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mr funny
25-01-11, 19:08
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/motor/story/0,4574,422945-1295726340,00.html?

Published January 22, 2011

Mini on steroids

The Mini Cooper S Countryman offers a roomy cabin with easy ingress and egress. By Samuel Ee

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2011-01-22/BT_WEEKEND_1_CURRENT_SEMINI22-0MC.jpghttp://www.businesstimes.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2011-01-22/BT_WEEKEND_1_CURRENT_SEMINI22-AJG.jpg

THE first time you see a Mini Cooper S Countryman in the metal is probably the first time you realise how big it is. It may have the familiar Mini styling but it is nowhere near as dinky as the Mini three-door hatch you're used to. Most strikingly, the Countryman is high. Not so much in the way that it is 1.56 metres tall and 4.1 metres long, but in that its front end is substantially higher and more imposing than most of the other cars it is parked beside.

The Countryman is the iconic brand's crossover model. With five doors and a wider body riding higher, it offers an uncharacteristically roomy cabin with easy ingress and egress. This Mini has maximum space, with excellent headroom and legroom all round. It also has maximum flair.

The premium cabin includes a very cool blacked out steering wheel and centre console. Some piano black trim is artfully applied as a highlight but it is the matte black treatment, like on the steering wheel-mounted shift paddles, that makes the interior stand out.

As with other Minis, the Countryman has the familiar pod-like tachometer attached to the steering wheel column, plus the oversized speedo in the centre of the dashboard. The latter now houses a 6.5-inch display called the Visual Boost, via which everything from the audio and telephone, vehicle information, and settings is controlled using three small and unobtrusive buttons on the lower centre console. The sound system, by the way, is excellent.

But that is not the only interesting design aspect of the Cooper S Countryman's interior. The car can be ordered with four individual seats, with a Centre Rail running from the front to the back of the cabin to separate the seats on the left from those on the right.

Apart from being a visual treat, the Centre Rail also allows for 'fun' attachments such as a sunglasses box, smartphone holder, individual cupholders, and centre armrest. Of course, if practicality is preferred, the Centre Rail is an option that can be dropped for a five-seater interior with a single rear-seat bench.

Under all that stylish packaging, the Cooper S Countryman is a compact SUV with ALL4 permanent all-wheel-drive, with the power distributed between the front and rear wheels by an electromagnetic centre differential located directly on the final drive.

Supplying the juice is Mini's familiar 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with twin-scroll turbo. It pumps out a maximum of 184 horses and 240 Newton-metres of torque. An Overboost function will briefly take that up to 260Nm under hard acceleration, thus endowing the maxi Mini with both performance and traction.

The 1,480kg kerb weight makes the Countryman feel less explosive than the three-door hatch with the same drivetrain, although playing with the shift paddles to manually change the sweet six-speed auto transmission helps.

The steering of this bigger Mini variant - with its enlarged platform, wider stance, and bigger 18-inch rims - also means it feels different compared with the smaller Minis. It is less direct but on the other hand, more forgiving. Overall, it is befitting of the cushioned ride that the less kart-like Countryman offers.

Apart from the clever design, the Countryman is not your typical Mini. First, there is the spacious cabin. Then there is the generous luggage capacity. The tall boot can also be split into two compartments with a clever flip-down floor. Or if required, the rear seats can be folded flat for even more space. This Mini has grown up.

[email protected]

SPECS

Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4

Engine 1,598cc turbocharged
Transmission 6-speed automatic
Max power 184 hp @ 5,500 rpm
Max torque 240 Nm @ 1,600-5,000 rpm (260 Nm with Overboost)
0-100 kmh 8.3 secs
Top speed 205 kmh
Price $189,800 (with COE)
Distributor Eurokars Habitat
Tel: 6473-3777

Regulators
25-01-11, 23:26
for this price, i would rather get a lexus is250 (with 20k leftover), more hp and ride is much smoother as well.

orange
26-01-11, 02:28
That you could say something like that means you don't get it and never will.

My friend got called stupid cos she bought a Cooper S JCW. Her colleagues criticised her said that for that price she could have gotten a "real" BMW, the entry level 320i :rolleyes: with lots of spare change, notwithstanding the fact that her family has bigger model high powered BMWs and Mercs in its stable of cars which she has access to all the time. BMW 320?? She was already sharing that car with her sister back in college, for god's sake, and it was the E46 inline 6, not today's anemic sputtering 4 banger.

This is the line that separates the aspiring wannabe's and the "been there, done that".

People who buy Minis are a special breed and i respect them for that.

I guess you could draw a parallel from that car example to property.

A local young woman who buys a three bedroom condominium in D9/10 that costs the same price as semi detached freehold landed property in D15/16/20 seletar, upper thomson or wherever.

