Leftlane Reviews the Clubman
Our friend Gary Anderson recently wrote a review for Leftlanenews.com that’s worth a read for both the diehard Clubman fan or the skeptic. Here’s an excerpt:
>If you’ve been intriqued with the cute look of the new MINI, but just couldn’t justify it because it just wasn’t suitable as a family car or practical all-purpose daily driver, the Clubman is definitely worth a closer look. All you need to decide is whether you’re going for performance or economy in your purchase, to help you decide whether to opt for a manual-transmission turbocharged Clubman S Clubman, or at the other extreme, an automatic transmission Clubman.
>No matter which you select, you can be sure of three things. The design will be unique, the MINI you order will express your individuality, and you’ll have a car that handles more like a go-kart than anything else that nearly as practical on the road today.
+ Review: MINI Clubman & Clubman S / Leftlane
“Optional sport button”?
The Sport Button is optional in Europe and other markets around the world. However it is standard on US/Canadian spec MINIs.
Ah, thanks. Pity it’s needed here.
I still find all this talk about how hard it is for average sized adults to sit comfortably in the Clubman weird and I don’t know where it comes from.
At a launch party we had adults of all sizes in the front and the back simultaneously and the unanimous conclusion was that there was ample room in the back.
I agree Matt. The Clubman has a roomier interior than the standard coupe. There is more shoulder room out in the back seat because the rear wheels don’t intrude as much into the cabin as in the standard card. I was able to fit a full size Britax Boulevard convertible car seat in the back of the Clubman with no problems. The same seat has a harder time fitting in the back of my R53 becuase there is about an inch or so less shoulder room in the rear seat.
If my 6’3″father in law can comfortably ride in the back of my R53 S, there is no doubt he’ll be much happier riding in the back of the Clubman.
Are these reviewers 7 foot giants or something?
When I sat in the back here at the Nick Alexander MINI ZUG launch here in La La Land I had a 6ft’r in the drivers seat, I’m 5’8″, I was behind him seemed okeydokey to me. It’s not 1964 Lincoln Towne car but reasonable.
I’d expect the criticism re leg room in the rear from US writers used to sitting in stupidly large SUV’s but the euro writers also seem to make the same points on occasion. I just don’t get it.
I appreciate the question regarding the “sports button” and C4 may very well be right, but here’s what was written in the press release that was distributed at the press launch:
“Should the driver wish to enjoy even more dynamic performance, all he or she has to do is press the optional sports button for an even faster electronically controlled gearshift.”
Granted, the English language press release leaves MUCH to be desired, having obviously been written by a German engineer and then translated into English by a German colleague (apparently, the U.S. PR department is not allowed to change the wording in these releases, even though it goes out under their names).
The sport or sports button is not listed in the U.S. price lists, so C4 is probably correct.
Cheers
Gary Anderson