By: Denis Droppa
Johannesburg - The Motivation of Sir Alec Issigonis, the creator of the Mini, was to build a small, economical city car that took up little space and used as little fuel as possible.
Whether the latest Clubman meets that brief is debatable, as you could just about park the original 1960s Mini inside it.
This family version of the MINI range is now the same size as a VW Golf at just under 4.3 metres long, and solid reasoning for its makers insisting that the new-generation MINI is written in capital letters.
The Clubman, in case you’re getting lost in the alphabet soup of the various MINI models, is the station wagon derivative of the BMW-owned British brand. There’s more leg room and more boot space than you ever thought possible in a Mini (lower or upper case versions), together with no less than six doors to access all that roominess: four passenger doors and two barn-style doors for the boot which swing open sideways.
Mounted on those barn doors are oversized, horizontal tail lights that are distinctly un-MINI-like, but the front still employs the classic round headlamps and clamshell bonnet.
Not so MINI inside
The factory blurb describes the Clubman as offering ‘premium charisma and individuality in MINI style, and the highest level of everyday practicality, long-distance suitability, versatility and ride comfort ever seen in a MINI’.
No arguments there. It truly is a paragon of family practicality. There’s seating room for four rugby-sized adults in the cabin and the boot’s a spacious 360 litres (just 20 litres less than a Golf), which is expandable to a sizeable 1250 litres with the rear seats flipped down.
As an optional feature the split doors open automatically when you move your foot under the boot, making it easy to load the car if your hands are full of the fruits of retail therapy. Having these cargo doors open sideways is convenient in tight spaces, but it does hamper the driver’s rearward vision somewhat, especially when you’re parallel parking.
Ah, parking. Squeezing this super-sized MINI into a bay is not the simple thing it used to be in Sir Alec’s original, but fear not: an optional Park Assist system does it for you. It will first show you if your chosen parking space is big enough, and then automatically steer itself in a perfectly executed reverse parallel park. All you have to do is operate the accelerator and brake pedals. Or you can opt for the less expensive park-distance control system which beeps when you’re getting too close to an object.
Still got MINI agility
A certain level of fleet-footedness has come to be expected from this brand, and I’m happy to say that this bloated MINI still scoots through corners with great agility. The Clubman’s extra weight and size don’t make it a soggy-handling thing, and the typical MINI driving experience is still there in its quick steering and hunkered-down feel, in a way I think Sir Issigonis would approve of.
The ride comfort is improved over the previous MINI. The suspension’s still firm and you know you’re not driving some prosaic rental car, but neither are you needing to replace your teeth fillings after every journey. Kudos to the suspension engineers for getting the balance right this time. Our test vehicle was also equipped with the optional Electronic Damper Control which allows the driver to switch to more sporty or comfort-oriented settings.
Feisty performer
The 2-litre turbopetrol engine powering the Cooper S is a feisty performer with its 141kW and 300Nm outputs. Apart from its 228km/h top speed and ability to scoot from 0-100km/h in a claimed 7.1 seconds, it has lag-free low-down punch, making it very driveable without having to stir the gears all the time.
The driver can select between Normal, Sport and Green driving modes which affect the throttle, steering and automatic gearbox responses. As for Sir Alec’s economy mission, our test car’s 9.2 litres per 100km average wasn’t bad given the firepower on offer.
This is a premium compact car and the cabin’s bedecked in high-quality materials, along with charismatic styling elements like metal toggle switches. In place of a giant speedo as before (this has moved behind the steering wheel), the large circular panel in the centre of the fascia now houses the infotainment screen and it’s lit up by a ‘mood ring’ which changes colour.
The base price of the Clubman S in automatic form is R449 052 (including a five-year/100 000km Motorplan) and it’s certainly not bare in the features department, but our test vehicle was stuffed to the gills with extra-cost options which swelled its pricetag to R630 386.
Among these was a head-up display, navigation, a fancy sound system, a John Cooper Works styling kit, and cruise control with a brake function, among many others.
VERDICT
It could be argued that if you’re going to buy a family car, why even look at the MINI range? But that would be missing the point. Buying into this brand is more of an emotional than a rational purchase to the so-called MINIacs; the Clubman just happens to be the most rational and practical MINI of them all.
It's big enough for the family and the labradors, and though it doesn’t look entirely like a MINI with its bloated size and weird tail lights, it still drives like one.
FACTS
Mini Clubman Cooper S auto
Engine: 2-litre, 4-cylinder turbopetrol
Gearbox: 8-speed automatic
Power: 141kW @ 5000rpm
Torque: 280Nm @ 1250rpm
0-100km/h (claimed): 7.1 seconds
Top speed (claimed): 000km/h
Price: R449 052 (R630 386 as tested)
Warranty: 2-year / unlimited km
Maintenance plan: 5-year / 100 000km
Star Motoring