Impish as ever, bigger is better for not-so Mini
• When 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 dimensions — in 1959, it was a cuddly box measuring 3,054 millimetres in length and only 1,410 millimetres wide. Since then it has morphed into something that now verges on large, at least when it comes to the latest Mini Clubman. That, however, is not to say it lost any of its perky nature.
The new Clubman does not so much grow in size as it explodes. At 4,260 mm long (up by 299 mm), 1,800 mm wide (up by 117 mm), riding on a 2,670 mm wheelbase (123 mm longer), there is much more space in all areas. It now seats five adults realistically and has 360 litres of cargo space with the rear seat upright, and 1,250 litres when folded flat. One new plus 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.
Another key improvement is the shut line formed by the rear swing doors, now much slimmer and allowing better rearward visibility. Add the backup camera and self-parking ability, and there is no need to drive by touch.
The front half of the Clubman has also been reworked to great effect. To begin with, if you have a circle fetish, the Clubman promises to be nirvana. Everything up to and in- cluding the column-mounted speedometer and tachometer are round (or a derivative thereof ). An available headsup display rises from the top of the instrument binnacle, providing enough info so the conventional dials saw little use.
Also new is the centrally mounted colour screen offered in 17- and 22-centimetre versions. It incorporates vehicle, media, phone, navigation and connectivity functions, with access through Mini’s take on iDrive — a controller on the centre console. Another muchappreciated step forward is the availability of power front seats with memory. A Mini would not be a Mini, however, without toggle switches. They abound and now include a red toggle switch for the ignition.
When the 2016 Clubman lands early next year, it will be offered with two powertrain choices. The base car arrives with a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder that puts out 134 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque 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 kilometres per hour.
The Clubman of choice, however, is going to be the sportier Cooper S tested. It earns a larger 2.0L turbocharged fourcylinder that kicks out 189 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque at the same 1,250 r.p.m. As with the three-banger, overboost mode pushes the torque to 221 lb-ft. While the overboost is capped at eight to 10 seconds per use, it is basically there whenever the driver calls for full-on acceleration, and the Cooper S version only takes 7.1 seconds to reach 100 kilometres an hour.
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 sixspeed do-it-yourselfer. In fact, the automatic proved to be so good, I was left wondering why anyone would go manual in this application. The kickdown is prompt, there’s a manual mode that allows the use of engine braking when hooning into a corner, and when left to its own devices it holds the appropriate gear through said corner. In other words, it does everything the manual does, but in a more composed fashion. It also delivers better fuel economy — an average fuel economy improvement (based on the European numbers) of 0.4 litres per 100 kilometres, 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 an all-wheel-drive derivative — expect the Clubman All4 to arrive in short order.
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. I tried green and quickly passed on it — the only mode needed is sport!
The Clubman would not be a true Mini were it not for its ability to romp through a series of twists and turns while leaving a big smile on the driver’s face — it does exactly that. The go-kart-like dynamics are down to several things: First, the strut-based front suspen- sion, multi-link rear suspension and wide track combine to deliver a balance that belies the Mini’s front-drive format. Second, the electro-mechanical power steering has, unlike most electric systems, some real feel and it turns with linearity those lesser systems lack.
Third, 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. Again, pick sport and be done with it.
Finally, the choice of tire makes a big difference to overall ability. The P225/45R17 tires on the Cooper S test car brought a ton of lateral grip, which reined in understeer effectively, and without the electronic aides needing to step to the fore. Along with stability and traction control comes electronic differential lock — it brakes a spinning wheel to force the drive to the wheel with grip. 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 real-world 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 commands $28,990.