The 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman is the Mini that'll let you "Motor" with a few of your friends.
Like its showroom siblings, the Clubman comes in base and S versions, both closely related to the hatchback. Base models have a 118-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine; S models a turbocharged variant rated at 172 horsepower. Convertibles use an older 1.6 that carries a supercharger in S guise, and produces a bit less horsepower in both versions.
A "Less Mini" Mini
Can it still rightfully claim to be "Mini"?
To make a long(er) story short, the Clubman adds inches, pounds, and a couple of doors to the hatchback on which it's based. A three-inch increase in wheelbase contributes to an overall length that's up ten inches over the hatchback's length, which means Clubman stretches to a monstrous 155.6 inches, nose to tail. Put in perspective, that's about a bumper longer than a Toyota Yaris two-door hatchback (the egg-shaped one) and two inches shorter than the subcompact Honda Fit. So it's still decidedly "mini."
Chief among the Clubman's changes is the addition of a third door that eases entry to the rear seat. Like those on extended-cab pickups, it's hinged at the rear. But unlike Saturn's defunct SC coupe that had a similar door on the driver's side (which also made it handy for loading grocery bags and such), the Clubman's is on the passenger side of the car, which seems somewhat illogical.
Blame the Brits. And the Aussies. And all the other countries in which the Mini is sold where, for some misguided reason, they have chosen to drive on the wrong side of the road--and, by extension, prompt steering wheels to be on the wrong side of the car. Seems these nations purchase far more Minis than those of us who drive on the right (in more ways than one) side of the road, which means their proclivities take precedent. Since it's more convenient for drivers to have the rear door on the same side of the car they'd enter--and more of them enter on the wrong side--that's where it went. And since the fuel-filler neck and its attending crash-proof shrouding prevent a door from being placed on the same side--and swapping sides for both the door and the filler would be prohibitively expensive--we here in the states just have to live with the inconvenience foisted upon us by the unenlightened.
Mini changed the rear cargo door from a traditional hatchback to a pair of side-hinged barn-style doors.
Once settled in, you'll see where the extra three inches of wheelbase went. Knees no longer scrape the front seatbacks unless those seats are pushed far rearward, and since headroom and foot space were already adequate, an average-size adult can now ride in back behind another average-size adult. An NBA player in front will render the back seat uninhabitable to humans, but that can be said for any number of traditional subcompacts. The only real shortage that remains is in elbowroom, as the Clubman's inner side panels taper in as they meet the seatback. On one side that's necessary in order to clear the filler neck; on the other, to accommodate some electronic components.
Cargo Configurations
Although some might question the choice, Mini also changed the rear cargo door from a traditional hatchback to a pair of side-hinged barn-style doors. It took some nifty engineering to make it work, including setting the hinges to the outside edge of the body for maximum opening width, and adopting the smallest legal taillight to poke through the limited space between the top and bottom hinges. The right door is opened first, then the left. It prevents the noggin knocking that often results when one tries to duck under an open hatch lid--or more likely, when standing up afterward--and the doors can be left open if the load inside is too long.
The downside is that the cargo doors' center pillars split and restrict the view aft, and can completely obscure a car trailing 500 feet behind. But that's really a concern only under certain unusual circumstances, such as ... oh ... when the car behind happens to be a CHiPs cruiser tracking your speed along a straight stretch of Highway 1 just south of Monterey. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
The center posts would also pose a problem for a rear-mounted wiper, except Mini solved that dilemma by ingeniously installing ... wait for it ... two wipers. And together they clear more of the glass than in most hatchbacks, so that's a plus.
Chief among the Clubman's changes is the addition of a third door that eases entry to the rear seat.
Base and S: Still a Dynamic Duo
Adding inches almost always adds pounds (sort of the inverse of the typical holiday food fest), and the length added to this Mini took its toll on the scale. While the Clubman's 2,723 pounds can hardly be considered "plump" nowadays, it represents an increase of 177 pounds over the hatchback. By Mini's estimates, that adds about three tenths of a second in the 0-60 mph dash, not an inconsequential amount. (The base Clubman with manual transmission is pegged at 8.9 seconds, the S at 7.0.) But even the base model feels sprightly enough, though with the automatic transmission, it doesn't exactly sprint out of the gate. That automatic does, however, downshift quickly for passing, whether prompted by the foot or the hand. More on this later.
Back-to-back slalom runs in a hatchback and Clubman revealed that the additional heft sacrificed little if any of the Mini's legendary handling prowess, partly because it was gained in the back of the car, where it helped even out the front/rear weight bias. That added weight might also contribute to the Clubman's improved ride, though most is probably attributable to the longer wheelbase.
A base model fitted with the standard 15-inch wheels rode surprisingly smoothly--and not just for a Mini. Most bumps were easily absorbed with little fanfare, resulting in less choppiness and fore-aft pitching than in the hatchback. Wind noise was fairly low on the highway, and the engine was a paragon of four-cylinder civility; even full-throttle acceleration didn't bring out any more than a refined snarl. It's the same engine as in the hatchback, a clean-sheet collaborative effort with Peugeot and Citroen of France that appeared with the car's 2007 redesign. Compared to the older 1.6-liter still found in the Mini convertible, the new mill is the same size but produces about three percent more power, and likely contributes to markedly better fuel economy. It's difficult to compare apples to apples here, since the previous 1.6 is coupled to either a five-speed manual or CVT automatic and the new 1.6 to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, but all combinations of the new engine and transmission gain three to five mpg in EPA fuel-economy estimates. Base models with manual transmission earn a 28 city/37 highway rating for 2008, right up there with the best of the non-hybrid econoboxes. The only downside is that Minis have a discerning palate that can only be satisfied with premium-grade fuel.
A three-inch increase in Clubman's wheelbase contributes to an overall length that's up ten inches over the hatchback's length.
Looks Are Everything
It's obvious Mini recognizes the visual appeal of the shorter hatchback. The entire front half of the Clubman is identical, and the back half, though drawn out a bit, clearly mimics the original--until you get to the rear view. There you'll find that the rear roof pillars, taillight surrounds, and upper bumper cap form an accentuated U-shape due to being painted either silver or black; body color is not an option. And since you can't get the silver trim with silver paint--or the black trim with black paint--you're stuck with the glaring contrast whether you like it or not.
Furthermore, roofs can be painted silver, black, or body color (there are 11 from which to choose), and that, combined with a dizzying number of interior colors, fabrics, and trim, along with all the options and dealer-installed accessories, results in what Mini claims is 150 trillion possible combinations. That seems impossibly high, but since there's considerable danger that checking the calculation could result in crippling brain cramps and stupefying boredom, let's take the company's word for it. Suffice it to say that an oddly optioned Clubman could easily be a one-of-a-kind car. In fact, even if Clubmans made up all of Mini's current output of 222,000 units annually (only about 42,000 land on these shores), the company could build nothing but one-of-a-kind cars for the next ... well, my calculator just choked on 150,000,000,000,000. I guess we'll never know exactly how many years worth of unique Minis could be built, but I'm quite certain none of us would ever live to see a duplicate.
A combination of go-cart handling, clever marketing, and unquestionable cuteness (let's face it, if it were a baby, you'd be pinching its cheeks) has long endeared the Mini to more people than could justify the purchase of what is essentially a two-passenger car. But that limitation has been largely addressed by the new Clubman, opening the door (so to speak) to a much broader audience. Clubman is the Mini that'll let you "Motor" with a few of your friends.
02.28.2008