Automotive journalists say that equipped with the base four-cylinder engine, the 2014 Mini Clubman has adequate power in the city, but it takes time to get up to speed on the highway. They prefer the more powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engines in higher trims, which make the Clubman zippier off the line. Both the standard manual and optional automatic transmissions are refined, reviewers say. Equipped with an automatic transmission, the base Clubman gets an EPA-estimated 27/35 mpg city/highway, which is OK for a subcompact car. Reviewers say that despite its larger size, the Clubman takes after the Mini Cooper hardtop and offers superb handling. They praise its crisp steering and say it is a lot of fun to drive, especially on winding roads.
The 2014 Clubman’s retro-styled interior appeals to most test drivers who say that the cabin is constructed with attractive materials. However, some point out that the use of some cheap plastics is a turnoff. Reviewers find that the front seats are adequately comfy and say there’s a surprising amount of head- and legroom in the back seat, which can accommodate two adults. Standard features include a six-speaker CD audio system, an audio jack, Bluetooth, a USB/iPod adapter, HD Radio, push-button start, a climate-controlled glove box and steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls. Optional features include a Harman Kardon sound system, a voice-controlled infotainment system with a 6.5-inch high-def display, navigation, satellite radio, a sunroof and rear parking sensors. The Mini Clubman’s dashboard controls are attractive but the layout isn’t very intuitive, test drivers say, adding that the use of switches instead of buttons can make audio and climate controls difficult to find and operate. There’s a learning curve for the infotainment system too, they note.
Yes, that name is an anomaly; BMW doesn’t have the rights to use the name of the original Traveller estate.
But the lack of the Traveller name can't have dented BMW's confidence much, or it wouldn't have taken on a project as potentially fraught with difficulty as turning the fashion accessory that is the Mini into a practical wagon.
Unless the balance is perfect you’re either going to destroy a large chunk of the appeal that makes people want Minis in the first place, or you’re going to build one of the world’s worst family cars. Possibly both.
Being Mini, it didn't go down the traditional route with its load-lugging version, instead opting for a strange door arrangement with just one extra side door - on the driver's side. It's quirky to say the least.
As expected, the Clubman is offered in (almost) the full Mini line-up, including petrol and diesel versions of the One, Cooper and Cooper S, along with the crazy fast John Cooper Works model, which dines on petrol only. Special editions include the luxurious Hampton Clubman and as ever buyers have a huge number of customisation options.
Looks are entirely in the eye of the beholder, and on this score we feel no better qualified to judge than anyone else. But for what it’s worth, our view on the Mini Clubman is that it sits on the odd side of quirky – a shape with a great deal of initial interest but, once the novelty of its innovative design has subsided, not one that’s likely to be remembered as one of the greats.
The layout of the doors is the biggest conversation piece. On the driver's side there's a conventional door at the front and with that open the rear-hinged back door can be opened. This 'Clubdoor' (as Mini calls it) is not found on the passenger side of the right hand drive version, due to the expense of engineering the body, fuel filler and tank to accommodate the opening.
n place of a top-hinged hatchback, Mini's designers took the lead from the original Mini estates of the 1960s, for the design of the side-hinged 'barn doors' at the back.
Argue as much as you like about the look of the car, but it’s much more difficult to quibble with its engineering credentials. It’s one thing to build a car using gimmicks – and this one has more than its fair share – as a substitute for design integrity, and quite another to provide all the essentials in the first place and then add on whatever stylistic and functional addenda the brief requires. The Clubman is emphatically in the latter camp.
he extra door of the Mini Clubman is a nice party trick, but it doesn’t work too well. For a start you have to push the front seat forward to allow passengers safe and reasonable access to the back. Which rather defeats the point.
Second, once you have slid the front seat forward it refuses to return to its original position. Third, the driver’s seatbelt is anchored to this door to make a perfect tripwire.
Finally, there is no second door on the other side, so on a busy street your children will have to clamber out of the only door on the kerbside, or be discharged into heavy traffic. That this glaring error has been evident since the car’s launch does not prevent us from still being astonished by it.
Once installed in the rear seats, small children will be entirely comfortable and even adults will find good headroom and acceptable legroom. Just don’t expect it to be anything approaching spacious. A standard VW Golf is rather more accommodating and practical than the Clubman.
Move around to the back and those retro rear doors are not without charm, but they reveal a boot that, while larger than that of a normal Mini, is still small when compared with our aforementioned Golf.
Aside from the gimmicks, the Clubman's interior is the same as any other Mini's, which means it steals design cues from its forebears and it's particularly well made. The driving position is low and forward visibility is great - though the views over the shoulder and to the rear are impinged on.
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