Perseveration Ends

[lemming]

Originally Posted by JST

The control inputs are all very similar; steering feel is about the same (i.e., firm but pretty good), the shifter is identical, and the clutch is about the same, too (maybe a bit lighter).

The driving position is higher, and the car is a good deal taller. As a result, it's just not as nimble or as chuckable--there's no doubt about it. It will obediently corner at speeds that are higher than advisable, but it isn't egging you on to do so the way that the normal MCS did. Torque steer is almost completely absent, though in deference to the new engine I haven't been really getting on it.

It's also heavier, so it's slower. Again, there's no real doubt about that. It's fast enough for city work, and it gets down the highway well enough, but there's an edge of strain to the progress that isn't there in the MCS.

On the positive side, it's got probably 80 percent of the driving dynamics of the MCS with 175 percent of the usability. The back seat is very commodious, which is not something someone would ever say about the MCS, and the trunk is reasonably big, too (though perhaps not as big as something like an A3).

My time in an All4 was very brief, and it was an automatic, as well, so I can't give you much of a comparison. I've read that the active torque vectoring in the All4 is cool, but the weight penalty is steep and the engine is already on the edge of being overburdened.

Bottom line? If you don't absolutely need the four doors, stick with the MCS. If you need four doors (or four seats), the Countryman is more fun than most of the other offerings out there for similar money, including the A3 and the GTI. But it isn't as much fun as the normal Mini.

it makes sense now that i realize yours is a manual.

[Jeff_DML]

http://www.insideline.com/mini/count...yman-all4.html

[TD]

Originally Posted by lemming

it makes sense now that i realize yours is a manual.

Why wouldn't it be?

[lemming]

Originally Posted by TD

Why wouldn't it be?

Wasn't sure if they got an automatic this time around.