Review:

FOR a single person or young couple, the nippy zippy Mini hatchback is hard to beat. The problem comes when children appear.
It is an issue that designers have grappled with since the first three-door Mini rolled off the Oxford production line 15 years ago.
So we have the chunky Countryman and a five-door version of the hatchback, but now there is the most spacious Mini yet, the six-door, five seater Clubman.
The spacious cabin is matched by a surprisingly decent boot and plenty of storage, but more importantly the expansion of space is more than matched by an improvement in ride comfort over other models in the range.
Couple that with a nice low, adjustable driving position in supremely comfortable seats and the cabin is an extremely pleasant place to be. Fit and finish are superb and the car oozes an upmarket, sporty feel.
The Clubman is longer and heavier than the three- and five-door Minis, and while not having their kart-like roadholding, it combines a higher level of comfort with a decent dash of Mini-driving fun.
Like the other models, a twist of a switch by the gearshift allows you to move into sport mode, which delivers a little more weight to the steering and makes the accelerator more responsive. A flick in the opposite direction engages the even more economical ‘eco’ driving mode.
Standard specification ranges from satellite navigation and air conditioning, to radio with USB interface and aux-in socket, and Bluetooth phone connection. You also get automatic wipers, automatic dipping headlights and an electric parking brake.
In the middle of the dashboard sits a tea plate-sized screen housing the standard-fit satellite navigation system. The rest of the dashboard exhibits loads of the retro charm which has helped make the hatchback such a success, so you get circular air vents and plenty of illuminated chrome toggle switches.
The split rear doors do create a blindspot in the centre of your rear view, though all-round vision is otherwise excellent.
The Clubman is not being sold in basic One specification in the UK, so the starting price for the range appears high and you need to keep an eye on the wide range of options which can quickly push up the final bill.
And boy is there a chocolate box of temptations on offer. The test car’s so-called ‘excitement’ package gives coloured LED interior lighting and the projection of the Mini logo on to the ground from the exterior mirror on the driver’s side when opening and closing the driver’s door. If you like, you can have backlit door handles, illuminated colour-changing door panels and an alarm system that includes a flashing red LED light integrated into the roof fin antenna.
An electrically-adjustable driver’s seat with memory function is available for the first time in a Mini.