Is There Club Door Fallout?

I have to say, I have quietly been wondering about this “issue” since it first came up. When the 3rd door first debuted on pickup trucks a few years ago (back before they had them on both sides), I think it was GM, they actually put them on the driver side for compact pickups, and on the passenger side for full-size pickups. If I remember correctly, this was because most compact pickup owners were supposedly traveling solo (and would use the door to load luggage), while full-size truck owners would “have passengers to let out on the street side”.

I don’t necessarily think there’s great logic to putting it on one side or the other. I don’t think the addition of doors on the “street side” of minivans has greatly increased the number of people jumping out into traffic. It’s just that if you put the door on one side vs. the other, you’re going to put it on the wrong side for some fraction of people.

From a “performance” point of view, keeping the number of gaping door-holes in a car will help keep it much stiffer with less weight, so it will theoretically handle better and at least for one side, should benefit in a side-impact.

Not to get too far off subject, but I have noticed for years the Honda CRV tailgate, actually hinged on the right (passenger) side of the car, so if you were loading from the curb, you had to walk around further INTO traffic to load the car. That didn’t really change the “success” of that car (SUV) — although they have changed that now.

I hate to put it in the same category, but I think the door for the Clubman is a much smaller issue than that, I think there will always be people unhappy with whatever side the door falls on – but I wonder, at the same time, if it’s just going to be a minor gripe that most people just happily live with and accept?

I cano’t seem to understand how this 3rd door is an issue with the Clubman. I mean how do they cope with cars that only have 2 doors and more importantly sedans (4 doors)?

Would it not be more of an issue for these other types of cars in the UK? SOMEONE will have to get out of the car on the street side regardless of the 3rd door or 4th door. :/

This all could’ve been prevented by better location of the gas cap and the associated crash protection – but there’s only so much development and fabrication money to go around on a price-point car, so I guess MINI made the best choice as they saw it. The very first time I walked into the dealer, wondering at that moment if a wagon would ever be in the mix, I had an epiphany looking at the gas cap location – “Not gonna have any extra doors if they do, or they’ll have to move that thing.” And I realized the engineering was set in stone right then – crash standards precluded any other area. I didn’t think about a suicide door, but I thought a 2-door was all that would work. Out of curiosity, do Euro standards have any say on which side the cap is on?

Why didn’t they just have one on each side? that would have solved this issue right? Or am I thinking to simplistically?

well,

to be honest : english people are know for their own ways…. - driving the wrong side - different rail tracks than other countries - stupid rules about foreign animals - doesnt wants to join the euro currency

I guess they had to pay the price one day,

I think it is a great compliment to the designers that the only negative they seem to find in this car is the placement of the rear door. What a poorly written bit of journalism. Love those wheels.

Mini was and is a “British” car. You can’t complain in Left hand drive markets because it suits your side of the road. Us in right hand drive markets have to suffer for for the German influence. Yes – it is of big concern to English markets. There aren’t many people who exit the car into oncoming traffic – if you are dropping someone off the driver stays seated and the passengers exit on the kerbside. Don’t forget that this effects Japanese and Malaysian markets as well. I wonder what Frank Stephenson thinks about the clubdoor design.

Most Jap cars have the fuel filler on the LH side. My partners PT Cruiser gas cap is on the RH side.