MINI Clubman goes maxi

After the now commonplace leaking of official images that seems to accompany almost all significant car premieres nowadays, MINI has come clean with details on its newest model, the resurrected Clubman, which takes the cake as the biggest MINI yet.

Pitched as a lifestyle vehicle that offers customers more room than a regular three- or five-door MINI Cooper hatch, the Clubman is one of the few vehicles available with six doors, by virtue of its retro barn-style rear tailgate.

Fans of the original Clubman may be forlorn to hear that car's quirky five-door layout -- which comprised just one rear door on the driver's side -- has been scrapped, but in a practical sense it should be far superior.

Previewed in February 2014 as the Clubman Concept, the new compact premium car has been dubbed by its creators as a "new interpretation" of the traditional shooting brake body style — vehicles that were traditionally used by aristocratic hunters. The brake part refers to a simple chassis or wheeled sled, for the record.

As such it features a long, wagon-like body but in reality its proportions are still city-friendly. The Clubman is shorter than most small hatcbacks – Toyota Corolla (4.33m), Mazda3 (4.46m) et al – at just 4.25 metres long. However it is longer than its sub-four-metre predecessor by a whopping 56cm (4253mm v 3690mm), meaning more space for passengers than before.

In fact, the new Clubman is the longest MINI ever —longer than the 4.1-metre Countryman, which is currently the biggest MINI offered here. Inside, the bigger, bolder Clubman also features five seats and a 360-litre boot that expands when the rear 40:20:40-split bench seat is flattened.

BMW Australia spokesman Simon Chiarelli said the car will be arriving in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2015 but that he was "not in a position to comment on the specifics of the Clubman range at this stage".

It's likely that a three-tiered approach will eventuate, meaning the entry-level Cooper Clubman will pack one of the best engines in the current MINI (and BMW) range -- a three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine. It pumps out a healthy 100kW and 220Nm but uses just 5.3 litres of fuel per 100km travelled.

The other two models are expected to be the MINI Cooper D Clubman and Cooper S Clubman. Both get larger four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo engines and, for the former, the D stands for a turbo-diesel, which is even more miserly than the entry-level model above, drinking fuel at a rate of 4.4L/100km. It also develops more power and torque, to the tune of 110kW and 330Nm.

Lastly there's the tyre-frying Cooper S Clubman that gets a 141kW/300Nm turbo-petrol powerplant that propels the 'shooting brake' to 100km/h in 7.1 seconds — very much hot hatch territory. It has a top speed of 228km/h and uses fuel at an average rate of 6.3L/100km.

All models will be offered with six-speed manual or automatic transmissions, with an eight-speed auto offered in the Cooper S Clubman models.

Like all MINIs, customisation will be a big part of the eccentric new Clubman, with everything from sports seats and a Harman Kardon stereo, to aero bodywork, chrome accents and "decorative surfaces" on offer inside and out.

A number of connectivity options will also be available with the fitment of a SIM card, including exclusive functions like Mission Control and Dynamic Music, along with regulars like Spotify, GoPro, TuneIn radio and Napster.

While the MINI Countryman is priced from $31,450 in Australia, Clubman is a niche product and considering it was priced from $37,250 for the asthmatic non-turbo 1.6-litre model in 2012, it's likely to command a hefty premium over other MINIs – particularly as it's now the roomiest model in the range.

With the arrival of the Clubman, the MINI range will consolidated to just five models in due course, with the Paceman expected to be axed along with the Coupe and Roadster.