Mini Clubman (2007)
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The Mini Clubman is a
subcompact executive car A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars. The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and the b ...
engineered and manufactured by BMW and sold under the
Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
marque. The first-generation Clubman was introduced in 2007, as a variant of the
Mini Hatch The Mini Hatch, stylised as MINI Hatch (or MINI Hardtop in the U.S.), also sold as Mini Cooper, Mini One, or simply called the (BMW) Mini, are a family of retro-styled two-door supermini hatchback and convertible; and (from 2014) a longer, s ...
(Hardtop in the US). A commercial version called Clubvan was added to the range in 2012. The current second-generation model is produced since 2015 and available with front- and
all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one ...
.


History

The use of the name "Clubman" is a departure from Mini tradition. "Clubman" was originally the name given to the 1970s facelift of the classic
Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
, which mostly resulted in a squared-off front end, whereas the classic Mini
estates Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representa ...
had traditionally been named "Traveller" or "Countryman". However, BMW did not initially purchase the rights to use those names, and so decided to call its larger-variant "Clubman", a name which it did own rights to. Sketches of a new estate version of the Mini were shown at the 2000 Paris Motor Show, and a rendering of the estate concept (internally named EXT), wore the Clubman name on the licence plate. The Clubman started out in development based on the first generation Mini Hatch (R50) before changing to the second gen Hatch (R56).


First generation (R55) (2007–2014)


Design

Identical to the 3-door
hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
from the B-pillar forward, the Clubman features a length increased by , an longer wheelbase, increased rear-seat leg room and cargo space deeper by , providing an increased of space – growing from a total of with the rear seats folded. The Clubman model weighs more than its two-door counterpart. The Clubman features access to its cargo space via bi-parting rear doors, known as ''barn doors'' or ''splitdoors''. The passenger doors configuration and split rear cargo doors of the Clubman made it a unique model on the market at the time of release. Also, all Clubman models feature a single backwards opening side door to access the rear seats. The first generation was the first
Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
to have suicide doors, but the second generation lacks them. It is marketed singularly as the ''Clubdoor'', and is always located on its right side of the body – irrespective of market. It is much smaller in comparison to the regular driver and passenger side doors. This in turn creates differences between right and left-hand drive markets. In right-hand markets, the steering wheel won't allow the driver's seat from folding as far forward as the passenger seat. This means that left-hand drive markets feature increased access to the rear seat. For right-hand drive markets, including the car's home market, the bi-parting door is located on the road side of the car, requiring rear passengers to exit into the road.Car Advice - Not so mini new Mini clubman
published 2007.
The model variants are the same as the Hatch/Hardtop version; being in available in One, Cooper, Cooper D, Cooper SD, Cooper S and John Cooper Works (JCW) variations. In 2011, the special edition Hampton was unveiled and comprised a ''Reef Blue'' metallic paint with a black roof, black leather seats, ''Damson Red'' bonnet stripes and interior detailing and Anthracite instruments borrowed from the Mini John Cooper Works. In 2013, the company unveiled the Clubman Bond Street, named after a prestigious shopping destination in the
West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...
, featuring exclusive and stylish appointments inside and out. The colour combination was ''Midnight black'' with ''Cool Champagne'' for the roof.


Specifications

Four-cylinder engine The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categoriz ...
, automatic transmission and manual transmission selections are identical to those used in the corresponding hatchback models, except for the One Diesel which is not offered in the Clubman. The rear suspension setup shares many of the same design features, including the rear
trailing arm A (semi) trailing-arm suspension, sometimes referred to as (semi) trailing-link is a vehicle axle or wheel suspension design in which one or more horizontal arms (or "links"), perpendicular to and forward of the axle, are connecting the axle or ...
s and the anti-roll bars.DRIVE.com.au Mini Clubman wagon revealed
/ref> In 2011 the Peugeot DV6 (Ford DLD-416) engine used in the diesel models was replaced with 1.6L BMW N47 engines. The 2.0L version of the BMW engine appeared for the first time in the range for the Cooper SD versions. The Clubman comes with 6 airbags, stability control, brake assist driving, and electronic brakeforce distribution.


