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By
EWAN KENNEDY
25 February 2008
Way back in the 1960s and ‘70s a popular model in the
original Mini range was a panel van. Longer than the Mini sedan, in
Australia it was purely a working vehicle. In other countries, chiefly
the UK, the van was also sold as a station wagon, called the Mini
Traveller. A feature of the Traveller was exposed timber bracing used on
the rearmost area of the vehicle. A few Travellers reached Australia as
private imports.
Now a new variant of the MINI, the 21st century model, has just
reached the roads of Australia. Carrying strong styling cues from
the original Traveller at the back end, such as the twin ‘barn’
doors and the squared-off shape, the new vehicle is called MINI
Clubman.
But this is a station wagon like no other on the road. It has
two conventional front doors to give access in the usual manner to
the front seats. But there's an additional small door behind the
front door on the driver’s side to give improved access to the
rear pair of seats. This door is hinged at the rear and can’t be
opened until the front door is opened.
The crazy thing is that the extra door is on the wrong side of
the car for Australia. Because those travelling in the back seat
have to walk out into the traffic to gain access to it. In other
words it’s set up for owners in mainland Europe and the USA, not
for the car’s biggest market, Britain.
Seems that BMW, which owns MINI these days, couldn’t find the
extra development dollars to either put additional doors on both
sides, or on the appropriate side for individual markets.
But enough about the weird door setup, what about the rest of
the new Clubman? From the windscreen forward it looks identical to
the rest of the MINI range. The stretched vehicle has more
interior space than the hatch, with seating that can cope with
four adults if the pair in the front can afford to move their
seats forward a few notches. Children will find good space in the
back. Boot space is much better than in the MINI hatch and folding
down the rear seats makes a good sized cargo area that can cope
with kid’s bikes and the like.
Up front, there's the same over-the-top looks that has endeared
the new MINI to over a million owners worldwide to date. Huge
instruments, bold sweeping curves, and standout features that
appeal to the young and the young at heart.
Under the bonnet, the Clubman is identical to the hatch, being
sold with two versions of a 1.6-litre engine, one of them
turbocharged. The latter, in the MINI Cooper S, produces 128 kW,
the non-turbo unit in the MINI Cooper manages a reasonable 88kW;
torque figures are 240 Nm and 160 Nm respectively.
During our test drives of the latest MINI we were only able to
sample the more powerful variants, one with a six-speed manual
gearbox, the other using a six-speed automatic with sequential
overrides. In both formats there's exhilarating performance and,
despite the added 80 kg created by the longer body, owners will
like the way the MINI Clubman feels on the road.
And on the road is where the MINI Clubman loves to be. It has
the same pin sharp steering and willingness to push hard around
bends that is sure to bring a smile to the face of all keen
drivers.
MINI Clubman is offered in standard as well as the more
upmarket ‘Chilli’ specification, with a staggering array of
optional extras to let owners customise to their hearts’
content.
The complete MINI Clubman range, with prices (excluding on-road
costs) is:
Cooper Clubman: $34,400
Cooper Clubman Chilli: $38,200
Cooper S Clubman: $43,200
Cooper S Clubman Chilli: $47,000
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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