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2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spied Wearing Production Lights

The last time we caught up with the 2016 MINI Clubman it was wearing a lot more camo than today and we were rather surprised to be able to take a look at its insides. Now, we’re also getting to check out its production lights.
2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots 13 photos
Photo: CarPix
2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S Spyshots
The good news is that the taillights seem to be extremely close to the ones we’ve seen on the concept at Geneva last year. The bad news is that the front ones seem unchanged from the hatchback and give the front fascia a rather... peculiar look.

As you can see in the gallery below, the bonnet is a lot wider and seems to be lower than on the hatchback, traits that combined with the bigger, round headlights create an interesting effect on the front fascia of the car.

The bumper is better camouflaged so we can’t really tell how its design will be on the final car but the hood scoop seems to point out that this is indeed a Cooper S model (that and the blacked out S in the grille that’s a little harder to distinguish).

The color of this prototype also resembles the one the company used for the concept when they unveiled it at the auto show last year. As interesting as these details might sound, they fade when we’re looking at the whole picture that includes the rear end of the Clubman.

Full-size doors in the back for passengers

The Clubman used to be differentiated from its brothers by two things: a small side door on the right side of the car and the barn doors at the back that used to theoretically make this car a 5-door model.

Gone is the weird right-hand door that was used to allow passengers to ingress easier. For the new model, MINI decided to use full-size doors similar to those found on the 5-door Hatch. While some might disagree with such a move, considering that specific feature gave the car character, others might be overjoyed because they can use the car easier now.

The good news is that the rear barn-style doors were kept on. They seem to have a handle each that, when the ‘barn is closed’ create a single handle due to their design.

What we can also make out are the two tailpipes characteristic of the Cooper S models, this time positioned at different ends of the bumper and the new fog lights integrated in the rear bumper.

New interior that’s far from the concept we’ve seen

In our previous batch of spyshots, we saw a glimpse of what MINI wants to introduce on the Clubman when it comes to interior styling. Admittedly, things did look a little different from the rest of the line-up but they were also far from the concept we’ve seen at Geneva.

That would’ve been a great change of pace but it seems like even MINI considered that the investment needed to put it into mass production was too much. Yet, a couple of hints would’ve been welcome.

Instead, we get more squared off air vents and a rather different center stack. That’s about it. Well, maybe the next model will get a better deal in around 7-8 years.

Under the bonnet we’ll find the same engines as on the hatchback but it will be interesting to see if the range will include 1.2-liter 3-cylinder plants as well. That’s because the Clubman looks a little big in these spyshots and using engines with less than 100 HP might not be the best solution.

1.5-liter and 2-liter plants will surely be available, with outputs between 136 and 231 HP, on both petrol and diesel fuel. ALL4 all-wheel drive models will also be included in the range while the transmission will be done by the new 6-speed manual and automatic boxes developed for the UKL platform. Expect the Clubman to make a first appearance at Geneva with sales to start later this year.
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