She has grown up in a big landed property in Holland/Bukit Timah, yup she's been there, done that. To this person, a nice condo in D9/10 matters more to her than a semi detached house in some godforsaken (to her) outskirt of singapore.

Is she stupid? No doubt many would call her dumb. But i won't cos i totally understand where she's coming from.

tericia
26-01-11, 10:39
for this price, i would rather get a lexus is250 (with 20k leftover), more hp and ride is much smoother as well.

i have test drove all of them, the lexus, the bmw and the mini. The drive of the mini is the best.

The reason why the drive of the mini is the best to me comes from those who drive hatchbacks, esp hatchback sport cars. They are really nimble and easy to handle esp during jams or when you're in a rush on a moderately crowded highway.

So, people who pay for cars like mini and golf are those who are just more comfortable to a certain type of drive. :spliff: It's also fun to beat Subarus who cannot cut in because they are just bigger.

But i do agree on paper, the "worthness" of buying a lexus is higher cuz it does have the "quantity", in size, compared to small mini.

Regulators
26-01-11, 11:00
If looking for a small, fast and nimble hatch, I would rather go for a VW RS or GTI. Talking about subarus, i have seen how the wrx makes a snack out of the cooper s on the expressway sprint. conti cars have a smaller turbo that allows faster spooling and they also use superchargers explaining their faster takeoff, but on a 1km or a longer stretch, there is no way this mini can outrun any car with more than 200 whp.


i have test drove all of them, the lexus, the bmw and the mini. The drive of the mini is the best.

The reason why the drive of the mini is the best to me comes from those who drive hatchbacks, esp hatchback sport cars. They are really nimble and easy to handle esp during jams or when you're in a rush on a moderately crowded highway.

So, people who pay for cars like mini and golf are those who are just more comfortable to a certain type of drive. :spliff: It's also fun to beat Subarus who cannot cut in because they are just bigger.

But i do agree on paper, the "worthness" of buying a lexus is higher cuz it does have the "quantity", in size, compared to small mini.

orange
26-01-11, 11:15
If looking for a small, fast and nimble hatch, I would rather go for a VW RS or GTI. Talking about subarus, i have seen how the wrx makes a snack out of the cooper s on the expressway sprint. conti cars have a smaller turbo that allows faster spooling and they also use superchargers explaining their faster takeoff, but on a 1km or a longer stretch, there is no way this mini can outrun any car with more than 200 whp.

Ahh the GTI..... Aspirational dream car of many jap car owning heartlander/upgraders

I am sorry but most of the people i know driving the GTI are simply CMI poseur bengs who probably pay out 2/3 of their monthly salary to the instalment. They love driving around with their noses up thinking that they are sibeh sark.

orange
26-01-11, 11:20
i have test drove all of them, the lexus, the bmw and the mini. The drive of the mini is the best.

The reason why the drive of the mini is the best to me comes from those who drive hatchbacks, esp hatchback sport cars. They are really nimble and easy to handle esp during jams or when you're in a rush on a moderately crowded highway.

So, people who pay for cars like mini and golf are those who are just more comfortable to a certain type of drive. :spliff: It's also fun to beat Subarus who cannot cut in because they are just bigger.

But i do agree on paper, the "worthness" of buying a lexus is higher cuz it does have the "quantity", in size, compared to small mini.

There are many more Golfs (including base and GTI) than Cooper (base, S, JCW) on singapore roads, from a rough estimation maybe 5 to 1. Why? Beats me man....:beats-me-man:

MINI is made by BMW with a BMW/Peugeot JV hi-performance engine but many don't know that.

VW is just, well, VW, Das Auto, the people's car. I guess that's why.

Regulators
26-01-11, 12:36
We are talking performance lah, not whether bengs drive or not. Specs for gti or rs better than cooper. Not all jap cars are bad, I like the 370z and the twin turbo gtr
Ahh the GTI..... Aspirational dream car of many jap car owning heartlander/upgraders

I am sorry but most of the people i know driving the GTI are simply CMI poseur bengs who probably pay out 2/3 of their monthly salary to the instalment. They love driving around with their noses up thinking that they are sibeh sark.

Regulators
26-01-11, 12:43
Bmw 3 series has also become abeng car. I have respect for only the m series. The reason why not many people buy minis is bcoz for the same price, you can get a car with better specs. For two door 2 plus 2, can also consider a lotus evora, a head turner on the road at a bargain plus performance of a track car
There are many more Golfs (including base and GTI) than Cooper (base, S, JCW) on singapore roads, from a rough estimation maybe 5 to 1. Why? Beats me man....:beats-me-man:

MINI is made by BMW with a BMW/Peugeot JV hi-performance engine but many don't know that.

