Our Mini Countryman Is Where High Tech Equals High Frustration

• Our Mini Countryman's tech package is stylish but a hassle to use.
• Owners need a Mini ID in order to use basic functions.
• Way too many functions are buried in the round center touchscreen.

That stiff ride I mentioned makes it hard to use on the move. Just trying to change the temperature on a slightly bumpy road is difficult, and I frequently end up turning on the seat and steering wheel heater, adjusting the fan speed, or doing something else I don't intend unless I awkwardly brace my hand on some other part of the screen. 

Granted, there are some shortcuts. If you want the classic Mini "big speedometer," just tap the numerical MPH indicator at the top of the screen. But if you want to adjust your following distance on the adaptive cruise control, it's five taps through several menus instead of the steering wheel-mounted toggle used by so many other manufacturers. It doesn't help that the screen sometimes lags or doesn't fully recognize actions like swiping. A handful of buttons on the dash, or even on the steering wheel, would help immensely.

In fairness, you can bypass some of this hassle by customizing the ownership experience with the Mini ID feature. It's easy enough to set up: Get a QR code on the touchscreen, a few taps here, a few taps there, and boom, you're good to go. You can tell it to remember a bunch of things like seat and climate settings, your default display "experience" and even use your smartphone as a digital key. You can set up shortcuts to favorite features, too, and it'll all be customized if another driver has different favorites. It's pretty cool, but Mini ID leads me to another gripe.

No ID? No service

Unfortunately, Mini takes this too far by locking basic functions behind the Mini ID wall. For example, our Mini's automatic door locks default to unlock just the driver's door when you touch the handle. You can reprogram it to unlock all the doors, but only if you're connected with a Mini ID. Don't want your mirrors to fold when you lock the car? Mini ID required. Want to shut off the electronic beep that signals you've locked or unlocked the car? Mini ID, please. 

If you're the owner, you'd probably set this up and not think about it. But being unable to access these settings at all without the ID is just silly. As handy as it would be to use my phone as a key and ditch the ironically bulky Mini fob, I don't like being forced into signing up for a service just to unlock basic functions.

On top of that, Mini almost surely collects data on how owners set up their cars. I'm sure it's useful for planners determining features for future products, and it doesn't hurt that it's probably profitable to sell to whoever else uses that kind of info. To be clear, I'm not saying this definitely happens, but data is big business. Whether it's a problem comes down to your comfort levels regarding data privacy. Personally, I opt out when I can.

CarNoPlay

Another issue is Apple CarPlay, and not because it can't decide whether to display two or three rows of icons. Instead, it becomes increasingly unstable while you're driving the Mini. In about one out of every 10 starts, the car won't connect to my phone. But it doesn't take long before that increases to about half the time, and then not at all.

I can force the issue by toggling the car's Bluetooth off and on. This helps it see my phone, but then it connects without enabling CarPlay. At one point, I unpaired the car from my phone, and vice versa, and reconnected. This worked for a short time, but the wonky behavior returned.

Then one day, it just flat-out stopped working altogether. My frustration got the better of me, so I deleted everyone else's phone from the system. (Sorry, folks.) I also cycled Bluetooth on both the car and my phone and reconnected. Since then, it's connected quickly without issue. 

My best guess is that there were too many phones connected to the car. The list was at least 10 entries long, and when it couldn't find my phone, it searched for a connection with the desperation of a speed dater. 

Maybe owners switching between a couple of devices won't have this issue. However, before dismissing this as "automotive journalist problems," ask yourself: If the system can't handle so many connected phones, why is it set up to? Lots of other manufacturers limit their cars to five or so devices. Kudos to Mini for trying to be so expansive, but I'd rather have fewer available connections and more consistent performance.

A silver lining?

For some of the issues — Bluetooth connectivity and screen lag most prominently — there may be a solution in a pending software update. Issued back in July, the release notes "optimized Bluetooth connection stability" and that the infotainment system will be "even more stable." 

However, when I tried installing the update, I got a blank screen instead of the install procedure outlined on Mini's website. I suspect I'd need to establish a Mini ID to install the update since many of the instructions talk about installing it through the smartphone app. Maybe there's a work-around, but if there isn't, being unable to even update the system without a Mini ID is my final straw.

Photos by Keith Buglewicz