At first glance, the Clubman is just a Mini stretched by 24 centimeters. Only 24 or a whole 24? Compared to its ancestor, the current Clubman resembles a suburban commuter train with a couple of tank cars attached. But the funniest thing is that out of habit, I still call it a "mini."
It's funny how traditions work. Paying tribute to the old Clubman and Traveller "wagons," Mini designers built a split rear door leading to a trunk the size of a matchbox, and at the same time blocked my view. But they did it so cleverly that I write about the rear doors not as the greatest failure of humanity since plastic knives, but with delight! I love opening the doors with both hands. If they're clean, of course...
The trunk has grown to 260 liters — 100 liters more than the standard Mini. But the main thing is that the loading process itself is a pleasure.
Usually, in such cars, I immediately look for exhaust pipes and red badges. But this time, I noticed them only when I was looking at my photos in the office. It turns out the Mini has more interesting things.
The Mini Clubman is a free circus for passersby. One! — you open the passenger door. Two! — you swing open the side half-door. Three! — get out your stopwatch and count how long people will stare at you without looking away. My personal record is 43 seconds. I should ask Mazda RX-8 owners about their achievements sometime.
The front seats aren't too sporty, but they're comfortable and hold you well in corners. Sitting in the back is fine — all the extra wheelbase went into legroom for rear passengers.
The doors here aren't just flashy — they actually make it easier to get in the back. There, by the way, everything is quite decent. I wouldn't fit in the back row of a regular Mini even if my head and both legs were removed. But here — easily!
But don't think the exhaust pipes don't move me. They're from the 175-horsepower Prince engine. Plus optional sport suspension — that can't help but awaken driver instincts. Great low seating position, informative steering wheel, decent automatic transmission — with such ingredients, even the most clumsy cook can whip up something tasty.
But, alas, someone splashed vinegar into the dish: our Mini is on winter tires at plus 15 outside. And that's already inedible. The drift is huge, there's no grip, and the composed chassis "falls apart" before your eyes. During sharp maneuvers, the rear axle turns unpleasantly, and what a rodeo starts in ruts when braking!
But on the highway, the Clubman will beat any Mini: here it is, the advantage of the extended wheelbase. But even here, seasonal tires would only make it better. You can safely go on vacation. Such a Mini would better suit the historical name Traveller.
I have only three complaints about the interior. The first is the speedometer, which only a traffic cop five kilometers away can't see. Even the first Mini amazed with a huge speedometer, but here the dial is even bigger. It seems in the third generation, the entire front panel will be squeezed into a round giant, and in the fourth, the Mini will simply become a speedometer on wheels. The second complaint is the inconvenient window switch toggles. And finally — if you move actively in the cabin, you'll almost certainly get roasted by accidentally hitting the seat heating button with your foot. Or maybe it's on purpose so we don't forget: the Mini is a "hot" hatchback, even when it's standing still?
The front panel hasn't changed compared to regular Minis.
All these nitpicks are complete nonsense. But it's worth mentioning them at least because there are simply no more serious flaws in the interior. Especially since I learned the most important drawback of the Mini, as usual, after the test.
The Clubman's directional stability and its tendency to oversteer are the envy of regular Minis.
Clubman owners! You're crazy (especially if your Clubman, like ours, is in top trim) — but anyone who's spent at least a day with a Mini will understand you. My inner cheapskate also died under its studded tires. But let's not count on support from the majority. If you don't want to be called crazy, don't tell how much your Clubman costs. And I won't tell. Why spoil people's mood and turn the comment section into a swamp. Someone else's cheapskate knows better how much you could buy with that money. And we don't care. Like it? We take it and listen to no one. And we don't say what we paid.
Technical specifications
| Specifications | Mini Cooper S Clubman |
|---|---|
| Body | |
| Number of doors/seats | 5/4 |
| Length, mm | 3958 |
| Width, mm | 1683 |
| Height, mm | 1432 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2547 |
| Track front/rear, mm | 1453/1461 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1305 |
| Gross weight, kg | 1715 |
| Trunk volume, l | 260–930 |
| Engine | |
| Type | petrol, direct injection |
| Location | front, transverse |
| Number and arrangement of cylinders | 4, in-line |
| Number of valves | 16 |
| Displacement, cm3 | 1598 |
| Max power, hp/rpm | 175/5500 |
| Max torque, Nm/rpm | 240/1600–5000 (260 in overboost mode) |
| Transmission | |
| Gearbox | automatic six-speed |
| Drive | front |
| Chassis | |
| Front suspension | independent, coil spring, McPherson |
| Rear suspension | independent, coil spring, multi-link |
| Front brakes | disc, ventilated |
| Rear brakes | disc |
| Tire size | 195/55 R16 |
| Performance characteristics | |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 219 |
| Acceleration time 0 to 100 km/h, s | 7.8 |
| Fuel consumption, l/100 km | |
| urban cycle | 9.8 |
| extra-urban cycle | 5.4 |
| combined cycle | 7 |
| Emission standard | Euro-4 |
| Fuel tank capacity, l | 50 |
| Fuel | AI-95-98 |
Equipment of the tested vehicle
Standard equipment
Tested vehicle price — 1,410,305 rubles ($60,128)
- Electric power steering
- Alloy wheels R16
- Run flat tires
- Front airbags
- Side airbags and inflatable "curtains"
- ABS
- Stability control system
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Engine start button
- 6-disc CD changer
- Sport suspension
- On-board computer
- Navigation system
- Metallic paint
- Bi-xenon headlights
- Dual power sunroof
- Heated front seats
- Automatic transmission
- Light and rain sensors
- Climate control
- Multifunction steering wheel
- Leather interior
Tested vehicle price — 1,410,305 rubles ($60,128)
Technology
Design
The rear split doors of the Mini were already tested on a series of concepts preceding the second generation of the car. But the side half-door was a revelation.
History
In the Mini family of the 1970s, there was also a station wagon called the Clubman Estate. Additionally, the Austin Mini Countryman and Morris Mini Traveller were produced.
Behind the scenes
Admittedly, this material was originally prepared by another person. But circumstances turned out such that all the driving impressions are my own day spent with the Mini during the shoot. Fortunately, the work stretched out: there was a sleepless night, a dawn, and a whole day of driving around the city…