Motortrend finally gets behind the wheel of a Clubman:

>Same goes for handling. Overall, the Clubman S feels no different through a smorgasbord of cornering situations from the new Cooper S we just added to our long-term test fleet. One major difference in the Clubman’s driving persona is ride comfort. Those three-plus inches of additional wheelbase really smooth out the standard Mini’s tendency to hop on bad pavement, over railroad crossings, and the like. It’s a dramatic improvement, and one that, combined with all the extra room, makes the Clubman a much happier long-distance car than the short-wheelbase model.

The rest of the review is just as positive except for one, minor thing.

>The car’s only other maddening trait, also shared with non-Clubmans, is the HVAC system’s too small, too slippery, and just poorly designed fan and heat/cool controls. The tiny, click up-and-down fan switch is slick plastic and practically requires long fingernails to operate. Wearing gloves? Forget it. Why not some large, knurled knobs? And much of the center-stack lettering is too small. These are two instances where function followed form, and Mini ought to get to fixing them. Now.

At least they have stopped complaining about the speedo.

[ First Drive: 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman S ] Motortrend.com