2016 Mini Clubman Review

Bigger for adult-size practicality

The previous generation of the Mini Clubman delivered a wagon-style body on a stretched wheelbase, and it offered rear-seat access through a single, vestigial, passenger-side rear door. The longer wheelbase meant more rear-seat passenger space compared to a conventional two-door Mini coupe, plus it delivered more predictable handling and a more comfortable ride besides. The all-new 2016 Mini Cooper Clubman is still a wagon, but it ditches the ambiguous utility of the departed model with a new pair of adult-size, rear passenger doors. The new 2016 Clubman has also grown in overall length by 12.4 inches over the previous car to 168.3 inches, and it’s now wider by 4.6 inches as well.

Style that you can live with

Inside the cabin, the Clubman is far more livable than ever before, and the driver will particularly enjoy the right-side armrest integrated into the seat. (It doesn’t get in the way of shifting, either.) A larger, more comfortable seat also helps deliver a more relaxed driving position. Meanwhile the seat upholstery of tweed-style cloth and simple leatherette has lots of style, while optional leather upholstery adds premium flair. With the exception of optional backlit color-changing trim exclusive to the Clubman, the switchgear, graphics, and infotainment systems are all carryovers from the rest of the Mini lineup, including the Mini brand’s familiar graphic, “Let’s Motor,” which we have come to know and groan about.

When you do find yourself hauling passengers in the rear bench seat, they will discover the bottom cushion has a rather uncomfortable hard section towards the back, and they may be moaning after just a few highway miles. Meanwhile, the Clubman’s vertically split cargo doors afford excellent access to the cargo area, and Mini claims it’s even possible to load a washing machine back there. There’s also an option that will open the doors remotely by triggering a sensor below the rear bumper with your foot, just like you see in SUVs these days.

Now let’s motor, as they say

The powertrain choices for the Clubman are identical to the Hardtop. The base Cooper Clubman comes with Mini’s 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, which sends 134 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels through either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic. Hop up to the sportier Cooper S Clubman, and the engine transforms into a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that pumps out 189 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. Power from the four-pot is routed to the front wheels through the standard six-speed manual transmission or through the new eight-speed automatic.

During our drive on the rural roads of Georgia’s scenic coast near Savannah, we sampled the Cooper version of the Clubman with a manual transmission, and then spent time in a Cooper S with both the manual and the automatic. Conspicuously absent was the base Cooper Clubman equipped with the six-speed automatic transmission, a powertrain combination likely to become the most popular specification of the Clubman.

With the manual, you are able to wring the power out of the three-cylinder, rendering the base 3,105-pound Clubman reasonably peppy around town, as it gets to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds. Actually, you don’t have to wring out this direct-injection turbocharged engine that hard, as the power peaks at 4,400 rpm and the top 1,000 rpm on the tachometer offer nothing more.

Grand touring in a pint-size container

What the 2016 Mini Cooper Clubman lacks in outright speed is made up for with long-legged motoring that is just right for traveling cross-country. Thanks to its long 105.1-inch wheelbase and wide track, the Clubman is perfectly at home on the Interstate. The front seats are comfortable, and front legroom is ample, and if rear-seat passengers want to accompany you, their age need not be less than their hat size. A whole suite of infotainment toys will also keep everyone occupied.

All of this refinement doesn’t come cheap, however, as the 2016 Mini Cooper Clubman starts at $24,950. Step up to the Cooper S Clubman, and you are responsible for $28,500. Optional extras are endless, with a fully loaded Cooper S Clubman conceivably topping out around the vicinity of $45,000.

The 2016 Mini Clubman might be the least mini Mini, but its growth spurt has made this car a more reasonable wagon-style vehicle than the smaller Hardtop 4 Door. The increase in size has also made the Clubman comfortable, stylish, useable, and mature enough for those who want a slice of the Mini pie yet need something more practical. In short the 2016 Clubman is more like a real car, less like a plaything. Of course, we’re still not sure that a Mini should be practical in the first place. Maybe this is what comes of a brand that sold 302,193 cars worldwide in 2014, which doesn’t seem very mini at all.