What's the news?
MINI has facelifted its Mk2 Clubman for the 2019 model year and beyond, and here's the rundown on the newcomer.
Exterior
Perhaps the most obvious change for the updated MINI Clubman is the adoption of the divisive Union Flag-themed rear LED light clusters, as seen first of all on the Hatchback model. Up front, MINI says the grille now 'extends across the entire bumper', but in simpler terms what has happened is that the solid crossbar of the pre-facelift model has been dropped for a hexagonal-pattern grille.
Adaptive LED headlights with a Matrix function are adopted in the Clubman's tech repertoire, while the design of the circular headlamps has been modified. Beyond this, three new colours are added to the palette - these being Summer Red metallic, British Racing Green metallic and MINI Yours Enigmatic Black metallic - while there are some new designs of the larger 18- and 19-inch wheels; standard sizes are 16s and 17s.
Interior
Little has changed inside, so there's the same 360- to 1,250-litre boot and classy dashboard architecture. Navigation now comes as standard on all Clubmans, with an 8.8-inch touch display offered.
Mechanicals
MINI will kick off the updated Clubman range with three models: the petrol Cooper Clubman, with a 136hp, 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine delivering 0-100km/h in 9.2 seconds, a top speed of 204km/h, fuel economy of up to 53.3mpg (5.3 litres/100km) and CO2 emissions as low as 120g/km; then there's the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder Cooper S, also powered by a petrol engine, with 192hp, a 7.3-second 0-100km/h time, a 229km/h top speed, up to 51.4mpg (5.5 litres/100km) and CO2 as low as 125g/km; and then a solitary diesel, the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder Cooper D Clubman, delivering 150hp, 0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds, 212km/h flat out, 67.3mpg (4.2 litres/100km) and 111g/km CO2.
Transmissions will be the standard six-speed manual, with a seven-speed Steptronic dual-clutch auto as an option. A Sports version of this gearbox, with paddles, can be specified on the Cooper S, and in most instances the automatic makes the relevant Clubman slightly cleaner for emissions/better on fuel, as well as more accelerative in certain instances.
Alongside this, a new Sports suspension package will be offered, which drops the ride height by 10mm, while two-stage adaptive dampers will be on the options list - these can vary between Comfort (Normal) and Sport settings.
Anything else?
No prices for Ireland have yet been confirmed for the facelifted MINI Clubman, but we'd expect a slight increase from the outgoing car's €29,830 ticket, meaning a list beginning beyond 30 grand.