, not how it wants to. It goes around corners without throwing you off the driver's seat. It stops without having to stamp on the brake pedal. Only niggle is that my Griffin USB adapter keeps popping out of the cigarette lighter slot.
 
#6 ·
Is there a way to make it stay on? I have to activate it every time I turn the car on. And I'm sure it turned itself off during one drive, either because I was being boring or maybe it was trying to save me from myself.
 
#8 ·
Had my SD ALL4 for almost 2 years now, bought it at 14 months old from Park Lane MINI.

Regular servicing only under the original owners TLC package purchase - didn't bother to extend it as my annual mileage doesn't save me anything on the extended TLC over a regular service booking.

Issues in 2 years..
> drivers electric window noisy - replaced parts under warranty (motor/regulator from recollection) - think this was as much down to my higher than normal usage, due to need to swipe badge at security barriers in and out of work
> ABS/TC lights on after a long left hand bend (270' motorway intersection) - turned out to be low brake fluid level (ca 3k miles before my front brake wear light came on)
> swapped front side light bulbs to LEDs - they seem to last about 6 months before failing, although the ones from UltraLED seem to last a year
> mpg i can get up to 53 mpg driving like miss daisy on a 100 mile non motorway trip, town ca 40mpg, commuting 47mpg - not exactly great but its a heavy, blunt ended car with 4wd (my A3/Golf TDIs were 20% better on mpg)

Other comments:
Xenon lights are excellent - some of the best I've had on a car
MY SD All4 still has loads of roll in the corners, even with the Chilli pack - forget any go-kart aspirations (unlike the R56 hatch)
Ride quality on 18" run flats is ok at speed, but in town you know about every pothole, sunken grid cover, tarmac patch
Mini wheels and runflat tyres are very heavy items - i'm sure these contribute hugely to the poor fuel economy, I do much better on the comparatively light steel wheel/winter tyre set up


My front brakes are being replaced next week - probably only needs pads but I'm doing pads and discs since the car has 48k miles on it now (rear brakes supposeldy good for another 23k miles). I'm fitting uprated aftermarket items (£250 for pads, discs, sensor, fitting kit, new hub retaining bolt)
My only other expense has been a pair of front tyres, and the purchase of some used winter wheels/tyres which have been great when needed



Petrol S engines in the R60 Countryman were the improved N18 engine code (far less issues than the previous N14 engines in the Mini R56 hatches), further improved mid 2012 builds.

Some early cars had oil leaks from the ALL4 transmission case - mostly rectified under warranty when detected.



Overall..
doesn't drive anywhere near as well as the R56 Minis, but then its bigger, higher and heavier
massively overpriced at new retail (I saved over 10k off the new original price, even buying used from London MINI dealer at 14 months old)
loads of deals around currently on new run out R60 models, new Countryman here very shortly
 
#9 ·
Potential Owner

I am looking to purchase a 2013 Mini Countryman All4 S. I live on the east coast of the US. I have read a lot of poor reviews for the 2011-2012's a some for the 2013 as well. The one I am considering buying only has 29,000 miles and is being offered at a fair price based on KBB values.

As owners of the countryman any advise on reliability would be greatly appreciated. Also I read somewhere that you need to use 93 octane in them...is this true?

Thanks!
 
#11 ·
I bought my 2012 Countryman S All4 in March. A Week after I got it, it started to throw check engine lights. Read the code and it said faulty fuel pump or coils or spark plugs. Replaced spark plugs (one was visibly fouled), cleared the code, and all is well. I love mine. I get 30mpg (US). 93 octane is best. I've run lower, but performance and mileage suffer.
 
#12 ·
I bought a 2017 Mini Countryman AllWheel S, automatic. What I am missing is the iconic Mini exhaust popping sound that I heard when I test drove the car. Any ideas why? Is this only coming with the John Cooper Works? That is not what I test drove, but that is what a Mini mechanic said was the problem.
 
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