Countryman ALL4 - Snow

Hi All!

Now that I've had my Countryman for two whole snow storms, I figured it would be a good time to share my thoughts on the ALL4 (All Wheel Drive system) as well as how the MINI performs in the snow!

Happy Thanksgiving from CountrymanMotoring!

My First Post!

Hello Countryman Community!

My name is Kyle Conner and Aaron has kindly let me be a co-poster on this blog!

I would like to start off with a post about Kowalski (my Countryman).  It is a 2012 S All4 with a Light White exterior and a Lounge Leather Carbon Black interior.  The car has been a BLAST to drive so far!  With only 1,191 carefully driven miles on it, the break in period is only 9 miles from being completed.  It will be nice to finally see what this thing will do.

As a side note, I would like to share with you my plans for posting here on CountrymanMotoring.  I am going to focus my blog posts on my MINI, and my experience with it (modifications, service, road trips, etc) as well as talking a bit about the Countryman community on the East Coast.

I look forward to getting to know a great community of MINI owners!

Here is another photo of Kowalski:

Kyle

MINIprofile #004 :: Paige's 2011 MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4 a.k.a Babar

CountrymanMotoring's fourth MINIprofile looks into Paige's 2011 Cooper S Countryman All4, a.k.a Babar. Paige has been an avid reader of CountrymanMotoring and decided to share her happy motoring experience with Babar. So.. without any further delay, we proudly present Paige and Babar!

MINI at LA Auto Show

LA Auto Show officially starts tomorrow, and CountrymanMotoring brings you the early preview of the MINI booth. I didn't bring my better camera.. so images from my iPhone 3GS would have to do. Obviously, the new MINI Coupe tates the center stage. Displayed are a pair of MINI Coupe models, Cooper S and JCW. MINI Coupe JCW is striking the White Silver with Red Roof combo.. which I like quite a bit. Exterior is purely iconic. You cannot miss this car as anything else on the road today. Truely unique. While some, my coworker for example, may not like the helmet roof, I think it's a well done piece. I also did like the more cozy feeling of Coupe interior with more raked windsheild and lower roof.

CountrymanMotoring welcomes Kyle as a new blogger!

Today, CountrymanMotoring welcomes Kyle from New Canaan, CT as a new blogger. He has been an avid reader and recently took the delivery of his Cooper S Countryman All4. I am sure he is having tons of good time with his brand spanking new Countryman in the east coast. Countryman is his family's second MINI after R57 Cooper S Convertible. They love MINI and they expect to continue to drive one.
He also has two beautiful dogs who will definitely be riding shotgun with him in the Countryman.

Recaro Seats are coming to MINI... all models except Countryman (and Convertible)

MINI USA is adding Recaro Seats MINI fans have been asking for as an option starting 2012 March build. Awesome I say.. as my other car, GTI 337, has special Recaro Seats and it provides amazing support. However, it comes with two catches. The option will be available on R55 Clubman, R56 Hatch, R58 Coupe and R59 Roadster....... that's it. It is not available on Countryman and Convertible model. BOOOOOOOO~~~! Another one is the price. If you check Recaro Seats option box when you order yours (known as option 4FA), you should expect to shall out $3,000 on Cooper models and $2750 on MCS and JCWs. It does, however, includes heated seats.

Things I Like about my Countryman :: #005 MINI Connected Controls

One of the great things you get with MINI Connected has to be the control joystick, a.k.a Nipple IMHO. It is a well placed, designed, engineered, crafted piece of human-machine interface that also provide a good feedback. With the included center armrest setup, your fingertips are right on the 'Nipple', ready to take control of the in-vehicle infortainment system, all the while your right (or left if you are in some countries) arm is comfortably resting on the 'armrest'. I think ergonomics team at MINI design/engineering should get a star for placing the 'nipple' at an excellent location.

MINI Sales Figures October 2011

What a month for the Countryman! MINI Countryman had its best month ever in October with 2,012 sales (coinciding with delivery of 2012 model year Countryman!) Overall, MINI USA reported sales of 5,415 automobiles in October.  The October 2011 sales are up 37.1% from the 3,950 sold in October 2010.  Year-to-date, MINI sales in the U.S. are up 22.1% on volume of 47,050 compared to 38,538 in the first ten months of 2010.

What's very remarkable this month is how close Countryman sales had caught up with Hardtop sales, the definite volume leader for all these years. With sales number of 2,012, it is only 65 units shy of Hardtop sales of 2,077. It was speculated before that it was only a matter of time that Countryman sales could catch up to Hardtop sales, but not this fast.