Comments on: 2008 Clubman Caught Cold Weather Testing

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:20:02 +0000

What it will seat six?

2 up front.
2 in the back.
2 jumpseats in the boot.

Volvo style

j/k ;)

By: FrankInMiami

FrankInMiami — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:50:49 +0000

Looking at the side pics of the Clubman, I can't help but think that the rear seat legroom is a tremendous improvement over the standard short wheelbase car. It is almost "Limo like".

Billy, care to comment a little further on the rear seat comfort, vs the 3 door hatchback model?

By: FrankInMiami

FrankInMiami — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:30:28 +0000

To be able to seat six passengers, the Clubman would have to be devoid of a center console (I would not mind that at all, to be honest).

Will the seating configuration mimic that of the (Gasp!) Fiat Multipla?

By: FrankInMiami

FrankInMiami — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:29:00 +0000

Gabe, does it have a “magic seat”?

By: Aurel

Aurel — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:40:13 +0000

Interesting. I too was hoping for something a bit “more” … probably the pricing will overlap with the 4 door 1 series (if it comes here) …

do like the barn doors though … would be great if they redesigned the dash/center console

By: banned

banned — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 05:36:03 +0000

Actually weÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ll have more on this next Monday. The answer will surprise you.

What it will seat six?

By: MotoringFile » Archive » The Clubman Strikes Back: More Spyshots

MotoringFile » Archive » The Clubman Strikes Back: More Spyshots — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 02:02:29 +0000

[...] Our friends at Edmunds (yeah we’ve made lots of friends lately) have some fantastic spy shots of the 2008 MINI Clubman looking really thirsty at a Nordic petrol station. Like the shots we saw Wednesday, you can clearly see the third door, the rear barn doors and the extended length of the car. As we’ve said in the past, we expect the R55 to a full 18 inches longer than th R56 – 10 in the wheelbase and 8 behind the rear wheels. For a closer look at the Clubman’s interior and exterior design, be sure to check MF each day next week for a series of articles all about the R55. [...]

By: Gabe

Gabe — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 23:38:58 +0000

Gabe, your ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œsourceÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â at Oxford (I think I know who he is) still says that it can seat 5? So then this car has to be wider than the 2 door R56ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â¦ Am I correct?

Actually we'll have more on this next Monday. The answer will surprise you.

By: Gerald

Gerald — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 23:19:52 +0000

Gabe,

I have been grappling with a point you made in earlier discussions - that the Clubman will be 18" longer than the two-door. From memory it was 10" longer between the wheels and 8" longer in the rear overhang.

My jpeg-management skills don't extend to superimposing a current mini onto these (excellent) shots to compare length.

Is there further confirmation of the full 18" extension?

cheers

Gerald

By: petsounds

petsounds — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 21:46:22 +0000

I went back and looked at the Clubman Concept...I definitely responded more positively to it. The lights are much more slanted, and really underscore the horizontal lines repeated on the car. The final production model looks like a Cooper stretch limo.

The Concept model had a chopped-off front which enforced the stocky, sturdy feeling of the car. The final production model shares the front end with the Cooper. Again, it is not distinctive enough.

By: GoMiniGo

GoMiniGo — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:14:38 +0000

so, one thing I noticed was that the rear license plate was nicely mounted in the rear bumper, which happens to be where it was in the original ID sketches of the MINI. Any chance it will stay there? I thought they made a mistake moving the plate to the hatch in the coupe. Seems like this will give much cleaner lines to the clubman. Thoughts?

By: Gabe

Gabe — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 18:53:34 +0000

Gabe, your ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œsourceÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â at Oxford (I think I know who he is) still says that it can seat 5? So then this car has to be wider than the 2 door R56ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â¦ Am I correct?

I can guarantee you don't :) And for the answer to your question... look at the comment above this one.

By: FrankInMiami

FrankInMiami — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 18:53:16 +0000

I don’t speak German but I picked up the word “Gestapo” in Klaus’ post??

By: rhawth99

rhawth99 — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 18:32:22 +0000

I think three will fit in back because the rear wheels are back a little farther meaning that the seats don’t have the wheel well intrusion. I doubt that the Clubman is any wider than the R56. Just for the record, I don’t speak German. :)

By: FrankInMiami

FrankInMiami — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 17:49:33 +0000

iNomis, no hard feelings... We all seem to have our stressful days.

Gabe, your "source" at Oxford (I think I know who he is) still says that it can seat 5? So then this car has to be wider than the 2 door R56... Am I correct?

Still enjoying the popcorn? ;)

By: mark

mark — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:42:40 +0000

I think the clubman is cool looking and clever. It definately has the spirit of MINI and it's design heritage. The proportions are much more fitting in the Clubman than in the Cooper for the 2007 model line, as i mentioned before.

I'd buy one in S or Diesel trim. I just hope they fix the center stack.

By: Gabe

Gabe — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:19:04 +0000

I still say it will only fit 2 in the rear. There are only 2 rear headrests shown.

You're welcome to say that but I have two very good sources (one in the plant mind you) that it will seat five. Maybe they're both wrong... but I'm guessing they're not.

By: Scottinbend

Scottinbend — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:15:51 +0000

I still say it will only fit 2 in the rear. There are only 2 rear headrests shown.

By: Gabe

Gabe — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:10:56 +0000

So Gabe, do you know German? I translated that several times and can't tell sincere from sarcastic. Can you help me?

Oddly enough either can I. I just really wanted to say something in German :)

By: iNomis

iNomis — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:07:10 +0000

So Gabe, do you know German? I translated that several times and can't tell sincere from sarcastic. Can you help me?

Also interesting, Gabe in German translates to gift in English.