Boston: Clubman, by Mini, is the perfect size

Boston: Clubman, made by Mini, is the automaker's answer for the segment of the market that wanted the look and handle the Mini Cooper offers, but needed slightly more room. Through the Clubman, Mini answered this need arguably perfectly. The Clubman is significantly more roomy than the Mini yet retains the Mini's distinctive styling, ability to be customized and, most importantly, racecar-like handling.

First and foremost, the Clubman was added to the Mini Cooper lineup for its increase in space. Specifically, the vehicle is ten inches longer that the Mini Cooper. Two and a half inches of additional rear legroom and three and a half cubic feet of cargo space have also been eked out of the Clubman. When laying the back seats down, the rear of the Clubman gives drivers 8.8 more cubic feet of cargo space perfect for road trips out of Boston. Clubman drivers also benefit from an additional door on the passenger side. It opens in an untraditional fashion to the rear of the vehicle and makes ingress and egress for rear seat passengers easier.

For road trips down the coast of Rhode Island, Clubman vehicles are undeniably perfect travel companions. The base model of the vehicle uses a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 118 horsepower. Most consumers of the Clubman, however, will opt to upgrade to the turbocharged S model. The Clubman S' engine offers drivers 172 horsepower. By turbocharging the same four-cylinder engine found in the base model, Clubman vehicles can reach 60 miles per hour from a standstill in under seven seconds.

The handling of the Mini Cooper Clubman is all but the same as the plain Cooper and after all, the driving performance of the vehicle is its most appealing quality. Despite the Clubman's gain in size, drivers do not have to expect a decrease in the performance of the vehicle on the back roads of Rhode Island. Clubman vehicles, thanks to their increase in space and essentially equivalent driving abilities, may actually be more marketable than their smaller Mini siblings.

Inside, the Clubman maintains its sporty feel. The dash controls are big and glow blue at night, aiding to the driver's desire to hug every curve of the road at top speeds. Additionally, new features have been added to the Clubman in order to make both driver and passenger's experience more rewarding. These features include a navigation system, SIRIUS Satellite Radio and HD Radio.

The exterior is as customizable as any Mini Cooper. This feature is distinctly Mini and the company prides themselves on offering a vehicle capable of being in tune to each driver's distinctive personality. Ten base colors are offered and within each base color the mirrors and roof can be one of an additional two or three colors. From here, customers have the choice between several packages that further customize both the look and features of their vehicle.

The base model of the Clubman starts at $21,000 and the S version increases this price by several thousand dollars. The cost to drive the well-handling Minis, however, is very reasonable. Both earn in the high-20s and low-30s for city and highway driving fuel economies. For more information on the Clubman, visit your local Mini dealership in Boston and Rhode Island.

0