Now Mini has brought us an even stranger version of an already eccentric car, a stretched-out model with three doors for people and two doors for cargo. And yet Mini expects the new car to eventually account for more than a quarter of all its sales worldwide.
The crucial question is: Has Mini managed to preserve the qualities that have made its standard model such a hit even as it reaches out to a broader audience with this stretched version of its iconic small car?
While the club door provides the Clubman with a modern twist, its rear barn doors are a clear nod to the past, having first appeared on the original 1950s Morris Mini Traveller. A lovely pair of horizontal chrome handles unlatches the doors, and they eagerly spring outward on gas struts.
Hildebrand comments, "We wanted to offer the widest possible opening. After trying many different setups this is the one we finally arrived at. It's a complex solution. To fulfill all the various legal regulations, the rear lights need to be fixed to the car, not to the door."
The Mini two-door's simple hatchback arrangement is far easier to operate and a good deal more practical in everyday use. But there is something special about the Clubman's barn doors that will draw prospective buyers to the car.
The overall design of the Clubman's rear end also attempts to mimic the exposed wooden trim of the original Traveller, as the corner panels and rear bumper carry a contrasting color. It's a nice touch that further gives the Clubman its own unique identity.
The Clubman will be sold in North America with a choice of the Mini's two existing four-cylinder engines. The Cooper S we drove in Spain has its direct-injection, turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-4, producing 175 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 177 pound-feet of torque from 1,600 rpm. The Cooper version, meanwhile, gets a naturally aspirated version of the same engine, developing 120 hp and 118 lb-ft of torque.
The Cooper S Clubman's engine is hugely flexible around town, even at small throttle openings. The electrically operated power steering surprisingly combines light effort with highly direct action. The Clubman's wheelbase has increased the turning circle slightly over the standard Mini, but we hardly noticed.
The 2008 Mini Cooper S Clubman is not a car you can easily pigeonhole. This in itself might be its biggest asset.
The Clubman's unconventional five-door layout will no doubt appeal to a lot of people who have tired of the familiar hatchback theme served up by just about every small car on the road today. It's not the roomiest car in its class by any stretch of the imagination, yet the addition of the small club door lifts the Mini's appeal greatly.
And what the Clubman lacks in space, it more than makes up for in driving enjoyment. That's the clincher for us.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=122520?imw=Y
