One of the more interestingly written reviews I’ve seen in a while. This time, by a few of the interns at Jalopnik.com, who didn’t really care for the ’09 Clubman with automatic transmission.

>The strong hoonage quotient promised by the turbocharged 172 HP four-cylinder and a chassis overflowing with Bruce pushed us to nail the progress pedal to the floor despite ever-tightening road geometry. The MINI responded with its best Mr. Plow impersonation and we promptly ended up on the gravel shoulder. Something was amiss. The standard-issue MINI Cooper S would consume such a surface like a German inhales a liter of Hofbräu during Oktoberfest.

This is the first time I’ve seen anything negative written about the handling of a MINI. I’ve driven a Clubman and thought it handled almost exactly the same as an R56.

Of course, they also aren’t keen on the ride, which we should be used to reading about by now. And, they finish off with some not-so-kind words about why you should or should not buy the Clubman.

>You’re extremely wealthy and like small cars. You never liked going around corners that much anyways. The most exciting thing that could possibly happen to you in the course of a day is spotting another Mini in exactly the same color and getting the driver of it to wave feverishly at you. You used to have a regular Mini, but now you have a small dog.

Be sure to read all three parts.

[ 2009 MINI Cooper Clubman S ] Jalopnik.com