BMW 128i vs Clubman S

Sections: In the Press | MINI Competitors | R55 (Clubman) Aug 13th, 2008 30 Comments

Now this is new. Edmunds has decided to pit the newest BMW against the newest MINI Cooper.

Season the Mini with a few options and it costs about the same as the BMW 1 Series. Both are known for being fun to drive and both are designed to hold two people comfortably but can accommodate four if the need arises. Both have usefully large cargo areas â€” the rear seats in each folds flat to enhance capacity. And both come standard with a six-speed manual transmission.

You will have to go back and read this to get the full effect, but for a car they reviewed rather well, they kick it to the curb for this comparision.

Put simply, there’s little to the personality of the 2008 Mini Cooper S Clubman that can’t be had in the 128i, but without the tiresome retro design. The only thing the BMW lacks is the scorching blast of B.S. that accompanies the Mini in the form of retro pap. In its place is an honest car â€” a fundamentally better machine â€” which some might find less visually dazzling.

[ Comparison Test: 2008 BMW 128i vs. 2008 Mini Cooper S Clubman ] Edmunds.com

Written By: DB

C4

I can still get a new Clubman S for well under $30K if I just pick a few options. A BMW 1 series for under thirty grand? No a chance! (Unless you go for a ‘plain’ 128i model and do Euro delivery, maybe).

The Clubman simply has more interior room. I would say the 1-series cabin is about the same size as the R53 (1st gen MINI) with a lower roof.

I think either car is great. But they have different missions and different audiences.

You can’t go wrong either way.

Nice review.
eager2own

I had seen this on Monday at edmunds — and was wondering if it would appear here or in bimmerfile first.
TO

OUCH!
PhillG

Hey Josh Jacquot, my Clubman handles just like a go-kart!
mike c.

Well, maybe if my budget was $40K instead of $30K I would think about the 1 series. As it stands today, I can’t get the car I would want in a 1 series for anywhere near the price I paid for the car I got in a MINI.
Vanwall

Overcompensation article.
Jon

A very good review in my book!

Think more than one person so far has been sitting on this line between the Cooper S and the 128i and the JCW Mini and the 135i. For me personally both the 1 Series are well ahead on this curve. The only place that I think Mini really shines is at the low end, a cooper coupe with few options. In Europe this makes yet more sense with the Mini One entry level model.

For me the fit and finish of the 1 Series is superior in almost every way to the comparable Mini products. I find this to be an interesting dichotomy that BMW/Mini has created for itself to be sure.
C4

In case you guys haven’t seen it, here is the counterview to this article:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=130427/pageId=145277.

Seems to me the main author just simply doesn’t get the MINI. (And he is clearly a card carrying BMW snob, tsk, tsk).
Jimskater

Snark alert: “Any weeinie can pick a BMW”
Dr Obnxs

The review blows. Starts with a “straw man” comparo if there ever was one, come out with a conclusion that ignores a 10% difference in price, and about a 30% difference is gas consumption.

So, the conslusion should have been “If you don’t mind the extra cost to buy and own the BMW, and want rear wheel drive, then the BMW is the hands down favorite!”

Interestingly, if you look at the final tally, and drop the subjective crap, you end up very close to a dead heat, with the BMW just winning by a few percent. If you drop some options from the Mini as well, those points can be made up as well in the price categories. The other place that the Mini took it in the nuts was feature content, with the BMW offering 3 out of the 5 editor percieved best optional features offered, and the Mini just offering a shade over 1. I don’t honestly know what those features are though.

On the other hand, it does nicely illustrate the fact that if you’re not careful in configuring your car, you end up at a price point where lots of other possibilities come into play.

To bad the writer couldn’t just come out and say “I don’t like the Mini, and that’s why this is so one-sided”

Matt
C4

Matt, I could not agree more.
ulrich

I am going from an 03 Cooper S to a low spec 128. There is no reason to option this car up to 40K. Mine has xenons and the sport package and comes in nicely at under $32K including delivery. Also you get $750-1K discounts now (try that at Mini).
SFRedMCc

Do as C4 suggests and check out the “Second Opinion” by Edmunds Executive Editor Michael Jordan, who definitely has a much more balanced take on this review:

“It’s true that you have to make some real choices when you pick the Mini Clubman in this comparison, and you get some things and you give up some things. You get character and give up respectability; you get quickness and you give up ultimate speed. But I’m happy to make it my pick. Any weenie can choose a BMW.”
C4

Leaving everything else aside, the BMW 128 loses to the Clubman S in the fuel mileage dept. The extra power delivery of the Bimmer’s engine is nice but not at the expense of today’s gas prices. In this day an age of $4 gas at the pump, the argument in favor of a 6 cyl in line engine that drinks premium fuel, is weaker than ever.
Steve S

I drove a Clubman S and 135 convertible back to back. The Clubman was easier to get into and had more rear seat room. The 135 still had enough room for the 6 foot salesman to sit in back though he didnâ€™t look super comfortable.

Between the two Iâ€™d probably opt for the 128 but then I usually take more power and RWD over almost anything else. I do think the Clubman would be more fun to drive though. If mini could come up with a 250-300hp AWD clubman that didnâ€™t cost more than the existing JCW then Iâ€™d be first on the list. Thatâ€™s not going to happen so Iâ€™ll have to convince the wife we should get the Clubman S as a 3rd car.
goat

A friend used a good expression the other day: “There are cars people buy because they think their friends would want them to buy them.” It is that thinking that has put so many people who care little about the joy of driving into BMWs. It is funny because it is logic usually used against sports car buyers by non-enthusiasts – “you bought a small 2 seater with limited room and iffy foul-weather handling and paid THAT MUCH?!” :) But even enthusiasts can be guilty of peer-pressuring – “you got so little comparative HP and tire width and you paid THAT MUCH?!” Too many people buy their cars by the pound / shadow cast / engine size / power rating / etc. Works well with commodities, not so much with cars.

