Photo: MINI
Not more than a month ago, MINI launched their freshest model, the new Clubman. It was a launch that split fans of the brand in two distinct sides. While some complained about its humongous size (that only feels that way on paper) other welcomed the daring move the British brand made towards reinventing itself.
Yes, the new Clubman is the biggest car they ever made and it steps courageously into a new segment, one that was never part of the DNA of MINI. Is that good or bad? Well, it depends on how you see it.
We were recently invited by BMW to take a look at the car in person and let them know what we think. Unfortunately, they didn't let us take any pics, even though the car was already revealed in full but we can still tell you all about it, now can't we?
The car looks smaller than you might think in person and we believe it's mostly due to its carefully designed styling. Everywhere you look you notice a curve or a circle or something that manages in one way or another to make this otherwise large car seem smaller than it is.
Sitting next to it, I actually though it wasn't all that bigger than the 5-door hatch at first. As a matter of fact, I had to take a look at both of them several times, to convince myself that there are more than a few inches in between them.
To be more precise, the Clubman measures 4,210 mm in length (165.7 inches) and it's 21 cm (8.5 inches) longer than the 5-door hatch. That's a hefty increase, no matter how you look at it. At the same time, it's also the only one you'll quickly spot.
The differences in height and width are less noticeable still and that speaks plenty about how well this thing was proportioned.
And you'd expect all of this extra length to be felt the most inside, translated into leg and head room. Well, that's where we were disappointed. After adjusting the driver's seat to accommodate me in comfort, (I'm a 6-ft tall guy) there wasn't a lot of room in the back. As a matter of fact, I struggled to fit my knees in behind the seatback.
The car we were admiring was also equipped with a panoramic sunroof and that further cut into the headroom, leaving me to struggle a bit in both departments.
There is a noticeable increase in boot size though and thanks to the barn-style doors, you get easy access to it. There simply is no comparison compared to what the hatches offer (both the 3-door and 5-door) in this regard. Another neat trick is that you can access you luggage effortlessly by opening the doors from the remote.
Other details that impressed us include the new dash styling that now has a different styling that looks a lot better in person than in the photos. Furthermore, you can choose the color of the trims that adorn it and there are some interesting choices available.
Last but not least, the center console was reshaped and the issues we experienced inside the hatch are no longer there. That's because the whole area was raised and is now on par with the armrest. Basically, you can now rest your elbow on the center stack and use iDrive easily without anything getting in your way. That's a considerable improvement too, in our books, as this was one issue that made driving the hatches a nightmare.
Overall, the Clubman does bring a lot to the table. It has a better interior than the rest of the line-up, a bit more space in the back and a lot more for luggage. All of this comes at a price though.
It's a generously sized car, even though it doesn't feel that way in person. It's also quite heavy and you'll probably be best off with a diesel engine, making the Cooper SD our obvious choice to be honest. At this point, we're just hoping that the 1.2-liter 3-cylinder unit available for the 3-door hatch will not be offered for this puppy too.
In the end, the success of the Clubman will come down to pricing. Get it too high and it will flop. For now, we only know the UK pricing and it's pretty spot on, to be honest. However, on other markets it could vary by a considerable amount. If MINI makes sure it's just right, we might see a new era in their history.
We were recently invited by BMW to take a look at the car in person and let them know what we think. Unfortunately, they didn't let us take any pics, even though the car was already revealed in full but we can still tell you all about it, now can't we?
The car looks smaller than you might think in person and we believe it's mostly due to its carefully designed styling. Everywhere you look you notice a curve or a circle or something that manages in one way or another to make this otherwise large car seem smaller than it is.
Sitting next to it, I actually though it wasn't all that bigger than the 5-door hatch at first. As a matter of fact, I had to take a look at both of them several times, to convince myself that there are more than a few inches in between them.
To be more precise, the Clubman measures 4,210 mm in length (165.7 inches) and it's 21 cm (8.5 inches) longer than the 5-door hatch. That's a hefty increase, no matter how you look at it. At the same time, it's also the only one you'll quickly spot.
The differences in height and width are less noticeable still and that speaks plenty about how well this thing was proportioned.
And you'd expect all of this extra length to be felt the most inside, translated into leg and head room. Well, that's where we were disappointed. After adjusting the driver's seat to accommodate me in comfort, (I'm a 6-ft tall guy) there wasn't a lot of room in the back. As a matter of fact, I struggled to fit my knees in behind the seatback.
The car we were admiring was also equipped with a panoramic sunroof and that further cut into the headroom, leaving me to struggle a bit in both departments.
There is a noticeable increase in boot size though and thanks to the barn-style doors, you get easy access to it. There simply is no comparison compared to what the hatches offer (both the 3-door and 5-door) in this regard. Another neat trick is that you can access you luggage effortlessly by opening the doors from the remote.
Other details that impressed us include the new dash styling that now has a different styling that looks a lot better in person than in the photos. Furthermore, you can choose the color of the trims that adorn it and there are some interesting choices available.
Last but not least, the center console was reshaped and the issues we experienced inside the hatch are no longer there. That's because the whole area was raised and is now on par with the armrest. Basically, you can now rest your elbow on the center stack and use iDrive easily without anything getting in your way. That's a considerable improvement too, in our books, as this was one issue that made driving the hatches a nightmare.
Overall, the Clubman does bring a lot to the table. It has a better interior than the rest of the line-up, a bit more space in the back and a lot more for luggage. All of this comes at a price though.
It's a generously sized car, even though it doesn't feel that way in person. It's also quite heavy and you'll probably be best off with a diesel engine, making the Cooper SD our obvious choice to be honest. At this point, we're just hoping that the 1.2-liter 3-cylinder unit available for the 3-door hatch will not be offered for this puppy too.
In the end, the success of the Clubman will come down to pricing. Get it too high and it will flop. For now, we only know the UK pricing and it's pretty spot on, to be honest. However, on other markets it could vary by a considerable amount. If MINI makes sure it's just right, we might see a new era in their history.
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