mini countryman vs 2012 ford explorer

**triggerman222** · October 16th, 2011 12:59 PM

Good day to everyone,

What would you prefer for everyday use?

What image would each car project?

I use the car around 15,000 km per annum.

Which is better in terms of value for money? long term use? maintenance cost?

Thanks and more power to everyone

**foresterx** · October 16th, 2011 03:06 PM

The mini would be more expensive to own in every way. The only advantage i see is it's fuel consumption. But the countryman is one beautiful car and handles pretty well also.

**ghosthunter** · October 16th, 2011 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by triggerman222

Good day to everyone,

What would you prefer for everyday use?

What image would each car project?

I use the car around 15,000 km per annum.

Which is better in terms of value for money? long term use? maintenance cost?

Thanks and more power to everyone

Value for money - 2012 Ford Explorer
long term use - Mini Countryman (simply on the amount of fuel, 1.6L vs 3.6L)
maintenance cost - unknown, but I would make a guess for the Mini Countryman because it is a simpler car. The Ford Explorer has lots of "toys" which can break & need fixing.

For everyday use - In my opinion, the Mini Countryman. It has a more livable because of the 1.6L engine, understated retro interior makes it fun to drive and easier to live with. But the price (only P2.3M) and specs of the Ford Explorer makes it hard to ignore. My biggest complaint with the Ford is the touchscreen system, hard & confusing to use.

End of the day, I would take the Mini Countryman home.

**niky** · October 16th, 2011 06:41 PM

If you "need" an SUV that can go off-road, the Countryman doesn't have great ground clearance, it doesn't have four-wheel drive or even all-wheel drive (and the base Countryman, which is all you can get at the same price as the Explorer, doesn't even have a limited slip differential) and it's not flood capable.

The Explorer can ford up to three feet (estimate based on air filter height) of water, has three off-road modes, tons more interior space, more power, seven seats, a wash-and-wear interior, and it doesn't drive too badly for a 2.2 ton SUV. While the Countryman S is just as quick with a much smaller engine and handles better, that's not a convincing argument if you're comparing the two as go-anywhere do-anything SUVs... not that you'll be doing much off-roading with the stock 20" wheels on the Explorer...

The Countryman's more natural competition are the Lexus RX and the BMW X1. The Explorer's more natural competition are the Pajero, CX9 and Veracruz.

I really like the Explorer, but it's not for me, because there are only three of us in the family, which means I would consider the Countryman. Because I don't need the space.

But if you really don't need the space, the Cooper S is even more convincing at the same price as the base Countryman.

**GTi** · October 16th, 2011 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by triggerman222

Good day to everyone,

What would you prefer for everyday use?

What image would each car project?

I use the car around 15,000 km per annum.

Which is better in terms of value for money? long term use? maintenance cost?

Thanks and more power to everyone

For everyday use, I suppose that will depend on your requirements. But for me, I find it rather impractical getting this sort of car considering the high admission price, its rather barebones condition (no AWD, normally aspirated 1.6L engine), and the fact that it can easily be trumped in terms of performance and utility by cars less than half its price. So I'd go with the Explorer for this one because I occasionally need the extra seating capacity and high ground clearance. And since you are looking at cars at this price range, I suppose gas money isn't a big problem for you, right?

As for the image. I'd still get the Explorer. Even though both give an upscale image, the Explorer gives the more mature, responsible, and "accomplished person in life" image as compared to the more of young, 2nd (or more) generation rich yuppie image of the Mini. But then, its upto your preference still.

For this price range, I find the Explorer to be of more value for the money considering the features involved, extra seating capacity, and higher ground clearance. As for maintenance cost, IMHO the Explorer should be cheaper to maintain considering the long term maintenance cost and parts cost and availability of Euro cars here.

**ghosthunter** · October 16th, 2011 09:02 PM

Given that 99% of all SUVs will never see dirt beyond the unpaved parking lot, the Mini Country (not the "S" version) is the better choice.

Why not the "S"? Well, the power delivery of the Countryman S was simply too raw and unrefined in feel. Not something you would want from a P2M+ car made by BMW. The Mini Countryman (regular version) feels much better refined, smoother power delivery and much more fun to drive (even with less power than the S variant). It also helps that the dashboard of the regular Countryman looks better and more functional than the one found in the "S".

**eggman** · October 17th, 2011 03:06 PM

The Countryman Cooper is priced at 2.380M Pesos while the Explorer is priced at 2.350M Pesos..The Countryman Cooper's ground clearance and rims are kinda small..But that SUV is good.

**ghosthunter** · October 17th, 2011 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

Given that 99% of all SUVs will never see dirt beyond the unpaved parking lot, the Mini Country (not the "S" version) is the better choice.

Why not the "S"? Well, the power delivery of the Countryman S was simply too raw and unrefined in feel. Not something you would want from a P2M+ car made by BMW. The Mini Countryman (regular version) feels much better refined, smoother power delivery and much more fun to drive (even with less power than the S variant). It also helps that the dashboard of the regular Countryman looks better and more functional than the one found in the "S".

Given that I personally would choose the Mini Countryman, the new 2011 Ford Explorer is still a great luxury vehicle package if you can take the high fuel bills coming from the 3.5L V6 (gasoline) engine. It has three row seating, enough for seven people to sit comfortably (relative comfort for those at the 3rd row). The electric sunroof for the front and 2nd row seats can give you a sense of airy interiors and there is still enough headroom leftover so that someone like me does not end up scraping my head on the headliner.

**triggerman222** · October 17th, 2011 03:26 PM

Thanks for the reply guys,

Im now leaning towards the mini, hindi ko nga din talaga i-offroad sya as describe by ghosthunter...

i would also like to add the fj cruiser to the list...

what would you prefer?

**GTi** · October 17th, 2011 03:36 PM

Bear in mind that the FJ Cruiser is much more expensive, and you'll be having more difficulty in sourcing parts and folks who are capable of doing maintenance for your vehicle (unless the grey market dealer has a casa). It uses a 4.0L V6 engine so it drinks fuel like there's no tomorrow and according to a friend of mine who's family owns one, it is rather cramped inside and ingress/egress is quite a hassle with those doors. If you're getting this, might as well get the Prado. Same engine, lower price, more room, and also has lots of toys and great off road performance. But if its Prado versus Explorer... Explorer parin.

Since you are considering grey market cars, wanna consider the Kia Sportage SX Turbo? 260hp engine, Dynamax AWD and the killer looks would make it an excellent car to drive.