What's the news?
MINI has released full details and images of its new MINI Clubman, the second generation of the modern interpretation of the original Mini Estate. It's considerably more practical than before.
Exterior
Not only is the new MINI Clubman larger than its predecessor, it's also 270mm longer and 73mm wider than the current MINI 5-door Hatch, and the wheelbase is 100mm longer too. Fans of the quirky door layout of the previous Clubman will be happy to see that the split rear doors (in lieu of a hatchback) are retained, though the light design is completely new for MINI. Few will miss the appallingly impractical 'Clubdoor' of before though, as the new Clubman features two full-sized doors either side of the car.
Interior
With larger exterior dimensions comes a more spacious interior, for passengers and luggage. The Clubman's boot holds 360 litres by default and if the split-fold rear seats are folded flat it swallows up to 1,250 litres of cargo.
Mechanicals
Nothing surprising here if you're familiar with the rest of the current MINI line-up. The Clubman will initially be offered in Cooper, Cooper D and Cooper S guises, with more variants likely to arrive soon after launch. The Cooper Clubman is powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine making 136hp and 220Nm of torque for 0-100km/h in 9.1 seconds, emissions of 118g/km and combined fuel economy of 55.4mpg. The Cooper D Clubman's 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine produces 150hp and 330Nm of torque, enabling 0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds, an emissions rating of 109g/km and official fuel economy of 68.9mpg. At the top of the range - for now - is the Cooper S Clubman, powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with up to 192hp and 280Nm at the driver's disposal. Performance figures include 0-100km/h in 7.2 seconds and a top speed of 229km/h. Emissions are rated at 144g/km and economy is 45.6mpg.
MINI says that the Clubman's suspension set-up is different to the rest of the range and for the first time in a MINI (on the more powerful models) an eight-speed automatic transmission can be specified.
Anything else?
MINI Ireland has now confirmed that the new Clubman will come as standard with satnav, along with the 'Excitement Package', which projects the MINI logo onto the ground near the door when the car is opened. On-the-road pricing starts at €29,560 for the Cooper Clubman, rising to €32,570 for the Cooper D and €35,760 for the Cooper S model. First deliveries of the new MINI Clubman should take place before the end of 2015.