BIG ... AND SMALL
Mini Clubman, huge speed
When Sir Alec Issigonis penned the original Mini, he conceived it as a small, front- drive conveyance. Of course, the fact it had a decidedly impish character cemented its place in history. Time has seen the original grow from its impossibly small 1959 dimensions. Since then it has morphed into something that now verges on large — at least when it comes to the latest Mini Clubman — while keeping its perky nature.
The new Clubman does not so much grow in size — it explodes. At 4,260 millimetres long ( up by 299 mm), 1,800 millimetres wide ( up by 117 mm), riding on a 2,670- millimetre wheelbase ( 123 mm longer), it now seats five adults realistically and has 360 litres of cargo space — 1,250 litres with the rear seat folded flat. New is the Comfort Access option, which opens the rear doors via the key fob or, when the key is detected, by wagging a foot under the rear bumper.
The front half of the Clubman has also been reworked to great effect. Everything up to and including the column- mounted speedometer and tachometer is round ( or a derivative thereof). An available head- up display rises from the top of the instrument binnacle, providing enough info so the conventional dials saw little use.
When the 2016 Clubman lands early next year, the base car will have a 1.5- litre turbocharged three- cylinder that puts out 134 horsepower and 162 lb.- ft. at 1,250 r. p. m.; this engine is offered with a six- speed manual and optional six- speed automatic transmission. The bonus: turbo overboost mode ups the torque to 170 lb.- ft., which enables a 9.1- second run to 100 km/ h.
The Clubman of choice, however, will be the sportier Cooper S tested. It earns a larger 2.0- litre turbocharged four that kicks out 189 horsepower and 207 lb.- ft. of torque at the same 1,250 rpm. The eight- to 10- second per use overboost mode pushes torque to 221 lb.- ft., pushing the Cooper S to 100 km/ h in 7.1 seconds.
The Cooper S’s other upside is the new, optional eight- speed automatic transmission; it spaces the ratios out very nicely, which brings much more urgency to the drive than the six- speed doityourselfer. The kickdown is prompt, there’s a manual mode that allows the use of engine braking when carving into a corner — holding the appropriate gear. It does everything the manual does, but in a more composed fashion. It also delivers better fuel economy — an average improvement ( based on the European numbers) of 0.4L/ 100 km, both city and highway.
The lack of paddle shifters was surprising, but expect them to arrive with the introduction of the John Cooper Works edition. The other model waiting in the wings is the all- wheel- drive Clubman All4.
The tester cars featured Mini’s Driving Mode selector. The rotary switch that rings the shifter gives speedy access to Green, Mid and Sport modes. In each case it tailors the engine, transmission and steering to suit the selected mode.
The Clubman romps through a series of twists and turns, leaving a big smile on the driver’s face. The strut- based front suspension, multi- link rear suspension and wide track combine to deliver a balance that belies the Mini’s front- drive format. And the electro- mechanical power steering has some real feel and it turns with linearity.
If you want to go whole hog, take the optional dynamic dampers. In Green and Mid modes, they favour ride comfort. In Sport, the sharper damping dials out practically all body roll without having any real effect on ride quality.
The combination of abilities gives the Clubman a remarkably planted feel even when it’s pushed to the max.
I half- expected the Clubman Cooper S tester to be a watereddown version of a very likable car — it, most definitely, is not! I came away impressed, and the more I drove it, the more I liked it. It is just as impish as its smaller sibling, but brings some realworld practicality in a package that seemed to beg to be pushed — I drove the tires off it and it still came back for more!
The Mini Cooper Clubman starts at $ 24,990, while the Cooper S Clubman is at $ 28,990.