I have had my Countryman S for about 7 months and 2000 miles (I have two other cars). It’s Chili Red with Petrol Blue interior. My favorite points are 1. The interior. If you love interesting fun interiors as I do then you will love it. If you try to avoid black interiors and exteriors you eliminate 90% of the cars other make. With Mini, you can get perhaps the most fun interiors anywhere and the Vescin seems comfortable enough. Just with they had ventilated seats. 2. Power, FINALLY Mini got a full BMW tune given you pay about the same price. It is plenty quick and I get 33-36mpg on the highway all the time. Drops much lower zooming around town. 3. Appearance and layout. I like the unique appearance, low roof line for kayaks and plenty of room for the kind of car it is. Negatives: 1. Electronics. Had several updates since I bought it and it has improved a lot but will take some getting used to. Use the favorites menu. Everything is pretty much forced onto the center screen. Sometimes Mini does things to be cute rather than practical. Rather than a start button it uses a flag toggle key you turn off and on like an old fashioned key. If you have to change cars like I do it’s confusing. 2. Center console. Basically, there is not one. There’s a little clam shaped compartment the size of a clutch purse. The armrest doesn’t open. Wasted potential. You will hate this if you are used to piling layers of stuff in a huge center console. Glove box is minimal, too. Neutral. 1. There’s no screen behind the wheel but there is a heads up display. Frankly, after awhile I don’t miss it at all. The heads up is excellent but it takes a little getting used to. 2. Suspension is a bit stiff like all Mini’s. Makes it sporty but trade off is feeling most road imperfections. It does take the top off bumps well but it’s a trade off. In summary, the reliability has been good AFTER the electronics updates and most things work well. It is just so fun to drive and look at inside and out that really I am not sure what I’d rather drive. You might cross shop the BMW X1 and see which works better for you. You cannot beat Mini interiors though for just pure fun and the driving matches on what is a practical Mini for a family. Oh, I got it to tow a camper but I have yet to do that. That is a great new addition in my book. I will probably get a kayak trailer.