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Mini Cooper Clubman

Less attractive than a drunk Jade Goody, Mini's Clubman doesn't make the best case for itself... hopefully it can claw back some credibility from the drive.

I'll come clean from the start. I didn't really know what to expect from the Mini Clubman, but I had braced myself for disappointment.

While I'd be the first to praise the inventive hatchback for it successes in capturing the car buying public's imagination and spawning the retro revolution, the Mini's stylised interior and cute looks never appealed to me.

Form over function? Not really, because it functioned very well. Probably the most entertaining small hatch to drive in base specification form, the One and Cooper models delivered the goods even if they were a little quirky for my personal taste.

But with the Clubman I suspected that the qualities I liked may have been lost, while the qualities I disliked may have been exaggerated.

The upside to being a pessimist is that you can only ever be pleasantly surprised. Despite it's body being lengthened by 24cm and being 80kg heavier than its hatchback equivalent, the Cooper Clubman is just as sprightly and agile. It corners as well, the steering is as sharp and the throttle response as quick.

All in all, it has the same level of charisma and offers the same entertaining driving experience as the hatchback. Which begs the question; why opt for the Clubman.

The answer, it will come as no surprise to hear, is space. That extra 24cm has been made to go a long way. Rear passengers benefit from an additional 8cm of legroom. Considering the tight confines of the Mini hatchback's rear, that's a useful and generous addition.

Move back further and there's yet more room to be discovered. The boot remains frugal rather than frivolous, but provides 100 litres of additional storage compared to the hatchback. Fold down the rear seats and the Clubman's "shooting brake" rear really proves its worth, offering up a healthy load bay for bulkier items.

Key to the Clubman's quirky appeal is the door layout. One "suicide" door at the rear may seem like a token marketing gesture at first, but the difference it makes in accessing the rear, even if it's just to throw a briefcase onto the back seat, is immediately noticed.

Less successful is the rear door assembly. In a nod to the classic Clubman Estate a two-piece split door allows access to the rear, the problem being that the large central divide obscures vision out of the rear. It's hard to see what the cumbersome and complicated assembly offers over a standard boot door once the novelty has worn off.

One aspect that never gets tired is the Mini driving experience. The ride may be a little crashy for some but it's undoubtedly one of the most enthusiastic drives in a youthful segment.

Wisely, BMW has opted to drop the 95bhp 1.4-litre unit from the Clubman line-up. The additional bulk of the Clubman model would surely have taken the edge off of the unit's performance. The 120bhp, 1.6-litre unit is as competent in the Clubman as in the hatchback, keen to pull and with a charismatic whine as the revs build.

In conjunction with BMW's well-developed Stop Start system the engine offers an ideal combination of eagerness and economy. A little disconcerting at first, it soon becomes second nature to sit at lights and in traffic with the engine off, and it quickly fires up again as the clutch is depressed to select first. A sixth gear in the box, which comes complete with the same mechanical feeling and sporty short throw as in the hatchback, drops revs on the motorway and the orange display tells you the optimum gear for minimal fuel usage.

In fact, there's a great deal going on inside the Clubman interior. The retro inspiration continued to flow throughout the design process meaning there's no shortage of chrome switches, funky details and, of course, the huge central speedometer.

At first sight there's a degree of overload. As with all Mini's the Cooper Clubman isn't a car you feel immediately comfortable driving away in without familiarising yourself with the myriad of switch gear first. Once acclimatised it all makes sense though.

The same can be said of the car in general. Even if the Clubman's styling isn't to your taste, it's hard not to appreciate the panache with which it's been pulled off.

STAT BOX

Model: Mini Cooper Clubman, £14,235 on the road.

Engine: 1.6-litre petrol unit developing 120bhp.

Transmission: 6-speed manual transmission, driving front wheels.

Performance: Maximum speed 125mph, 0-62mph 9.8 seconds.

CO2 emissions: 132g/km.

Economy: 51.4mpg.

Source:  Crash.Net  

Article Date: May 02, 2008
Car Accociations: NEW_MINI
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