2008 MINI Cooper Clubman Review

Sometimes a Mini is just too mini. Plenty of car buyers lust after a Mini Cooper but find the cramped backseat and minimal cargo capacity too much of a drawback. A potential solution for these frustrated fans is the 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman.

This lengthened Cooper increases rear legroom by 2.5 inches, which is hardly limolike, but every bit helps. The Clubman also adds a passenger-side rear-hinged door to allow rear passengers to make more graceful entries and exits. The cargo area has also grown, with 3.5 added cubic feet of space along with a pair of nifty rear doors that swing outward like those on a cargo van. The visual result of this added length is a Mini that's not quite proportional and even more quirky than its traditional brother. Plus, it's the first car since the old Camry wagon to feature two rear wipers.

Despite its stretched body style (10 inches in total), the Clubman is still all Mini, retaining most of that trademark go-kart handling. The same Cooper and Cooper S trim levels are available, along with their respective engine choices, which are both a significant improvement over the mills they replaced in last year's model redesign. Both are more refined, powerful and substantially more fuel efficient. The base engine is a particularly impressive improvement, and as such, many buyers might find the regular Cooper perfectly adequate for their daily driving needs. The excellent turbocharged engine in the Cooper S Clubman is practically overkill -- it is prone to torque steer -- but speed junkies will love the rush of power it provides.

Powertrains and Performance
The base Cooper Clubman is powered by a 1.6-liter inline-4 that produces 118 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque. The Cooper S raises the bar considerably, packing a turbocharged version of the base Cooper's four-cylinder. It generates a robust 172 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque, and produces a 0-60-mph time of an estimated 6.7 seconds. Both engines come standard with a six-speed manual transmission, while a six-speed automatic with manual shift control is optional.

With the manual transmission, the base Clubman achieves 28 mpg city and 37 mpg highway, while the Cooper S gets 26/34 mpg. Opting for the automatic hurts mileage by about 2 mpg.

© Source: edmunds
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