this will be my only car, i'm having a hard time deciding between clubman vs. regular hardtop..? obviously clubman seems more practical, but i prefer the look of the hardtop, the rear styling is a bit odd to me and the stretched look takes away the classic mini beauty imo.. any input appreciated

 

We just picked up Molly yesterday (you have to Name your MINI, you know), take a look in our Gallery. Pre-delivery pics. but I think you'll see that Molly is a Beauty. And so much FUN to drive. Take a Test Drive in both, that will Seal the Deal!!
Good Luck!!

 

I agree test drive both and see which one fit your needs better. You can't go wrong with either one.

 

How much do you need the extra space? Can you live without it? If so, then I think the hardtop may be the better choice; I considered (very briefly) the clubman, but my thought process was: I'm getting the MINI because it's a great looking car and a blast to drive, not because it is practical. Maybe the Clubman would be as much fun to drive as the hardtop, I'm not sure; but in terms of looks, I had to agree with your assessment; this is personal choice, of course; I'm not trying to convince any Clubman owners that their car is inferior to the hardtop! Anyway, I don't have any kids and don't often need to carry a lot of stuff in the car, so I think I can live comfortably with the hardtop. If I wanted practical I would have bought a honda civic....

In addition to the greater expense for the Clubman, my MA told me that they sell the hard top and cabrio at MSRP but that they have an added mark up on Clubman since it is in limited allocation. All in all it seems like it might be as much as a $5000 difference in price.

Of course, you can only get that stunning chocolate color in the Clubman! (and the brown leather is very cool too).

So I guess what I am saying is: write down the pluses and minuses of each option (option meaning "hard top" and "Clubman") and then compare the lists. Sometimes just the process of writing them down helps me realize how much I really want one of the choices.

Good luck, and tell us what you decide on!

Tony

 

Do I have to? Will I be the only one on NAM who doesn't name their car?

 

If you want to modify and / or track your MiNI, I'd go hardtop. If this will be a 100% commuter/road car go with the clubman for its practicality.

 

I don't think you will be the ONLY one, but you WILL be Black Balled!!

 

Drive both models. That's the only way only YOU can decide what's best for YOU.

Donna

 

Why name it, it won't come if I call it...

 

I too thought about a clubman. I carry a lot of sporting gear around and the extra space made sense. But really, I wanted the hardtop, always have. I have a pickup for the gear heavy days and I didn't think the clubman was quite as classy as the hardtop. Time will tell if the model sticks and if it does, perhaps my next MINI will be a clubman.

The allocation limits and extra costs are what really pushed it over the edge for me. The $2k+ extra base cost meant a lot more options on the hardtop model for the same price and there's no way I could have waited as long as some people on this forum are waiting for their clubman!
The dealers with huge markups from MSRP are just crazy (ok, so it's the comsumers who pay the markup who are really crazy!) A $4000 markup, like I was quoted by one dealer is like 15%!!

 

No, I'm not naming my Sparkling Silver beauty even as cool as it will be. I personally don't like naming cars. Seems like bad luck to me. It was hard enough coming up with a name for my cute little dog. Maybe we should start a no named Mini owners club thread .

 

Compared with the coupe, the clubman handles like a station wagon. After all, it is a Cooper station wagon. You just need to decide whether you want a station wagon or a sport coupe.

 

Hmmm... I got to test a Clubman S manual w/ sport and premium packages last week and I was actually pretty surprised how un-station wagon-like it felt. Very close to the MCS hardtop IMO, and really didn't even feel that much heavier. The extra wheelbase seemed to make it feel a bit smoother over potholes/expansion joints and less twitchy on the highway.

The thing that kills the Clubman for me is the van doors in the rear and, to a lesser extent, the C-pillar/ rear styling (I like the wider spaced tailpipes though, reminds me of my R32).

I'd definitely drive both with the same size and type of tires if possible and go from there. There's no denying you get a good bit more space with the Clubman, but you'll probably be losing a few mpg, a couple of tenths on 0-60, and maybe a few mph off of your speed through the twisties in the deal.

 

The clubman is definitely a softer ride, but does not turn in as quickly and has a heavier rear-end feeling through the turns. I don't trust pushing as hard through a turn as I would with a coupe.

 

Agreed