Mini Cooper Clubman full 9 point review
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Performance
You’ll recognize all the engines from the three-door Mini lineup, and all of them - from the 1.6 diesel up through the 1.6 petrol to the turbocharged 1.6 in the Cooper S - deliver strong pull for effortless driveability, especially the diesel and the turbo. Six-speed manual gearboxes are standard.
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Ride & Handling
The Clubman has an 80mm-longer wheelbase than the three-door and revised suspension settings, and this slightly changes the handling balance. It's not quite as sharp into corners, but a little more compliant over bumps. It's lost little of the three-door's verve and fun-to-drive character, though.
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Refinement
The engines are smooth and sweet-sounding, but there are some refinement issues elsewhere. You occasionally hear the wind buffeting at those unorthodox body panels, especially around the rear windows, and some road noise makes it through into the cabin as well.
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Buying & Owning
Like all Minis, the Clubman is hardly cheap, and what’s more, the Clubman costs a fair bit more than the three-door. However, Minis hold onto their value better than most, so you’ll get a large chunk of your outlay back when it’s time to sell on. Running costs are low as well.
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Quality & Reliability
Some of the plastics and switchgear don't quite live up to the 'premium small car' image (and pricing) that BMW is trying to invest in the Mini range, but overall the Clubman seems pretty well put together. Reliability is good, too.
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Safety & Security
The Mini has a five-star Euro NCAP crash-test rating and all models have front, side and cabin-length head airbags. You also get ISOFIX child seat mountings, and importantly, stability control is standard throughout the range. The Mini has most of the security parts that make BMWs so hard to steal.
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Behind The Wheel
The seat is nicely padded and, like the steering wheel, fully adjustable, so making yourself comfortable is a straightforward operation. The trouble is, the designers have tried too hard to replicate the look of the 1959 Mini while packing in lots more features, and it all comes across as fussy, contrived and awkward to use.
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Space & Practicality
There's 80mm more rear kneeroom and a minimum of 100 litres more luggage capacity than in the three-door, so the Clubman can seat four adults (just) and carry their baggage for a weekend away. Space, then, is reasonable. Not so practicality. There are two doors at the back (a throwback to the original Mini estate) instead of a tailgate, as well as one side door on the left and two on the right, which means rear passengers will be exiting into the traffic flow - and through a rear-hinged door.
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Equipment
There are Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper D and Works trims, each with the same level of specification available on the equivalent three-door car, as well as one or two Clubman exclusives such as a third rear headrest and black or silver rear door pillars. There's no shortage of options and paint schemes to help you personalise the car, either, inlcuding some tempting Packs, such as the Media and Sport Packs.
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