Cargo area

The cargo area of the first generation Clubman received mixed reviews. Although it was far bigger than the
Mini Hatch The Mini Hatch, stylised as MINI Hatch (or MINI Hardtop in the U.S.), also sold as Mini Cooper, Mini One, or simply called the (BMW) Mini, are a family of retro-styled two-door supermini hatchback and convertible; and (from 2014) a longer, s ...
, most critics still believed that it was too small in comparison to one of its main competitors, the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen. Many complaints were also cited about the trunk. The majority of the car behind the
B pillar The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, C'' and (in larger cars such as 4-door stati ...
was said to have created much road noise, especially at high speeds. Also, the rear seats did not fold flat with the load floor of the trunk. Critics also said that the "storage package", which included options such as a 12V power outlet, perimeter lighting, and nets, should have been a standard option on the vehicle.


Clubvan

The light commercial, panel van version of the Clubman was first shown to the public in June 2012, called the Clubvan. Initially shown as a
concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
at the 2012
Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by t ...
, a pre-production version was shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Sales in the US began in early calendar 2013 but it was withdrawn in July with only 50 units sold, the Chicken tax having made it more expensive than a Clubman passenger wagon.


Second generation (F54) (2015–present)

A second generation Clubman was announced in 2013, with model code F54. A concept version was unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, with the production model debuting at the 2015 Frankfurt IAA Motor Show. The new model, based on the BMW UKL2 platform, features more space. At the time of its debut, the Mini Clubman was the largest Mini ever manufactured by the brand, measuring long and it is wider measuring . It abandons the previous model's asymmetrical door layout for a standard four-door design, but it retains the rear barn doors. Mini used many soft-touch plastics to cover the dash and majority of the door panels, real leather upholstery, and several, upscale trim options.


Engines

This generation of the Mini Clubman comes with two engines for the North American market. The basic model comes with the 1.5 liter 3-cylinder engine mated with either a 6-spd manual or 6-spd automatic transmission, while the new Mini Cooper S Clubman comes with a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine and 189 bhp, mated with either a 6-spd manual or 8-spd automatic transmission.


Clubman ALL4

This generation of the Clubman is the first to receive Mini's
all wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one ...
system, known as "ALL4". The system uses an electro-hydraulic system, which uses an electronically managed hydraulic pump to adjust the clutch sending power to the rear wheels. The system can then divert up to 50% of the engine’s power to the rear wheels, and the system actually defaults to AWD from the start, not FWD. Similar to BMW’s Xdrive system, which defaults to a 70/30 split rear to front and is able to divert 100% of power to the rear wheels, ALL4 starts at 50/50 and is able to re-allocate up to 100% of power back to the front wheels. Unlike one of its main competitors, the
Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post ...
Golf Alltrack, the ALL4 version of the Clubman does not feature any raised suspension or rugged exterior design and body panels. Originally when it first arrived at dealerships, the Clubman was only available with ALL4 on the Cooper S model, but as of the 2017 model year, it is now available on the base Cooper model as well.


Vision GT Concept

In 2014, work began on the MINI Clubman VGT, which was designed for the videogame '' Gran Turismo 6''. The car features four-wheel drive and carbon fibre components to save weight, and at nearly 400 horsepower, is one of the most powerful Minis. It was made available to players via an update in February 2015.


In the media

In October 2014, ''Top Gear'' magazine placed the first generation Clubman on its list of "The worst cars you can buy right now", describing the car as "Lamentable to drive - shuddery, messy and as comfortable as a marble mattress." In August 2022, the Clubman gained media attention as the vehicle actress Anne Heche was driving while intoxicated during a series of three automobile crashes in a
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
neighborhood. The final crash, in which Heche drove the vehicle at high speed into a private home, caused a large fire during which she sustained injuries which later proved fatal.


References


External links


Official website
(United Kingdom)

(United States) {{Mini modern timeline Subcompact cars Station wagons Vans Clubman Front-wheel-drive vehicles Retro-style automobiles 2010s cars Cars introduced in 2007 fr:Mini Clubman