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At 10 inches longer and 7 inches wider than the current Clubman, this really is the Maxi Mini. And it’s got two extra doors. While officially a concept, you can bet that this is making it into production.
26 Comments on “Geneva 2014: MINI Clubman Concept...”
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So basically a 2 Series “Active Tourer” in a different body?
So basically a 2 Series “Active Tourer” in a different body?
I have the good fortune to own a 2004 Cooper S which the excellent indipendant shop I use tells me is the year with the fewest problems (which by me is true only a right control arm and a leaking engine mount have needed to be replaced As victims of the pot hole derby over the last ten years)
What I am hearing from newer MINI owners is that the out of warenty problems have been growing year by year and this concept does not give me any confidence that they are moving from a proliferation of models to concentrating on the engineering to address the perceived drop in quality over the last few years.
I’m having flashbacks of the Fiat 500L I drove. This thing has a seriously deep curve to the windshield
Don’t call it a wagon.
I don’t want a 4-door Clubman, but I’m glad to see they kept the barn doors on the back. Still, too damn big.
I wonder if the larger Mini is a response to the Sergio challenge, with the 500L? I wonder when we’ll see the “Mini-Major Clubman” (after the Morris-Minor/Major) and the Fiat 500XL?
Well I like the CLUBMAN script across it, that’s very British. Like the exterior door handles, and the wheels too, although the vogues are a bit much.
But seriously WTF with the interior – suede, felt, plood, baby blue?
I think the interior may be so bad it’s good. But seriously I haven’t seen that color blue fabric since my parents got rid of their 1980s couch in the living room.
If this is a Maxi-Mini, what the heck is the point of the Countryman? Has that been axed?
Also, a few months ago I saw something called a Paceman, or similar. What is its purpose?
Think of it as a matrix. Across the top you have ride height (car, CUV), long the side you have number of doors (2 or 4).
Cooper – Paceman
Clubman – Countryman
One could argue that you only need the Cooper and the Countryman, but I do like the wagon form factor of the Clubman. The Paceman is just the worst of both worlds.
Other than the barn doors, I love it. Give it GTI fighting power and it will be a great little ride without all of the compromise that comes with the hardtop coupe. Even when my wife and I were a couple of DINKs, we always took my 4 door GTI everywhere instead of her 2 door MINI. This gives you all the goodness of the Countryman without all the Outback ride height badness.
I read this morning that the UK government is considering a sugar tax to arrest the waistline bloat in that country. Looks like it can’t come soon enough for MINI.
JFC, seven inches wider?
It gives a nod to the old M5s with wheels that from a distance look less like low profiles and more like whitewalls.
They ARE whitewalls.
Oh. Thanks. I nod now. Nodding no.
For very particular values of “wall”.
(More like “They ARE whitestripes.”)
A Clubman was in front of me the other day. Mini should be sued for crimes against Truth in Advertising. The way their products are growing Hummer should be worried.
I find this much more appealing than the Countryman.
Oh! Daddy like. Just ditch that wheel and tire package, tone down the interior, and make it drive like a MINI.
Hmmmm. A stretched MINI that’s not quite a Ford Flex. It looks good.
It’s very German looking. And that’s not a compliment for a Mini. BMW either ought to sell Mini to a company that would do it right (JLR?) or hire some Brits to style it. The Mini Mk2 was largely designed by Rover in the UK this looks like a Ford Flex designer styled it in California….
I wonder if it is going to impact MINI prestige that they are all three-bangers going forward. I think BMW is right about that being the optimal number of pistons for a 1.5L, but still.
Buick called, they want their Enclave taillights back.
This does look a lot like the Chevrolet Nomad concept car (both the ’54 and ’04 ) With a touch of Ford (the last Thunderbird with a Ford Flex roof/rear) I think it looks great apart from the silly rear doors and ugly tail lights though. And offcourse, it’s hardly a Mini, but which one of the Minis really are…