Cnet Reviews the MINI Cooper Clubman
Cnet has their chance with the Clubman and Clubman S. Overall they liked it, as well the R56, but they had some reservations.
>There’s no doubt that the Mini Cooper Clubman will have its loyal followers. Its signature Mini styling cues, along with some model-specific features, definitely attract attention. But unless you’re willing to spring for the more powerful engine, be prepared to curse those steep city streets. And for $25k, there are plenty of other cars that could make it up the hill. Although the alternatives might not look as hip.
[ First drive: MINI Cooper Clubman ] Cnet.com
They don’t say if it was the manual or automatic Cooper Clubman. The Clubman isn’t that much heavier than my ’04 MC and the newer engine has a more usable power range, so I’m surprised about the lack of power in the Cooper model. With myself (210lb) and three people, I’ve never been short on power. Do I feel the extra weight? Of course, but it doesn’t slow me down. Even in the White Mountains of NH.
I haven’t driven the Cooper Clubman- the dealer only had an auto available and personally I only want a manual in a sporty 4-cylinder car. The Clubman S was plenty quick though!
Anyone out there with Cooper Clubman experience?
I have driven a Cooper Clubman for the last 3 weeks. It feels the same as the hatchback as far as power….maybe like having an extra person inside. But turn on the sport button, and your gone! And yes, the S is faster, but we are sold out of Cooper Clubmans for the next three months already! I think we have a winner!
I test drove both a Cooper Clubman and a Cooper S Clubman yesterday. While the difference in power was obviously noticeable between the S and non-S, I couldn’t really tell much of a difference between the Cooper Clubman and my R50. It’s actually quite like my car, in that you really do need to work the transmission to keep the car in the power band.
The reviewer mentions that she couldn’t imagine going up San Francisco hills in the Cooper Clubman. I live in San Francisco and have an ’06 Cooper convertible, which is heavier than a Clubman and has less low end torque. I have no problems going up the very steepest hills as long as I shift down (I have a manual). In general, I think that on city streets, driving up steep hills is fine in most cars as long as you have ability to shift down. Where power becomes more of an issue is maintaining freeway speeds on a steep uphill grade.
test drove a Cooper Clubman on the flat roads of Oklahoma City and found it to be dreadfully slow, in general, and more specifically compared to my modded 05 MCS. Can’t imagine driving it around SF…
<blockquote>Marcel Mar 2nd, 2008 Link
test drove a <strong>Cooper</strong> Clubman on the flat roads of Oklahoma City and found it to be dreadfully slow, in general, and more specifically compared to my modded 05 <strong>MCS</strong>. Can’t imagine driving it around SF…</blockquote>
really? You thought a cooper clubman was slower than your MCS??
I never drove the Cooper Clubman but had a brief test drive on a R56 MC automatic. It was OK and the car was reasonably peppy in the manner you would expect a Cooper to drive and feel like.
Originally, I was going to order a Just a Cooper Clubman, but even with a few niceties the price quickly climbed to $26K. I honestly could not justify paying that much money for a car with only 118HP and sub 10 seconds 0-60 speeds. Sure the Cooper is a little lighter and has better fuel economy and it is still a hoot to drive (We don’t have hills here so the point of the article is irrelevant) but to me the Cooper Clubman is not such a hot value, unless you buy a plain basic model and stick with the MFSW.
For an extra $2K, I resubmitted my order and went for the S. I am glad I did!
yes, not a fair comparison I know and I should have stated that… it’s just that the car was, well, so slow I couldn’t believe it…
<blockquote>really? You thought a cooper clubman was slower than your MCS??</blockquote>
Perhaps the extra 150 pounds or so in the Clubman put more strain in the standard motor. I think MINI needs to give the Cooper more power right out of the box, but probably, they fear that if the car has 130-140HP standard, less people will be hard press to justify the $2K-$3K premium of the S model.
One of the promises of the R56’s Prince engine since the beginning of time was that the Cooper would have seen a healthy increase in standard horsepower but that promise never materialized. The standard engine has more torque than the old normal aspirated TRITEC, but still lacks the gusto the Cooper deserves.
Many cars, costing substantially less than the Cooper, have more standard power on tap (In the 130-150HP range).
This is why I believe, the Cooper is no longer the great value it once was.
<p>we own an09 mini and a 2010 clubman both non turbo my wifes little mini is more responsive it has instant power the clubman has a slight lag in power it is really noticeable when I drive her car I have heard this from other owners anybody know why gearing,electronics,??????????</p>