SAVANNAH, GA – Mini fans expected the new Clubman to be big, and to them it’s the biggest car in the history of mankind. Longer, lower and wider than a Mercedes Maybach, the rear seating area is roomy enough for passengers to swing from the chandeliers, if chandeliers were an option, which they unfortunately are not.
Okay, so maybe that’s only how long-time Mini enthusiasts will view the brand’s largest car ever.
The ’16 Mini Clubman, which began hitting dealer showrooms in January, actually is about the same size as a 5-door Volkswagen Golf. But that is huge by Mini standards.
The Clubman’s larger dimensions lead to the car being designated a compact, rather than a subcompact, marking a pivotal moment in Mini’s history as it seeks to widen its appeal.
Mini officials say they have lost thousands of potential buyers over the years who liked the brand’s design and performance but found the products too small to be practical.
Along with its substantial footprint, the new Clubman is being tasked with a more important role in the Mini hierarchy. Previously it was a slightly roomier variant of the Hardtop hatchback with unusual split doors in the back.
The new Clubman is billed as the marque’s flagship, and it is charged with taking the whole brand further upmarket in the premium small-car space. Mini officials say this segment is a key growth area.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, the top BMW executive responsible for Mini, says the premium compact segment will account for more than 27% of the total global passenger car market by 2020, and BMW wants to participate in that expansion.
The Clubman is based on BMW’s new UKL2 modular front-wheel-drive architecture, which also underpins the BMW X1 CUV and BMW 2-Series sold in Europe. It is much longer and wider than Mini’s models based on BMW’s smaller UKL1 platform.
To be exact, the new Clubman is 10.9 ins. (277 mm) longer and 2.9 ins. (74 mm) wider, and its wheelbase is 4 ins. (102 mm) larger than the new 5-door Mini Hardtop. It is even substantially longer than the Countryman CUV.
Pricing starts at $25,000 for the 1.5L Mini Cooper Clubman model and $28,500 for the 2.0L Mini Cooper S Clubman including dealer destination fees, but fully optioned models likely will exceed $40,000, especially when an all-wheel-drive option becomes available later this year.
That puts the Clubman into competition with a variety of people movers, from the Fiat 500L and several versions of the VW Golf to vehicles such as the Audi Allroad on the high end.
We drove a $33,450 Cooper Clubman and a $36,600 Cooper S Clubman for several hundred miles in the scenic lowcountry around Savannah, GA.
The Clubman uses the same engines as the rest of the Mini range. The Cooper Clubman is powered by BMW’s turbocharged 1.5L 3-cyl. making 134 hp and 162 lb-.ft. (220 Nm) of torque, and the Cooper S Clubman features BMW’s 189-hp 2.0L 4-cyl. turbo making 207 lb.-ft. (281 Nm).
The 1.5L was named one of Wards 10 Best Engines in 2015, and the 228-hp 2.0L in the high-performance Mini John Cooper Works Hardtop on the UKL1 platform was seriously in the hunt this year.
Both Cooper and Cooper S versions of the Clubman have a premium look and feel, with high-quality surfaces and finishes inside and out.\
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Source by wardsauto