Our cars: MINI Clubman
A deep clean and a driver swap for our baby estate
LIKE most of the cars on our fleet, my MINI Clubman hasn’t spent much time on the road during lockdown. The occasional trip to the supermarket has been the main work it’s done, so the MINI remained motionless for much of April and May.
When I did drive it recently I noticed a tyre pressure warning light, along with a message telling me to check the tyres; all four needed a little extra pressure, but none was low enough to raise concern.
I had to make a few more checks once the lockdown rules were relaxed slightly, too. For my husband’s birthday we took a trip to Portsmouth as a change of scenery, so I had to check the oil, coolant and washer fluid levels as well. All were sound, and the MINI didn’t miss a beat on its run down the A3 from our home in Putney.
I enjoyed the trip out of London, and the MINI was such a perfect companion that, when my colleague Victoria needed to borrow a car for the weekend, I offered up the Clubman. The phased lifting of lockdown restrictions meant that, after a deep clean and disinfecting the car, Vic could borrow it for a trip to the coast. She picked the car up from my house after I’d cleaned the interior and all the touchpoints with alcohol wipes, then left the MINI for 48 hours beforehand. With keyless operation, Vic didn’t even have to touch the fob, so the handover was easy.
Vic and her housemates headed to a more secluded spot away from the throngs that congregated in other areas. As a keen environmentalist, she made sure her party took all their litter away with them, too, while the four-hour round trip brought a few points into focus for her.
Vic and her two housemates found the seats comfortable, so much so that one of her passengers managed to catch a few zeds on the journey. At six feet tall, he really put the Clubman’s roominess to the test, and it received a solid pass. Meanwhile, Vic told me that she stayed awake by hooking up her iPhone and streaming music through Apple CarPlay, so the rest for her passengers was short-lived. She liked the stereo, too.
One thing none of the group liked – and an issue I’ve already encountered during my time with the car – is the barn-door boot arrangement. Unlike a normal hatchback that’s hinged from the top, the MINI’s rear doors swing open from either side. It means you need a lot of space behind the car to open them; it’s not a great solution in tight spots.
Vic also found that the big central pillar limited rearward visibility in the mirror, but at least the reversing camera helped when manoeuvring; Vic even managed to spot her cats when backing up at home.
The visibility issue is a shame, because otherwise boot space and practicality are decent. It’s a small price to pay given the balance of comfort and handling, though. This is something I think the Clubman retains, despite offering more practicality than the normal Hatch. This sense of engagement in a family car is refreshing, and both Vic and I enjoyed getting out on the road and experiencing a little bit of the MINI’s magic after so much time spent cooped up.