I have always said that, unless my friends are helping make my car payments, best to choose the vehicle that I want to drive. Now between these particular two, I would pick the 128i as well, but because I wanted it rather than because of others’ expectations or a “comparative value” argument.

And yeah, this Edmunds writer clearly does not like the Clubman compared to anything, let alone compared to the 128i! The Edmunds editor that C4 linked to, however, sees the big picture.
Clubland

A fun review, and an appropriate one at that as how the only car I’ve even thought twice about in second-guessing my Clubman S (arrived early July) was with the 128i.

For me, though, even while second-guessing at times, I always come to the same conclusion. In my Clubman S I have Auto, Xenon’s, Bluetooth, Metallic Paint, USB/iPod, “Premium” (shit) Sound Package and… an armrest & cruise via MFSW. That all came to approx 28k which is still 1k less than you’re going to be able to get into a 128i with none of those options.

The comparison is valid, but I don’t think it should be discounted how much more you can get out of the Mini when you price it out at the same price as an entry-128i. I think when you take those options into consideration, the performance differences between the two cars start to become more negligible (for me, that is).

Great review, great blog!
GSP

The basis for such a comparison is fundamentally flawed … and in all likelihood was made to favor the ages-old FWD vs RWD, inline-6 vs 4-banger diatribe that so many bimmerheads spout. The MINI is a car that fits today’s realities while the 1-series tries to be the 2002 – and fails. Oh, and I owned and auto-crossed a brand new Deuce ‘way back when, as well as an E21 323i, and E36 M3, and two different 5-series.
Dave MacMini

I cannot warm up to the look of the 1 series. The 5-door hatch, not available here, looks a lot better in my opinion, and would be a better car to compare to the Clubman. I still love my MINI, but I was presented with the chance to pick up a 2004 745i for less than the cost of a new MINI Cooper so now my wife is driving (and loving) the MCS while I am enjoying my first BMW. A totally different drive, to be sure, but still a great driver’s car without the super quick handling (and the rough ride) of the MCS. However, we will lkely keep a MINI in the family, replacing the current MCS with a Clubman when the lease is up.
rs

I can’t get past the looks of the BMW. That is one butt ugly car. I was hoping it would be more beautiful. The MINI’s no super model but on looks alone, I’d take the MINI. At least it doesn’t look like a wannabe Hyundai. Keep your speed, your rwd, your ultimate driving machine, your Bimmersque smug look. Me, I’ll take the quirky little car.

Now, if it were a previous generation M5…now that’s a BMW. But, those days are long gone for me. Its a different time now, mpg gets factored into everything since my commute is so far. The MINI is a excellent all around car.
JonPD

The funny part is the 1 series and the Mini brand are both good cars, I feel that the price point is way to narrow between these cars. I love the Mini brand, hence why I have two R53′s at home. However in many ways the 1 series is still a better car. Neither are perfect but then again there is no such thing either.

If I were looking at a top end Clubman I would also be looking at the 128, likewise a JCW Mini versus a 135i would be a very easy decision for me.
MINIme

I just don’t see the relevance of this comparison…
Holly

They should mention that the resale value of any MINI beats the BMW. I’ve got a 2002 330 CCi (Buffy) with less than 6,000 miles on it, never in rain, snow, no perfume, passengers, smoke, etc., still smells new and the dealership offers $16 K for what was a $56K car. I was the first one on the list in Arizona for my Clubman (Otto) and it was a two-year wait. I like the MINI community so much more. I don’t fit the snobby attitude of many of the BMW crowd. I will sell the 330 convertible to put the proceeds toward a 2009 MINI Cabrio. For me the response of the MINI far outweighs the performance of the BMW. I love Buffy, but I’m in love with Otto.

I looked at the 135is and I was not impressed. The other day I got an email offer from my BMW dealer for .09% financing. I don’t think MINI will ever have to offer that to sell their cars.
http://miniposeur.blogspot.com eto

When I’ve discussed MINIs with non-enthusiasts, I often point out that it is one of the very few cars that can get to 60 in 7 seconds, handles like a sports car, can seat my family of 4, and still get 40 mpg on the highway.
Jon

As hot hatchs Mini ranks well, but there is more than a little company in those ranks. The Mini is still the clear choice in my view for its iconic design, however when it come to pure performance and handling the picture is much less clear.
iNomis

I think this highlights how little value options add to a well optioned base model. At least for comparison tests. That and why can’t we in the USA have a 5 door 128i?
C4

My guess is a 5-door 128i hatchback in the USA could eat into Clubman sales. That would be a more relevant comparison IMHO.
SFRedMCc

It seems most Americans equate “hatchback” with “cheap econo car” and would rather drive an impractical 2-door coupe they think has a sexier, more upscale image. We all know it’s not that way in Europe, where most people have only one car and try to make it as versatile as possible.
I was surprised when I got the California title for my MCc, and it said “SW” for body type; which I guess means “station wagon”. Does anyone know if they also classify 5-door hatchbacks as a station wagon? Maybe they think since it has the “barn doors” instead of a hatch it has to be a station wagon?
The Seraph

I’ve never seen so many zealots in one place as I do with MINI owners (and I OWN an R53). It seems posters JonPD and Jon are the only true car enthusiasts in this column. Truly sad when MINI owners get their panties in a bind over an honest review/comparison especially considering the parent company of MINI is BMW.
D3MINI

Zealot’s maybe however I agree in pure performance and the like the BMW wins. However that being said the intangable things. Looks FWD in a winter climate (also not a fan of RWD cars) Community MPG Resale Those are the things the swing my vote to the MINI.

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