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DRIVEN: Stretch Mini Still Delivers Fun Ride
Clubman S provides more space with the same agility and performance.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted May 21, 2009   Phoenix, AZ
Mini Cooper Clubman is nearly 6 inches longer than the regular Mini, adding space and practicality. (Photo: Mini)
Many people love the Mini Cooper and would love to buy one except for one thing: too darn small.

Personally, my issue with the lovable, tossable Mini was that once I pushed the driver’s seat all the way back to fit my gangling 6-and-a-half-foot self, no regulation-size human could sit behind me in the back seat. Chimps, maybe.

So while the Mini Cooper, and especially the turbocharged S version, is loads of fun to drive, the impracticality of the elfin hatchback broke the deal for many Mini wannahaves. Back into the SUV, kids!

Mini answers those complaints, to a degree, with the Mini Cooper Clubman. It’s a stretched version of the original with more back seat space, a clamshell side door for easing access to the back seat, more cargo space, and a pair of barn doors in the rear.

With the rear seat folded, Clubman has 33 cubic feet of space on a flat floor. (Photo: Mini)
For those who feared that a nearly half-foot longer Mini might dilute the all-important fun factor of the Mini, rest assured that the joyfully nimble handling is safe and sound. The slightly heftier weight and longer wheelbase are pretty much unnoticeable when you’re flinging Clubman through the curves.

Of course, Clubman is still pretty small compared with most everything else on the road. The low height and seating position stayed pretty much the same as the short Mini, the major differences being from the B-pillar back.

I was fortunate enough to drive a Clubman S with its 172-horsepower engine (non-S Minis get just 118 horsepower) coupled with a six-speed manual, 17-inch wheels and an interior filled with optional goodies.

Even loaded up, the Clubman S just topped $31,000, a bargain considering all the smiles per mile.

The look of the Clubman is off-putting for some people, who see its slab sides and boxy backside as a clunky rendition of the regular Mini’s sporty stance. I can see that, too, but the tradeoff is worth it for the extra space and passenger comfort.

Although, I’m not crazy about the two-tone paint scheme that seems to accentuate that boxiness. Kind of ugly, really. And while those double doors are fun to use and open wide, the thick frame where they meet in the middle blocks the rear view, just like on an old panel truck.

The optional panoramic sunroof on the test Clubman was pleasant except for one major flaw, at least for a Phoenix being: those translucent sunscreen shades don’t cut it in the sunny Southwest, where the solar heat shines right through.


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