VW is just, well, VW, Das Auto, the people's car. I guess that's why.

focus
26-01-11, 13:24
Bmw 3 series has also become abeng car. I have respect for only the m series. The reason why not many people buy minis is bcoz for the same price, you can get a car with better specs. For two door 2 plus 2, can also consider a lotus evora, a head turner on the road at a bargain plus performance of a track car

I can actually count the no of times I've seen a Lotus of any make.
Is it the depereciation?

Anyway, the upcoming series of Lotus is mouth watering.. All looked damn nice!

Regulators
26-01-11, 13:37
depreciation for the evora is about 23k a year


I can actually count the no of times I've seen a Lotus of any make.
Is it the depereciation?

Anyway, the upcoming series of Lotus is mouth watering.. All looked damn nice!

devilplate
26-01-11, 18:02
nvr ends when u tok about branding vs performance lor...

buy car sure lose $$....but must buy one tat u lose happily.....den the $$ is well spent:D

i quite like the opel insignia.....opel brand aside....the looks vy classy and sporty to me:D ....performance wise...not too bad as well

silly VW passat CC....nid to wait 4-5mths for a car....zzz

devilplate
26-01-11, 18:13
I can actually count the no of times I've seen a Lotus of any make.
Is it the depereciation?

Anyway, the upcoming series of Lotus is mouth watering.. All looked damn nice!

this 1.6L lotus looks like a joke...but save fuel and dun burn a big hole...still a lotus...hehe...gers duno one...haha....but i tink very dangerous...as light as a feather
http://www.sgcarmart.com/new_cars/newcars_specs.php?CarCode=10880&Subcode=2459

focus
26-01-11, 18:15
silly VW passat CC....nid to wait 4-5mths for a car....zzz

Look on the bright side.. the silly VW passat is specially indented for you from the factory :)

Regulators
26-01-11, 18:23
Passat is really nice, especially the new model. the latest subaru legacy with 265hp also very nice, enjoy power and luxury interior at the same time.
nvr ends when u tok about branding vs performance lor...

buy car sure lose $$....but must buy one tat u lose happily.....den the $$ is well spent:D

i quite like the opel insignia.....opel brand aside....the looks vy classy and sporty to me:D ....performance wise...not too bad as well

silly VW passat CC....nid to wait 4-5mths for a car....zzz

sh
26-01-11, 19:19
but, but the mini is sooooooo cute......:p

Regulators
26-01-11, 23:00
at a small fraction of the price, i think cherry QQ or subaru R1 is even cuter



but, but the mini is sooooooo cute......:p

mantrix
27-01-11, 01:13
at a small fraction of the price, i think cherry QQ or subaru R1 is even cuter

Not at today's COE prices...

orange
27-01-11, 01:37
The reason why not many people buy minis is bcoz for the same price, you can get a car with better specs.

For the same price, for own stay, no kids, would you rather a 2 bedder in a freehold designer apartment building in D9 paterson rd with only swimming pool and gym, or a 4 bedder in a freehold mass market condo say, One Amber or park infinia, complete with the entire range of facilities, including a bloody volcano in the kid's playground?

Specs, you say? I guess you are the type who would buy one amber or park infinia...comes with all the bells and whistles...after all, you're dropping $3m on an apartment and it had better come with the kitchen sink.

I guess value-for-money is your top priority when making purchases.

Nothing wrong with that, but i think you might be missing the point in life. You are just so....singaporean :D

Regulators
27-01-11, 02:47
different consumer and investment philosophy mah. The guy selling curry puffs in ang mo kio, wearing a dirty apron everyday in working in a dirty stall, can be richer than the guy who opens an hour glass outlet in orchard wearing a suit to work everyday. I am a pragmatic singaporean, not one who spends just to show others they are leading the high life. I consider myself very ordinary and am proud of that fact. I will only consider myself to have made my mark in life if I can afford to buy a GCB in Leedon or Astrid paying full cash and still have plenty in the bank to live 10 lifetimes. There are indeed some people I know who are of this calibre. They can spend millions on art just for conversation pieces in their homes, something that ordinary folks like us can never fathom.


For the same price, for own stay, no kids, would you rather a 2 bedder in a freehold designer apartment building in D9 paterson rd with only swimming pool and gym, or a 4 bedder in a freehold mass market condo say, One Amber or park infinia, complete with the entire range of facilities, including a bloody volcano in the kid's playground?

Specs, you say? I guess you are the type who would buy one amber or park infinia...comes with all the bells and whistles...after all, you're dropping $3m on an apartment and it had better come with the kitchen sink.

I guess value-for-money is your top priority when making purchases.

Nothing wrong with that, but i think you might be missing the point in life. You are just so....singaporean :D

sh
27-01-11, 18:53
at a small fraction of the price, i think cherry QQ or subaru R1 is even cuter

Cannot compare lah...

It's the unlikely combination of performance, cuteness that makes the mini desirable.:)