APRIL 2019 | GET TWO YEARS OF CAR FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK 139
wheelbase and extra 185kg of heft
versus a three-door Mini, but it
feels pointy and poised and the
ride is good. While the 134bhp 1.5
is no powerhouse, it’s fairly light
on lag and torquey. A good thing,
as the gearchange is notchier
than Russell Brand’s bedpost.
Other gripes include numerous
buttons mounted too low on
the centre console, a stop-start
system that sends so much judder
through the car I always deac-
tivated it, and the woeful rear
visibility caused by those special
back doors. They just seemed like
a gimmick too far.
But the Clubman is no
gimmick. Underneath that Mini
mask is a proper family car that’s
great to drive and just about
sensible enough to work as family
wheels. Perfect for grown-ups
who don’t want to.
@chrischiltoncar
Cowley makes
200,00-plus cars a
year, 80 per cent of
them for export
Mini Clubman Cooper
Month 7
The story so far
Previous Clubbie was an
oddball. This one’s gone
straight to take on the Golf.
Can it cut it as family wheels?
+Mini character intact;
surprisingly practical; good
ride; quiet
- Rear visibility; jerky
stop-start; ergonomics;
gearchange
Price £21,085 (£29,805 as
tested) Performance 1499cc
turbo triple, 134bhp, 9.2sec
0-62mph, 127mph Efficiency
40.9mpg (official), 37.7mpg
(tested), 131g/km C02 Energy
cost 15p per mile Miles this
month 1556 Total miles 10,524
Logbook
Hatch, cabrio
and Clubman
are made in
the same plant;
Mini EV joins
them soon
Our cars
Count the cost
Cost new £29,085 Private sale
£16,586 Part-exchange £15,756
Cost per mile 15.3p Cost per mile
including depreciation £1.55
Hit the extras and
your Cooper will
cost more than a
Cooper S – by £5k
in our case
Simon Thompson