2024 MINI Countryman Consumer Reviews

Not loving this car because of the technology

Fun to drive and hugs the road better than the countryman I had about 10 years ago - although I was disappointed that they don't make the Clubman anymore. Comfortable and has lots of interior space. Much larger, perhaps too large. Had wanted to downsize from my previous BMW X4 and this isn't feeling much smaller when it comes to moving and parking in a European city. My main issue is with the infotainment system. This car no longer has a physical central dial, easily found with your fingers in the central console to select media, GPS, etc., nor does it have physical buttons to turn the AC/heat up or down or turn on the radio. Someone thought it a brilliant idea to have everything in the infotainment system. That means that for every little adjustment you may desire, you must take your eyes away from the road and look at the screen trying to find what you need to adjust - also must be very precise with what you do touch because otherwise you are sent in the digital wrong direction. One needs to drive with a co-pilot. Furthermore, with the auto stop of the engine when the car is stopped, the car turns back on only when you push on the gas pedal, not when you take your foot off the brake. This makes for a very jerky start (unless you drive like an elderly person in no hurry I imagine). There is no easy physical button to turn this feature off, you have to go into "the system" each time you get into the car to turn this off - along with in my case - the warning button that you are going out of your lane and the speed limit control. This takes a few minutes of fiddling in the system every time you get in your car, even longer if someone opens a door while doing it.