MINI Rocks the Rivals 5/15/11

MINI USA and the rock group KISS joined to put on a fund-raising promotion for UNICEF. Four MINIs will be decorated with KISS-related logos and then sold on eBay, with the proceeds going to UNICEF. Several MINI Countryman cars have been wrapped with matching vinyl decorations as part of MINI Rocks the Rivals, several tours among MINI dealerships where customers can see and drive competitor's cars in addition to driving MINIs. I went to a dealership in the SF Bay Area to compare the VW Tiguan and Toyota Rav4 with the Countryman. Along the way I found out more about the local MINI club, NorCal MINIs.

Photos (C) 2011 George Hamma. High-quality prints are available by clicking on the "Buy" button.

Randy Davis turned out to be the best greeter. From him I learned more about the planned activities of NorCal MINIs.
The first car I drove was the Tiguan. It felt tight, had nice fit and finish, and was reasonably zippy.
The next car was the RAV4. It was not finished as well as the VW and had a very "jumpy" accelerator response.
The NorCalMINI team entertained me while I waited for someone to return the KISS decorated Countryman.
This was the only manual transmission Countryman available (not ALL4 - or all-wheel drive), so I drive Gene Simmon's likeness around the neighborhood. Over the same route, it was 5-7 MPH quicker around the turns and ramps than the others, very tight, middle-of-the-road in fit and finish as well as noise, and was generally more fun to drive.
The demo Countryman had enough miles on it I didn't have to be polite, so I could explore what could be done with the car. At the end of the ride I recalled there were few customers waiting for my return, so I went around the loop again - still fun!
These are some of the cars available to be driven. I couldn't fit in the back of the Nissan Juke, so it was off the list for me.