Photo: Autoblog.com
We've been seeing a lot of test drives involving the new MINI Clubvan lately. All the hype around this new model seems to be the direct result of the British company's marketing strategy and it works.
The guys from Autoblog traveled to France to test the new 'light commercial vehicle' from MINI and see for themselves if this car could possibly be a success on the American Continent.
Unfortunately, the car they had for the test was a Cooper D Clubvan with right-hand drive so this was more like a UK test than a US one. However, they were still able to test the main areas that will interest potential business owners, when they're in the market for a fashionable commercial car.
The Cooper D is extremely practical. The rear seats of the Clubman have been removed and you can enjoy a payload of 550kg (1,100 lb) or 30.4 cubic feet (860 liters) of cargo space.
Loading the car is extremely easy, especially due to the rear doors that open up to the sides and create a completely unobstructed load level. Additionally you have yet another small door on the right side of the car, right behind the passenger's. That could've just as well been welded shut since it's not that practical anyway.
The cargo area has two 12 Volt sockets that are really useful for all kind of electronic devices. They even tested a wireless router and it worked 'like a charm'.
Even though, for the driving experience it is recommended to get the manual 6-speed gearbox and enjoy your delivering job, for business purposes and employees that may not be acquainted with manual transmission setups, you might want to go for the automatic ones, to save you some trouble.
Overall, the fuel efficiency, decent payload and versatile character of the Clubvan make it a best buy for small business owners that want their services to be fancy and efficient at the same time (for example a florist). The fact that the car is not available with a Diesel engine in the US could be viewed as a mistake done by the British company since it is the best option out there.
Via: Autoblog.com
Unfortunately, the car they had for the test was a Cooper D Clubvan with right-hand drive so this was more like a UK test than a US one. However, they were still able to test the main areas that will interest potential business owners, when they're in the market for a fashionable commercial car.
The Cooper D is extremely practical. The rear seats of the Clubman have been removed and you can enjoy a payload of 550kg (1,100 lb) or 30.4 cubic feet (860 liters) of cargo space.
Loading the car is extremely easy, especially due to the rear doors that open up to the sides and create a completely unobstructed load level. Additionally you have yet another small door on the right side of the car, right behind the passenger's. That could've just as well been welded shut since it's not that practical anyway.
The cargo area has two 12 Volt sockets that are really useful for all kind of electronic devices. They even tested a wireless router and it worked 'like a charm'.
Even though, for the driving experience it is recommended to get the manual 6-speed gearbox and enjoy your delivering job, for business purposes and employees that may not be acquainted with manual transmission setups, you might want to go for the automatic ones, to save you some trouble.
Overall, the fuel efficiency, decent payload and versatile character of the Clubvan make it a best buy for small business owners that want their services to be fancy and efficient at the same time (for example a florist). The fact that the car is not available with a Diesel engine in the US could be viewed as a mistake done by the British company since it is the best option out there.
Via: Autoblog.com
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