My MINI crush: It was just a fling

It seems like just yesterday that I was mulling over purchasing a MINI Countryman. Its size and stature were just so adorable, I was crushing on it last year. But sadly, I’ve discovered it was just a summer fling. My MINI crush is officially over. And what’s worse (for the MINI anyway) is that I’ve moved on with its rival relative – a BMW.

The all-new 2013 BMW X3 xDrive 35i in Deep Sea Blue

Welcome to the family!

That’s right. You’re looking at the brand-new 2013 BMW X3. It’s redesigned for this model year and the improvements abound. Ordered in late March, this South Carolinian rolled off the line in Spartanburg with the first round of production at the start of April. Soon after, the X3 made its way to the dealership where we leased it (BMW of Alexandria).

That's me in the X3 saying farewell to a Countryman parked by us at a stoplight.

Why my MINI fling ended

When taking a closer look at the Countryman, I realized that 12 cubic feet of storage space (41 with the back seats folded down) just wasn’t enough. Mike Schmidt over at Edmunds InsideLine put it best:

If style is your thing, the Mini will not disappoint. But if fashion is less important than useful cargo space, you may want to look elsewhere.

We don’t live in ‘DC proper’ so we have the flexibility to go with a little bit larger vehicle. I would still highly recommend MINI’s adorably compact ute for others; however, we are thrilled with our decision to go X3. And hey, it’s still in the BMW family so it’s a win-win really!

Stay tuned for more on our leasing experience at the dealership and for our first road trip in the Bimmer!