MINI Clubman 2016 Review

MINI Clubman Cooper S
Road Test

If there's any sort of market in this country for small, hard-core sporty wagons that look more at home on a racetrack than in the car park of the local Bunnings MINI no doubt has that niche sewn up with its Clubman Cooper S. New-found practicality, with realistic rear-seat accommodation for adults, and a chassis with some of the rough edges sanded back are two hallmarks of the latest Clubman Cooper S, priced from $42,900 (plus on-road costs).

You can say what you like about the MINI Clubman – about its looks, its affordability, its packaging – but there's no denying it's fun to drive.

Longer in the wheelbase and with some extra sheet metal, it remains, nonetheless, within a hair's breadth of the driveability we've come to appreciate in the three-door MINI and the 5-Door hatch counterpart.

Just like its stablemates, the Clubman is powered by an engine that is quiet unless the driver is letting it rev out with the throttle wide open. Then it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience accompanied by a charismatic soundtrack that will put a smile on the driver's face.

There is plenty of urge everywhere in the rev range, but building from speeds above 3000rpm. Over the course of the week, the Clubman posted an average fuel consumption figure of 9.5L/100km. As we learned from the Clubman's local launch, it can knock two or three litres off that figure on the open road, or it can add a couple of litres when being thrashed.

Shift paddles deliver a rapid response to driver input, but the eight-speed automatic transmission supplied by Aisin will also shift up automatically at the redline, whether or not the driver is using the paddles. The MINI will kick down in most modes, but manual mode will entertain heavy use of the throttle before the automatic changes down another gear. Contrary to impressions gained in a different driving environment for the local launch, the Clubman S felt like it had a gear for every occasion this time around.

Torque steer is prevalent when the engine is giving its all. But the UKL chassis copes with the performance available this time around, and this current MINI won't just leap across three lanes of a freeway if you misapply power in a bend. On a trailing throttle the Clubman turns in very responsively and clips the apex without crossing over into full-blown oversteer. It's a neat handling car that's fun to drive and impressively safe, dynamically. There's plenty of margin for error and the electronic stability control and traction control keep things in check without being too proscriptive. That said, the car tested came with Dynamic Damper Control as a $700 option.

Steering is lighter in the car's Green mode. It gathers weight in Dynamic mode and allows the car to be placed nice and neatly to tackle the next corner. There is some tram-lining in evidence – particularly under brakes, which were strong and the pedal was progressive.

Road noise is the principal source of NVH until speeds climb to the blanket limit, when airflow begins to prevail. Combine that with the car's moderately firm ride – moderate relative to other hot-hatch rivals – and the MINI is not for those who like their cars soft and soggy. Ride and road noise were probably exacerbated by the optional run-flat tyres on 18-inch alloys – both part of the Chili package, priced at $3000.

Despite that, the MINI Clubman in even this specification is not the sort of car that will pound you around the ring in day-to-day driving. It's initially compliant and won't unsettle driver and passengers around town, but does firm up over the sort of larger bumps and potholes frequently encountered on country roads.

Packaging, as explained in the launch review for this car, is more practical than was the case with the previous generation of Clubman. The driving position is fine, with great seats offering form-fitting contours for snugness and support. If there's one way in which the Clubman might appeal to buyers more than a three-door MINI, it's the ease of access and spaciousness in the rear seat. Even with the sunroof fitted (part of the optional Climate Package for $2400) there's adult-friendly headroom. And the Clubman's boot – with its barn doors – is somewhat quirkier than that of the 5-Door Hatch, but still handy in light of the car's footprint.

In keeping with the right-brain nature of MINI, the Clubman shines the brand logo on the ground from the puddle lights. It's something one might expect of a much more expensive car, but not so much in the case of the Clubman Cooper S. While it won't ease tensions between the Pakistanis and the Indians or pass as a cure for cancer, it is a feature that will bring yet another smile to your face.

What might turn that smile into a pout are a couple of minor ergonomic points. Unusual for a BMW design, the single-point controller scrolls the wrong way. Users turn the knob anti-clockwise to scroll down a menu screen. It's literally counter-intuitive.

And the fuel gauge, which is the same as in all current-generation MINIs, is hard to comprehend at a glance. But the idiosyncratic design has been toned down – the speedo is now front and centre, for example, and the new Clubman is altogether roomier.

Now comes the hard part, however. The Cooper S version of the Clubman is getting up there in price – at $42,900 before the on-road costs. Add in the extra-cost options fitted to this vehicle and it's beginning to look an expensive proposition if all you want is a go-fast, front-drive hatch... or wagon if you insist.

But the Clubman is more than that. Few competitors can provide the amenity of a small wagon and the sort of performance and dynamic capability available in the Cooper S variant, meaning there is the potential for a small but lucrative market for the car.

And ultimately it's a car much worthier of buyer consideration than its predecessor.

2016 MINI Clubman Cooper S pricing and specifications:
Price: $56,740 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 141kW/280Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2:  138g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

Also consider:
>> Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 Shooting Brake (from $52,400 plus ORCs)
>> Renault Megane GT220 (from $42,500 plus ORCs)
>> Skoda Octavia RS 162TSI wagon (from $41,390 plus ORCs)