According to information that was given to me by DPMINI Aaron on MINI2:

‘MINI Clubman models will no longer have roof rack preparation. Should a customer wish to fit a roof rack, option 386 Roof Rails will need to be specified. At present there is no retro-fit for Roof Rails so it is important to qualify your customer’s needs in case roof rack use is planned.”

And that current cars built before September 1st are supportive of the roof rack base with the above # 82 71 2 149 225, but that cars after this will not be approved to use these but must have the roof rails and their suited roof bars, and that the safest option is to spec the car with roof rails if anyone thinks they may ever want to use roof accessories. It has been hinted, with the usual vagueness, that roof rails may become an afterfit option. There is no confirmation any of this yet, as it will probably be down to demand ( or complaints ) received.

Naturally, everyone will take this info and do with it what they will, but I thought it was important to add in this info to what has been a very poorly handled issue with the MINI Clubman.

Thanks, Jerrold

Meanwhile, the factory installed roof rails that are shown on the configurator as that $250 option are permanent roof rails. At present ordering them on the 2009 Clubman is the only way to get them. If you feel like it check out this thread: http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151385

What are these rails vs. rack options you speak of?

The new Part Number to order is 82-71-2-149-225.

Cheers, Jason.

I just had the MINI roof rack installed on my 07 R56S this morning by MINI. I had MINI do the installation. I had the car up and over 70mph on the freeway afterwards for quite awhile and heard no additional noise or howling. The shape of the cross bars seems to be specifically designed to eliminate noise. The kit includes black plastic clip in plugs to insert in the permanent slots if you want to remove the rack later. My sunroof is still fully functional with the rack installed.

I have been using a Yakima roof rack since February and grew increasingly dissatisfied with it over time. The clamps hook over the rain gutter and leave marks, eventually start pulling the rain gutter up, and the bottom of the hook actually sits in front of the window so if you open the door faster than the window auto-drops the glass will hit the clamp. Opening or closing your door with the battery dead or disconnected will also cause the glass to hit the clamps. The rubber pads that rest on the roof (the upper end of the C clamp) leave scuff smears that are very hard to remove with wax or polish and actually dug into the paint in one area. The rack also howls like crazy unless you wrap pads around it or buy the optional wind diffuser. If you have a sunroof, it will no longer open with the rack installed. My MPG went down about 5% when the crossbars were left installed, even with the actual bike sled removed.

The Yakima and MINI solutions were all exactly the same price. The MINI rack takes longer to remove, but since it doesn’t make noise, I don’t see myself removing it between my twice-weekly mountain bike rides. The decision is really a no-brainer.

One other option to consider is the rear bike rack. Positives to that solution are that you can carry two bikes and don’t have to lift them up to the roof and you’ll suffer from less wind resistance with the bikes on-board. The downside is that it is the most expensive and requires cutting the bumper and drilling through it to mount. If you have MINI do the installation, it will probably cost double what the roof rack costs. It also won’t be useful for any other cargo purposes.