Looks like the new mini countryman 4x4 will be in Yeti territory and may tempt some who were thinking of a Yeti, and is going to be cheaper. Hopefully it may result in Skoda lowering their prices or letting retailers be more flexible in offering discounts before I order my Yeti !!

Well I can hope !

It's no looker though and prices start from £17,000.

Being a BMW you'll have to tick the options boxes just to get what should be standard on a £17k car!

http://www.autoexpre...n_official.html

Could be a bit of a posers choice really, for those who want to join in the "mini" thing and not want to be seen in a Yeti given there isnt much choice in the smaller SUV market.

The Countryman has nothing to offer the Yeti 'S' buyer. It will cost a lot more and have a vast options list of no doubt essential equipment.

Right so we have a countryman savaged by a Yeti ??

From the photos, the ground clearance seems only slightly more than the old mini. The suspension looks raised and the tyres look larger.

For any sensible use in the country a good ground clearance is needed. (My TVR used to cause a minor fire as it rubbed along the grass down the center of the road and the silencers had grooves in them!) A car that will "bottom out" in a small ditch is next to useless.

I think the whole idea is a gimmick.

Well said Terfyn!

From what I've read, I can't see the Countryman posing any threat to the Yeti which will trounce it in almost every aspect. It's just a crossover for the fashion conscious, rustic hairdresser!

I think this car will be hugely popular with yummy mummies in Knightsbridge and that's about it. I can't see it touching Yeti sales. Pretty pointless really.

The countryman looks to be smaller than a Yeti and is more expensive. It's unlikely to be as good off tarmac so personally it wouldn't suit me. I think it will appeal to a slightly different market to the Yeti really.

I could see my wife liking it but not at the prices they're going to be asking.

What a completely naff car, and WHAT a naff video linked in that article.

I really don't know why we're even commenting upon it in this thread - total waste of time and energy... ha ha.

Freshacre

PS - now - the new VW Toe-rag? There';s a different story. A beaut of a car, a beast of a car, and a great but pointless vid of it playing in the dunes! Thinks... ... if I'd had double the money... ... ...instead of £17500 to change to a Yeti... ... ...it could've been £35 grand to have a... ... ...no, I ain't gonna think about it. I COULD have had TWO YETIS! Ha. (should that be "Yetties". Or Yeties. Or Yetisies. Or is the plural of Yeti - Yeti, as in "I saw two Yeti at the dealer's garage today"? Like sheep and sheep. But never Mini and Mini....)

PPS - There is a folk band in ZummerZet or Dar-zet called the Yetties - named after a little village called Yetminster.

PPPs - Perhaps we should have an annual Yeti owner festival, and adopt Yetminster as our hometown, and have the Yetties to perform.

PPPPs - Perhaps I need to lie down until my medication takes effect... ...

Can you fit snowchains ?

Can you fit snowchains ?

Gilesmengland!!!

I think this car will be hugely popular with yummy mummies in Knightsbridge and that's about it. I can't see it touching Yeti sales. Pretty pointless really.

The yummy mummies in Knightsbridge all drive Mercedes of varying types or Q7 's; 'minis' only get a look-in when their daddies are buying them their fist car before they become yum mums

I think it's a step too far in the Mini evolution and looks silly.

Is it for yummy mummies who like to think they are eco friendly then and no longer want the Chelsea tractor? You are quite right about what they drive. This is still a pointless car.

Is it for yummy mummies who like to think they are eco friendly then and no longer want the Chelsea tractor? You are quite right about what they drive. This is still a pointless car.

No the eco friendly ones drive Toyota Prius and knock down old ladies at slow speed

I think it will be quite popular although will not really complete with the yeti as mini buyers want the car becuse it is a mini.

The local bmw/mini dealer sales staff comment on how often someone comes in to spend 16k on a mini and leaves having sepnt 21k.

I remember reading somewhere that the average mini buyer spends £2k on extras.

Its cheating to call it a Countryman.

No half timbered external features for example.......

I think it looks quite funky, but I wouldn't drive one, and I have always thought Minis were dreadful value for money and Mini forums seem full of people whose cars have gone wrong. And I really can't stand the interior, too many bits sticking out, and gimmicky plastic, just call me Victor Meldrew but it's a teenager's car. There's nothing there to tempt me away from my interest in the Yeti.

No the eco friendly ones drive Toyota Prius and knock down old ladies at slow speed

I think that's because the old ladies cant hear the prius approaching because its electric motor is so quite.

I read that the new prius will have a recording of a real engine to warn pedestrians.

I think it looks like a small Cayenne, so it starts off badly. There is far too much fussy detailing, inside and out - compare it to a New Beetle, where the overall shape evokes the original very well but there are few other detail cues. At nearly £20k for the 4wd Cooper D without options, it is at the top end of Yeti pricing - but the accommodation and load space is going to be very limited and inflexible in comparison. 30in dog crate? Forget it - swap the Labrador for a toy poodle!

We did briefly look at the Mini Clubman when shopping for the Yeti, but it was a non-starter on space and very expensive for what it is - I think the Countryman will be the same. Strictly for style victims, I think.

Mark

I think that's because the old ladies cant hear the prius approaching because its electric motor is so quite.

I read that the new prius will have a recording of a real engine to warn pedestrians.

Or maybe young people with phones stuck to their ears?

Personally I think that the Countryman will be considered in same buying decision as the Yeti - I'm mid 40's (mid life crisis ?) need something with very modest 4x4 capability as live down unmade road and my wife keeps horse in field down another long unmade road, and have concluded that these are the two options.

I managed to see the Countryman at the Motor Expo in London week before last and to be honest it is quite good and will probably sell in bucket loads - admittedly to lots of ladies wanting a Mini with a bit more space and 5 doors. The rear legroom is great and whilst the boot cannot compare with Yeti, it's perfectly large enough for average Labrador.

It's on the price side of things where the Mini package starts to go a bit wrong. I've specced up similar cars as follows:

Diesel

4x4

Pana roof (although not available on Yeti at moment of course)

Metallic

..and the comparable versions are Yeti CR140 Tdi 4x4 Elegance and Countryman D All4 (with Chilli pack). (The Yeti has full leather ,mini half).

So as correctly predicted the Mini options list takes my spec to £24k vs £20.5k for the Yeti from Drivethedeal. Mini underwrite their residuals at about 45%, haven't had similar for Yeti as yet although would expect it to be a bit lower from VW Finance but about same in real world. Overall therefore Yeti will def work out cheaper than Countryman in terms cost ownership, but not by enough to prevent Countryman from being genuine competitor.

As for me, I really can't make my mind up. The Pana roof thing is killing the Yeti for me as it's a MUST HAVE extra which I can't get at moment. But that said I'm reluctant to pay nearly £25k for a Mini. Decisions, decisions .....

I also saw that Countryman at the MotorExpo. A Yeti it ain't. It is a Golf with 4x4 running gear since it does not have proper ground clearance. But for a "midlife crisis" it could tick a box! But then so many people will be ticking that box that they will be very common very soon. And that is what I like about the Yeti.

We all have our own taste but I could never live with a car with such a Fisher Price plastic over-designed interior. Would give me a headache everytime I get in it!