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2016 MINI Clubman Criticized by Consumer Reports for High Price, Big Body

Pickup trucks are getting smaller, and so are crossovers. But the fun little hatchback is maturing into a compact. We are of course talking about the all-new MINI Clubman. Is it still a MINI and does it compete with anything? Opinions will differ, but from the point of view of Consumer Reports, the Clubman is overpriced.
2016 MINI Clubman Criticized by Consumer Reports for High Price, Big Body 1 photo
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We didn't need them to tell us that. Every MINI we've tested seems too expensive for the money you are paying. However, the Clubman is also big, about the size of a regular VW Golf. It's considered by many to be the first compact in the company's history, and for good reason.

The engine family in Europe is vast, ranging from tiny little diesel engines to big ones. However, America only gets a couple, and they are both from BMW. The first is a 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder unit. Europeans can get the same thing on a 2 Series coupe, but we can't. If you want power for your Clubman, it's going to come in the form of a 2-liter making roughly 190 ponies.

You can buy both on the 10-inch-shoter regular model. But the one major difference between the Clubman and the 5-door hardtop is that you can order it with all-wheel drive. Why would you want to when there's a new Countryman coming? Good question. We don't have an answer.

The Clubman also comes with a couple of barn doors instead of a hatch. MINI probably did that to be cool, helping this weirdo fit with all those owner meets. But it creates one of the biggest blind spots in the industry, and the fact that a reversing camera is optional doesn't fix the problem all the way.

Has MINI built such a great reputation that it can continue selling $40,000 compacts? If you account the brand, the image, the power/weight, and the sweet handling, then the answer has to be yes... but not for everybody.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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