New depth to MINI; Clubman features rear doors and extra inches in length

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Nov 9, 2007

Byline: By EDWARD STEPHENS

SIZE matters. At least it does when you are talking about small cars. So the latest Mini is now some 24cm longer and has gained three new doors.

On sale this month, the new Mini Clubman is based loosely on the design of the original Morris Mini Traveller, Austin Mini Countryman and Mini Clubman estate that were on our roads a few decades ago.

I say loosely because the only real similarity is the two rear doors that were the most noticeable feature of the original models.

From the front, the new Clubman is identical to the current Mini hatchback, which has been such a phenomenal success story.

In fact both cars are identical up to the door pillars. So from the driver and front passenger's perspective, the cabin is exactly the same.

From the front seats backwards, however, there are some big changes.

For starters, there is an extra side door - but only on the driver's side, and it's a very narrow door at that. And what's more, it opens the opposite way to the two front doors, although for safety reasons it will only open when the front driver's door has been opened.

It's a bold and imaginative answer to the task of ensuring that, having created extra room in the back, you can take full advantage of it.

Admittedly there are now the two van-like rear doors in place of the conventional hatch, but adding a 40cm-wide side door alongside the driver's door gives you far more flexibility when it comes to loading the car, not to mention making it easier for rear-seat passengers getting in and out.

The extra length of the Clubman over the hatchback means decidedly more leg room - 8cm more in fact - as well as more luggage space.

The boot area is much deeper than on the hatchback, making it easier to carry bulkier items. In fact the extra depth allows you to order a double layer boot as an optional extra.

The Clubman is claimed to be the first new Mini to accommodate five people but - while there are three seatbelts in the rear - at least one passenger would have to be a child to get three in the back.

The car is available as either a Cooper, Cooper D or Cooper S and eventually there will be a Mini One Clubman. All the engines are 1.6-litres, and all are identical to those in the existing Mini line-up.

The new Mini has become such a best seller because of its build quality - well the company is owned by BMW - its superb handling and its inherent "fun to drive" characteristics.

Creating the same handling features on a dramatically different car must have been difficult - but the designers and the Oxford factory where the cars are built have succeeded brilliantly.

The rear doors have a tradesman or van-like concept to them, and there is a pounds 1,200 premium to pay over the hatchback prices, but I suspect that anyone who has always hankered for a Mini but needed the extra inches before buying won't worry too much about either factor. As I said at the beginning, size definitely does matter.

What you'll pay

THESE are the prices you can expect to pay:

The Mini Cooper Clubman starts from pounds 14,235 on the road.

The Cooper D Clubman is from pounds 15,400 on the road and the Cooper S Clubman runs from pounds 17,210.

CAPTION(S):

NEW LOOK- the MINI Clubman has an extra 24cm of length and a new door design