Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor for
edmunds Inside Line, during his stint with their long term road test 2011 MINI Cooper S Countryman, finds that the Countryman "rubs" him "the wrong way." He advises, in part:
For me, with our Countryman, the one thing that leaves an unpleasantly sour taste in my mouth is...
...the fact that, more often than not, that launch from standstill in first is a rough and jerky one. As first impressions go, it's a poor one. It was a thorn in my side the first few times I drove the thing but I figured that with more time spent in the car, I'd have an easier time finessing the process.
Hasn't worked out that way -- not yet, anyway. I get behind the wheel, fire up the engine and jerk, jerk, lunge. It feels like I'm learning to drive a stick all over again.
