Sup everybody,

My name is Kelly 32 year old Army guy stationed in Tucson AZ. I'm a big car guy and avid Mazda Rotary enthusiast. My love for cars has spilled over to my beautiful wife of 10 years. She has been there for all my car experiences. When I owned 2 RX7’s at one point. We are a military family and we move around a lot. We have a nine-month son and such a joy to have.

We own a 2013 Mazda 6 and my 1976 Mazda Cosmo. My wife and I went to test drive the Mini's at our local Mini dealership here in Tucson. I must say remembering when they came back in to the world I was very interested with the little car. We test fitted the coupe with our sons car seat a big no no obviously not enough room. We then looked at the Clubman and test-drove a 2010 Clubman S. Was very impressed by the handling and the snappy manual gearbox and the fact that our son fit just fine in the back (Chico KeyFit 30). I'm new to Mini's but not new to the forum scene so I have done some research.

So my big question and expertise I need is. Is the Countryman/Clubman a good fit for our family?

 

Welcome to NAM, zionfarm. Nice to have you with us.

In answer to your question regarding the Countryman/Clubman, I can speak to the Clubman because it is the other MINI in my household. It certainly accommodates trips to the grocery store, your local big box store and a road trip for four, but whether this would be a "good" family car would be up to how large that family of yours might get. The fifth passenger side door makes getting in and out of the back seat easy but I'm not sure how easy it would be fussing with a child's car seat. The drive, handling and overall performance is great. The question to whether the Clubman is a good fit for a family is questionable based on how you plan on using the vehicle.

 

Are you planning on keeping the other 2 cars?

 

Former US Army JAG officer here!

Welcome to the forum! I'm a newbie awaiting his first Roadster S and, therefore, no expert on MINI selection. I researched MINI thoroughly and feel very comfortable with my purchase. You must decide which model accommodates your family needs best. If you buy, I encourage you to wave at all MINI owners you encounter on the road.

 

Wow quick response guys thx. Our family will not be getting any bigger we are only having one child. The car seat was not a big fuss for me getting in and out of the back. When we test drove the Clubman my son was behind the sales guy in the passenger seat and wife was behind me. We are not a tall family and the sales guy was around 5'11" and looked pretty comfortable sitting there.

 

I will be keeping my Cosmo. May sound weird and not practical but we will be trading in the Mazda 6.

 

it depends on what your plans are with the Mini. I'm 6' 180lbs, wife, and 2 girls 15 and 13 years old. My toy is a 1st gen 05 MCS JCW. I prefer the R53 but I like the go-kart feel of the car and like the orig look of the Mini. We also have a Toyota Matrix that is my commuter car and grocery store car. Make sure you are aware of the issues of the model you buy. Check out MotoringFile website which has reviews of each model.

 

Some friends of mine own a Hampton Edition Clubman. I'm 6'1" and fit fine in their back seat with my cowboy boots on. The Clubman keeps up with our local club drives with ease, makes a fine long distance cruiser, and keeps impressing me with what it can haul or carry on top. I guess you could say I'm a Clubman fan!

Test drive the Countryman All 4 S with a manual transmission. Compare it to the Clubman. Size, comfort, function for you and yours...both serve a purpose to those who need the space, and are good daily drivers!

 

Thank you everybody I will keep all this good advice in my back pocket