MINI Clubman

The cabin of the Mini Cooper Clubman is a vast improvement over the previous generation. This includes a touchscreen infotainment system (finally) with satellite navigation as standard, cup holders in the centre, powered driver’s seat, head-up display and a bit more utility spaces. The upholstery as usual is new and brings in a fresh appeal along with the panoramic sunroof on offer. The front seats are the usual Mini stuff - hug you nicely and keep you firmly planted in the seat when cornering enthusiastically. At the rear, the headroom is a slight issue when it comes to taller passengers but three abreast isn’t a big problem now. The boot space of 356 litres is something which can be easily accessed and increased to 1,700 litres after dropping the rear seats. Visibility all around is good except for the back because the door shaft sits right in the middle. The parking brake has been replaced by a button behind the gear lever. So no more drifts yo.

Overall quality, as well as the music player’s output, are one of the best that you will have seen. It, in fact, eclipses that of BMW’s. It’s that good.

The car has grown in length and width both. By 270 mm and 30 mm respectively. This is no mean feat and while it shares its platform with the next-gen BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, it is not just a rebadged Mini and instead is an all-new car. You will love the looks of this new-gen of Mini cars. Not only are they more grown up but also now feature a mature enough look. To be taken seriously that is. The rounded profile of the car still remains the same though. The split doors at the back are a novelty to those who haven’t seen it yet. If you want the best angle to look the Mini Clubman from, it will be the rear three fourth. Speaking of which, there are three variants to choose from - the base Clubman, the Clubman S and the delectable John Cooper Works edition. 17-inch tyres for the Clubman and 18 inches for the S and JCW come with different patterns too.

The Cooper Clubman rides stiff but the added length at the back does give it a more planted feel than the fleety feeling from the 3-door Cooper. The handling in the meanwhile is just ridiculously predictable and comforting. It will allow you to break all pre-conceived notions about a car’s handling. The brakes though deserve some more stamp before coming to a clean halt. Use the paddle shifters then for additional braking prowess.

While globally the Mini Cooper Clubman comes with a host of engines including a plug-in hybrid, the Malaysian market isn’t so receptive to alternate fuel options, let alone a diesel. So the engine choices here are the reliable and acclaimed 2.0-litre petrol that makes 192 PS and 280 Nm and the 3-cylinder 1.5-litre engine that is good for 136 PS and 220 Nm. Mini offers an 8-speed automatic with the bigger engine while the smaller one is mated to a 6-speed automatic. Both get a manual override too. Come to think of it, there are paddle shifters on offer only for the 2.0-litre motor. The most fun-to-drive out of these two engines is neither - it’s the 210 PS/300 Nm JCW variant based on the 2.0-litre motor. Efficiency-wise, the 3-cylinder engine is the more efficient of the lot returning roughly 14 kmpl while the 192 PS motor turns in 11 kmpl. The JCW, depending on how you drive it, gives roughly around a few kmpl less than that of the donor engine.

Top speed is 225kmph for the regular engines while the JCW does breach that mark and goes on to achieve 10kmph more. Drive modes - Eco, Mid and Sport are common to all three trims and allow the driver to extract the maximum from the engine - whether it be efficiency or power.

Mini gives a whole suite of safety aids with the Clubman. So you get six airbags, lane departure warning, hill climb assist, ABS along with EBD and much more. All major crash safety test agencies have always acclaimed the Mini Clubman for its safety sense.

Buy the Mini Cooper Clubman if you want the practicality of five seats mixed with driving pleasure. It is the most sensible thing you will ever do. For RM 196,137, you will get the base Cooper which is good for efficiency. For a slightly better driving experience, go for the Cooper S Clubman at RM 243,331 and the stupendous riot they call the JCW for 310,312.