Adding style to practicality
02/06/08 16:43 Filed in: Road tests
The first time I saw the new Mini Clubman in the my local Mini showroom as I headed across to the car, one of the staff made me an offer. "Free dog with every Clubman," he quipped with a grin.
With that quip he had summed up one of the potential markets for the new Mini Clubman. With its tailgate, it is a more viable load carrier... especially when that load is a dog. There's almost 40% more luggage space, compared with the Mini hatchback.
Of course, that is only part of the Clubman story. If the Mini is a stylish, chic proposition, the Clubman adds a funky new dimension.
Take those rear doors, for example. Just like the original Mini Traveller, the new Mini Clubman doesn't have a lift up hatchback. No, it has two vertically hinged rear doors. The C-pillars and rear bumper are painted a contrasting black, or silver, making them somewhat evocative of the old Traveller's traditional wood frame.
But that's not the only surprising feature. There is the famous "suicide door" - a rear-hinged door that, like the Mazda RX7 makes it easier to clamber into the rear seats. Now, much (possibly too much) has been made of the fact that there is only one of these rear door and that it is on the "wrong" side for the UK market. Sure, it might be better to be on what is normally the pavement side, but being beside the driver and impossible to open until the driver opens their door, the youngsters in the back should be under the driver's control the moment they hop out.
Apparently, BMW say, the cost of re-engineering the fuel filler was the stumbling block for not putting a door on the other side.
I can vouch for the fact that it does make getting in and out of the back seat that much easier, just as it does with the RX7. Once you are there the space is remarkably good for a small car.
The driving position is also good. You can't help but smile at the gigantic speedometer in the centre of the dashboard. Since the first version of the new Mini it has increased further in size and now It really is like a parody of the original. It takes a mile or two to get used to having a split rear window, but it really is not intrusive into the otherwise good visibility.
My test car was the latest Mini Clubman Cooper D, complete with BMW's latest green technology. Come to a halt in a traffic queue, put the car in neutral and the engine will switch itself off. I have come across this before and so I was prepared for how disconcerting this can be, until you get used to it. There is an irrational fear that the engine won't restart. But it does, at the first press of the clutch.
As a result the Clubman Cooper D, which was already a very green motor car, is now even more so. With the latest trickery the manual version's CO2 emissions are now down to 109g per kilometre. That's just a tantalising 9g over the point at which your environmental halo is so bright that the government gives you your tax disk for nothing!
Fuel economy for Clubman Cooper D chalks up an official combined mpg of 68.9 mpg. Although these official figures are, as usual, somewhat theoretical for the average motorist, I was extremely impressed with my 47 mpg for the weekly commute. Especially as I admit I was enjoying the good driving dynamics of the car and driving it fairly hard.
There's enough power to satisfy most drivers, with the yardstick 0 to 62 mph acceleration around ten seconds. The increased length of the Clubman hasn't spoilt the usual sharp Mini handling, so this is a very pleasant driving companion whether your journey be in city traffic, country roads or motorways.
The Mini Clubman Cooper D is priced at £15,405, which is £1100 more than the petrol-engined Clubman Cooper. The petrol version is a bit quicker, but – although it is remarkably frugal – it cannot hold a candle to the diesel's green credentials.
So, if you like a car that is stylish and different, if you have a dog and if you want to reduce your environmental impact while enjoying your driving, this may be just the car for you.
With that quip he had summed up one of the potential markets for the new Mini Clubman. With its tailgate, it is a more viable load carrier... especially when that load is a dog. There's almost 40% more luggage space, compared with the Mini hatchback.
Of course, that is only part of the Clubman story. If the Mini is a stylish, chic proposition, the Clubman adds a funky new dimension.
Take those rear doors, for example. Just like the original Mini Traveller, the new Mini Clubman doesn't have a lift up hatchback. No, it has two vertically hinged rear doors. The C-pillars and rear bumper are painted a contrasting black, or silver, making them somewhat evocative of the old Traveller's traditional wood frame.
But that's not the only surprising feature. There is the famous "suicide door" - a rear-hinged door that, like the Mazda RX7 makes it easier to clamber into the rear seats. Now, much (possibly too much) has been made of the fact that there is only one of these rear door and that it is on the "wrong" side for the UK market. Sure, it might be better to be on what is normally the pavement side, but being beside the driver and impossible to open until the driver opens their door, the youngsters in the back should be under the driver's control the moment they hop out.
Apparently, BMW say, the cost of re-engineering the fuel filler was the stumbling block for not putting a door on the other side.
I can vouch for the fact that it does make getting in and out of the back seat that much easier, just as it does with the RX7. Once you are there the space is remarkably good for a small car.
The driving position is also good. You can't help but smile at the gigantic speedometer in the centre of the dashboard. Since the first version of the new Mini it has increased further in size and now It really is like a parody of the original. It takes a mile or two to get used to having a split rear window, but it really is not intrusive into the otherwise good visibility.
My test car was the latest Mini Clubman Cooper D, complete with BMW's latest green technology. Come to a halt in a traffic queue, put the car in neutral and the engine will switch itself off. I have come across this before and so I was prepared for how disconcerting this can be, until you get used to it. There is an irrational fear that the engine won't restart. But it does, at the first press of the clutch.
As a result the Clubman Cooper D, which was already a very green motor car, is now even more so. With the latest trickery the manual version's CO2 emissions are now down to 109g per kilometre. That's just a tantalising 9g over the point at which your environmental halo is so bright that the government gives you your tax disk for nothing!
Fuel economy for Clubman Cooper D chalks up an official combined mpg of 68.9 mpg. Although these official figures are, as usual, somewhat theoretical for the average motorist, I was extremely impressed with my 47 mpg for the weekly commute. Especially as I admit I was enjoying the good driving dynamics of the car and driving it fairly hard.
There's enough power to satisfy most drivers, with the yardstick 0 to 62 mph acceleration around ten seconds. The increased length of the Clubman hasn't spoilt the usual sharp Mini handling, so this is a very pleasant driving companion whether your journey be in city traffic, country roads or motorways.
The Mini Clubman Cooper D is priced at £15,405, which is £1100 more than the petrol-engined Clubman Cooper. The petrol version is a bit quicker, but – although it is remarkably frugal – it cannot hold a candle to the diesel's green credentials.
So, if you like a car that is stylish and different, if you have a dog and if you want to reduce your environmental impact while enjoying your driving, this may be just the car for you.
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