Mini Cooper Countryman
Went to the Chicago Auto Show recently and absolutely fell in love with the
Mini Cooper Countryman. The car fits me physically and it looked like it has
tons of cargo storage and would be fun to drive. But, my heart dropped
when I was told it requires premium gas. I'm also looking at the Subaru
Crosstrek. Which would you guys suggest. I'm a retired female who drives
about 10,000 miles a year and I want an AWD car that has good
maneuverability, is fun to drive and the road noise will not drown out the
radio.
5 Answers
Mini Cooper has a lot of mechanical issues from the posts and threads I have read. Was considering one last year and was not impressed. Subaru Crosstrek is amazingly no car. Friend purchased on from a dealer in CO last year and loves it for ride, comfort and handling. Very well built vehicle and amazing crash test ratings. Built out of some the strongest alloys on the market. Hope this helps.
Oh, thank you so much for your answer.......this helps a lot! Now, all I have to do is find a Crosstrek at a price I can afford.
Tennisshoes hit a great point about the Toyota brand. I got a 2010 Corolla in September of 2012. The car had 9800 miles on it. It now has 186 thousand and all I did was change the oil and filter, brakes and tires. I drive 45 thousand miles a year but that car is great. Never had an issue with it. It sounds like you are in the market for a small SUV. Have you considered the Toyota Rav 4. Good Luck with your car search.
That is so interesting. I currently have a Honda Fit and it drives like a champ, has loads of cargo space besides the fact that it sips gas like a fine wine!! But, I want something with better insulation because it's super noisy when driving on the highway. A few of my friends who have test driven the Toyota RAV 4 said that it has a stiff ride and the finishes are cheap looking plastic. But, that car does seem to be an ideal size for me. Also, I'm fascinated by the Mazda CX-3 - the size seems right but it certainly doesn't appear to have the same ample cargo space as my Honda Fit.
It seems like a good thing to do would be to go test drive the vehicles you are interested in. Check them out and kick the tires, as the saying goes. Possibly, what may be a stiff riding vehicle for some might not be for you. If you have the time drive even a few of the same model if you can. If you like the CX-3, drive 2 if you can and see how they feel. Your Fit is probably going to have more cargo room than a CX- 3 but the Fit is like a small station wagon. Open the hatch, look at the room and see, maybe some of the cars you like may have more room than it appears. HTH
