2009 Mini Cooper Clubman

Giametta’s Driveway

By Chuck Giametta

2009 Mini Cooper Clubman

Cute, in manly way

What are you driving? The jumbo shrimp of Minis. The Mini Cooper Clubman was added to the lineup of this BMW-owned premium small-car brand in spring 2008. The motive was a more-practical Mini, with more space for cargo and for the two rear passengers. The method was to stretch the diminutive Cooper two-door hatchback by 3.2 inches in wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear axles) and elongate the body by 10.2 inches. The result is still undeniably a Mini Cooper – same melted-stick-of-butter nose, same mesa roofline, same low, athletic crouch and classy detailing. In fact, you could argue the Clubman amps up the Mini charm quotient. Build your case by pointing to its third side door. It’s the “Clubdoor” in Mini-speak, a panel about one-third the length of a front door. It’s on the right side and hinged at the back to open suicide-style -- though not independently of the front door -- to improve rear-seat entry and exit. Bolster your evidence with the Clubman’s two side-hinged cargo doors. They replace the Cooper coupe’s hatchlid. Mini calls them “barn doors,” and they’re just darling. Each has its own tiny window wiper and washer and defroster. They’re carefully perforated to open and close around the taillamps. This is Design, baby. The Clubman in the driveway this week is a base model with a 118-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual transmission.     

How much does it cost? Base price is $20,200. That includes antiskid and traction control, antilock four-wheel disc brakes, and six airbags. Air conditioning and a cooled glovebox are standard. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes. The front seats are manually height adjustable and upholstered in a subtly patterned cloth weave. The rear seatbacks split 50/50 and fold to create a nearly flat load floor. Only the front door windows open; like the mirrors and locks, they’re powered. An outside temperature gauge, remote keyless entry, and alloy wheels round out the primary standard features. The example provided by Mini for this test had the optional Convenience Package ($1,250), which adds push-button ignition, USB iPod and Bluetooth phone connectivity, and rain-sensing wipers. It also was optioned with Mini’s Dual Pane Panoramic Sunroof ($1,000). This puts a power-opening glass panel over the front seats and a stationary glass panel above the rear seat. The optional Cold Weather Package ($500) heats the front seats, mirrors, and windshield washer jets. And 16-inch wheels and tires ($750) replace the standard 15s. The test car’s roof was glossy black, its body a light-cream Mini calls Pepper White. Glued to the hood were a pair of contrasting black “bonnet stripes” that added a sniff of England Swing and $100 to the price. The Clubman is also available as the S model with a 172-horsepower turbocharged four (base price, $23,700) and as the John Cooper Works model with a 208-horsepower turbo four ($30,800). Including the $650 destination charge, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman in the driveway was $24,700.

Is it worth it? Yes. The beauty of the Mini Cooper is that it’s really a class of one. The size suggests fuel-sipping economy car, but price and performance say precision-engineered automobile. No other single car manages to be so exclusive, expressive, urbane, and friendly. Within the Mini family, the Clubman doesn’t quite match the crazed water-bug moves of the shorter, 180-pound-lighter Cooper coupe. And it lacks the al fresco appeal of the Mini convertible, which shares the coupe’s dimensions. But the Clubman is nonetheless a serious driver’s car and by miles the most practical Mini. That’s relative, certainly. If you want practicality in a drum-tight, front-wheel-drive hatchback with European breeding, go for a five-door Volkswagen GTI. The Mini Clubman has a different metabolism, a live-for-the-moment vibe in a car that feels built to last for decades.         

What’s to like? Telepathically accurate steering. Handling free of the nose-heavy pawing that afflicts most front-wheel-drive designs. Fuel economy. Incredible passenger space for a car just 13 feet long only 4-feet, 7-inches tall. Front leg room is particularly impressive thanks to supportive seats that slide rearward remarkably far. Locate them only half-way back, and marvel at how much space back-seaters get. The rear seat cushion is quite firm but generously sized and nicely contoured. Front or rear, you sit low enough for good head clearance, but not so low as to feel buried; lots of side glass and that dual-pane sunroof brighten the cabin. The driver is perfectly positioned before a wonderfully thick-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel. Even with four aboard, there’s room to stand three wheeled suitcases in the Clubman’s richly finished cargo hold. Fold the rear seatbacks and a shopaholic couple on a binge might have trouble filling its 32.8 cubic feet of uninterrupted space. You’ll look for excuses to use those “barn doors,” which swoosh open on miniature hydraulic struts. That touch is typical of details that define the Mini experience. Check out the delicate bracelets of brightwork around the headlights, climate controls arrayed to duplicate Mini’s winged logo, the little chrome dome that releases the glovebox door.

What does it need? Some might pine for a softer suspension, though if you’ve ever been jarred by the rocky ride of a Cooper S or John Cooper Works model, you’ll know a Clubman on 15- or 16-inch tires carpets the road by comparison. You’ll also quickly realize the Clubman needs more than 118 horsepower. Want to zip through traffic? You’ll be desperately seeking torque, shifting gears almost constantly. A linkage that slides easily into every cog would aid the cause. And a dashboard that didn’t sacrifice functionality on the altar of style would help keep your mind on the road. The speedometer, big as a dinner plate, dominates the central instrument panel. It’s an homage to the design of the original 1950s British Mini. But its outlandish scale and dictatorial location displaces many of the switches and buttons that govern the climate and audio systems, the power windows and locks, and other ancillary controls. Worse, most of those controls are shaped to be admired by art students, not used by busy drivers. We get it, Mini. A more conventional dashboard would not dilute Cooper’s impact one bit. That said, we’re willing to live with rear visibility interrupted by a vertical seam thick enough to hide a Harley. Blame the barn door frames, but don’t change them.  

What’s Mini’s opinion? “More than just a car.”

What do you say? Mini is correct, of course. This is the rare, affordable object that’s at once a boutique item and an entirely realistic – even stimulating – everyday transportation device.

Vital statistics

2009 Mini Clubman

• Base price: $20,200

• Price of test car including options and $650 destination fee: $24,700

• Size: 155.8 inches long, 100.3-inch wheelbase, 2,723-pound base curb weight

• Engine: 118 horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder; six-speed manual transmission; front-wheel drive

• Fuel economy: 28 mpg city/ 37 highway (EPA ratings)

• Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles bumper-to-bumper

• Safety ratings: The Mini Cooper Clubman has not yet been tested by the federal government as part of its five-star crash-test program.   

Automotive journalist Chuck Giametta has covered the auto industry for more than 20 years as a newspaper reporter, Executive Auto Editor of Consumer Guide books and magazines, and as Managing Editor of Iguida.com. This test vehicle was provided by the manufacturer.