As we prepare to say goodbye to the asymmetrical doors on the first-gen MINI Clubman, the replacement model is going through the Caudine Forks on the Nurburgring.
Our carparazzi had previous encounters with the new MINI Clubman, and the gods were favourable since spyshots revealed the Clubman in both John Cooper Works and Cooper S egos.
Despite the fact that lots of square kilometres of kaleidoscopic camouflage are covering the car, we can spot some differences that set apart the new Clubman from the ongoing one.
First of all, the lower half of the front bumper is now housing two air intakes that lost the rectangular shape. Moreover, at a closer look you can see two new air breathers introduced by BMW in an attempt to optimise fuel consumption.
Nothing new about the grille, maybe some more chrome trimming but other than that nothing new to see here, which also applies to the headlights and hood. Moving towards the back, there's a hint of practicality in the six-door setup (with two hinged doors instead of a lift gate), which is likely to please a lot of families.
How about engines?
Things get interesting in the engine department for the new MINI Clubman. The Cooper S version will use a 2.0-liter TwinPower turbo engine pushing out 192 PS. However, the JCW variant only looks like a cosmetic package at the moment, since we weren't able to spot the JCW breaks, which means performance was left unaltered.
But don't get us wrong, the car is not dull because of that: the unit can still drop the bass and provide up to 281 Nm (207 lb-ft) of torque, enough to activate the fun button. In case you don't like figures and prefer a let-me-see-for-myself approach, please head to the video below and see the car's performance on the track.
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