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Ken Gratton17 Nov 2015
REVIEW

MINI Clubman 2015 Review

The barn doors remain, but the new Clubman is larger and more practical, while retaining MINI's traditional character traits

MINI Clubman Cooper and Cooper S

Local Launch Review
Adelaide Hills, SA

The weird and not so wonderful asymmetric layout of the MINI Clubman is no more. A new model, longer, wider and altogether better packaged brings four side doors, each of which can open independently of the other. It's a victory for common sense, and may position the Clubman – available in two drivetrain variants – as a true alternative to other 'second family car' options in the prestige market segment for small cars over $40,000.

There was a fine sliver of market gap in the MINI range – a sliver between the high-riding Countryman and the more conventional 5-Door hatch. That sliver has now been filled once more, with MINI bringing to the local market the latest generation of Clubman.

Unlike its predecessor, the new Clubman has an extra door, easier access to the rear seat, roomier accommodation, more performance and added features.

For the local launch, on a run from Adelaide to Murray Bridge and back, motoring.com.au sampled both variants, the Clubman Cooper – with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder and six-speed automatic transmission – and the 2.0-litre turbocharged Clubman Cooper S with an eight-speed automatic. Both engines are new to the Clubman, but have been already introduced to the local market in other MINI variants.

The two transmissions are supplied by Aisin and the prices of the new variants either match the previous generation counterparts, or come in cheaper – but with more equipment. MINI's local management makes the point that the new Clubman represents a significant improvement in pricing and value, given the cars come as standard with automatic transmissions, versus the manuals offered as standard previously. Customers wanting a manual transmission option can order the new Clubman with six-speed units at no cost.

But the cars we drove were both standard automatic variants. Unfortunately for advocates of the three-cylinder Clubman, the first car driven was the Cooper S variant. This is a potent car for the money.

If performance is everything, the Cooper S is bound to be worth the extra bucks to that kind of buyer, despite the difference amounting to $8000. It's sensationally strong across the rev range and it's finely matched to the eight-speed automatic transmission. There's a meaty exhaust note and some supercharger-like whine that is all the more impressive coming from a turbocharged four-cylinder. It pops and crackles on the overrun and the transmission will shift up automatically at the redline for delay-free acceleration, even when the driver is using the shift paddles. Fuel consumption for the Cooper S ranged from as high as 11.5L/100km when being hounded along country roads in the Adelaide Hills to as low as 6.8L/100km on wide-open country roads on the way to Murray Bridge.

While the 1.5-litre three-cylinder in the base Cooper is a willing enough engine, its power delivery naturally feels somewhat flatter than the four's. The final few hundred revs come slowly and the fewer ratios in the automatic transmission don't help. Occasionally, accelerating hard uphill the Cooper feels like it could do with an extra gear, and the same is true of engine braking into tighter corners (posted with an advisory speed limit of 45km/h). Second gear feels too low in that sort of context, but third is too high and the three-cylinder needs a few revs on the dial to deliver substantive braking. Fuel consumption on the return leg (not on the same roads) was as high as 10.3L/100km or as low as 8.7.

As expected of anything from the MINI stable, both cars were firmly damped and handled flatly; the Cooper S generally rode well over secondary-level imperfections in the road, but could feel jiggly over corrugations. In contrast the Cooper on its 16-inch wheels rode more sedately, but gave away little in roadholding and handling. Steering was lighter in the cheaper variant, and while it turned in responsively, it was the Cooper S that offered steering response that was quick as lightning. The Cooper S was more stable and communicative through the wheel in a straight line. Although the three-cylinder Clubman felt dependably safe as it was, the Cooper S delivered a whole different level of roadholding and neutral handling, likely due to the different wheel and tyre combinations. Coercing the Cooper S to understeer would take a pretty heavy pair of clogs. The reviewer's clog on the right foot did provoke a hint of torque steer in the three-cylinder Clubman, and doubtless the Cooper S could get a bit wayward too, given its head. But the torque steer was hard to induce, nevertheless.

Over different surfaces the two cars could be noisy, with tyre noise transmitted to the cabin. Of the two the three-cylinder model seemed rowdier at times, but was the quieter of the two for driveline noise. Despite the different transmissions, both cars sat on around 2000rpm at 100km/h, but the Cooper S had a ratio in reserve to run an even slower engine speed if eighth gear were selected manually.

The driving position in both cars was excellent. There's plenty of reach adjustment in the steering wheel, and the major instruments, which shift with the steering wheel/column when adjusted for rake provide an almost entirely unobstructed view. The mirrors adjusted outboard fully to eliminate blind spots (which doesn't always happen with BMW designs) and the seats were very well contoured for support and comfort. Some features, like the quirky 'bar chart' fuel gauge, are unconventional for the sake of being different, but the Clubman is nearer to orthodox ergonomics than practically any other MINI. The dash seems less monolithic than the unit in the MINI 5-Door launched late last year and the eyeball vents are more attractive too.

Even with the driver's seat set comfortably, there's enough knee and toeroom behind for teenagers and average-size adults. And the rear seats themselves are quite comfortable too, given the compact packaging. The luggage compartment is handy rather than voluminous, but its floor is lower and it offers a larger volume than the previous Clubman's. If the barn doors seem peculiar in an era of one-piece lifting tailgates, they are powered by pressurised gas struts and open wide for easy loading – and there's no need to worry about panel damage in low-roofed garages. MINI has equipped the right door with a 'swipe' facility to open automatically by lashing out with the foot below the bumper.

With four side doors (rather than the asymmetric design of the previous model), you won't cosh the head climbing into the rear. For the earlier model, the latch for the small side door was conveniently positioned to inflict head trauma on the unwary.

It's when measured against the old model Clubman that one really takes note of how far the new model has come. By rights the new Clubman deserves to earn itself a swag of extra sales the old car could never have hoped to acquire.

2015 MINI Clubman Cooper and Cooper S pricing and specifications:
Price: $34,900 Cooper, $42,900 Cooper S (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol Cooper, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol Cooper S
Output: 100kW/220Nm Cooper, 141kW/280Nm Cooper S
Transmission: Six-speed automatic Cooper, eight-speed automatic Cooper S
Fuel: 5.4L/100km Cooper, 5.9L/100km Cooper S (ADR Combined)
CO2: 125g/km Cooper, 138g/km Cooper S (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

Also consider:
>> Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 Shooting Brake (from $52,400 plus ORCs)
>> Renault Megane GT220 (from $37,490 plus ORCs)
>> Skoda Octavia RS 162TSI wagon (from $41,390 plus ORCs)

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Written byKen Gratton
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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
76/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
15/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
14/20
Safety & Technology
16/20
Behind The Wheel
17/20
X-Factor
14/20
Pros
  • Cooper S performance and cornering
  • Improved practicality
  • Roomy accommodation
Cons
  • Roomy accommodation
  • Still not sensible family car
  • Ride quality can be wearying
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