Pick one up to read about it.

 

The article is on the public side of their web site.

WSJ Clubman Review

 

Why do they complain about premium fuel still? Really, the difference in CA is less than 5%! It wasn't a factor before and now it's not at all a factor.

 

It's the same with the reviewers who complain about the Clubbie's back doors, They have no idea how functional they are. Wife much prefers her barn doors to my hatch. The media has to complain about something, so they do.

 

Actually, the barn doors do bug me.

 

BGDC, the WSJournal would complain if we got free gas.

I'm happy every time I fill up.
I keep repeating, "Over 30 mpg!"
The last time I gassed up, a SUV owner was filling up before me and was still there when I left. I yelled, "43 MPG!" at her as I left. Sure, it wasn't accurate, but mad her think about her one person land yacht.

 

The pillar is what bothers me about the barn doors. It's a good thing I spend most of my time looking at where I'm going rather than where I've been.

As doors, they're fine, so far. I've only opened them twice, and have not yet loaded/unloaded anything.

Curious about how my mpg will evolve. After 60 miles, I'm at 27 and change. I expect better.

This review was less nit-picky than most. I don't remember him mentioning the dashboard controls and such. They usually do.

I find it hard to compare the Clubman to the others that WSJ sites. To me, the direct comparisons are the Mazda3 crowd. Hard to compare to other subcompacts like Yaris or Fit after you drive them and drive the Clubby. I guess they are in the running if mpg is your only measurement.

 

The reviewer really doesn't understand that the Clubman is an excellently produced vehicle. I don't feel as though I am driving a small car, I feel like I am driving a substantial vehicle right on par with the XUV's and other sports cars. I pass all of those on the round and Grin that I get all the same performance, "space" with great mpg! The barn doors are not an issue any more, kinda forget that there is a split there..can see very well out the back.
Just returned from a 400 mile round trip - found the "sweet spot" for mpg - just below 3,000 rpm, and around 60 ish.. saw that mpg climb, averaged 38.9 mpg with and average of 44.6 mph (long 4 lane highway through southern Maryland, hwy 13, with lights and changes in speed - 55 - 45 - 35).
Found that when I "goosed" the peddle the mpg dropped a couple of tenths, and then rebounded!

 

I have a Scion xB, and it has the lift-back, which is more of a pain. My kids cant open the xb's rear (or much less close it). I find the mini's barn door's to be perfect, since 80% of the time I only need to open 1 side to plop in my computer bag for work. I think the barn doors work better in tight spaces, the xb's lift gate does require more space around it, especially in the garage where sometimes I may not have not pulled in enough to swing it open without hitting the garage door.

 

I think that is one of the better reviews that I have read of the Clubman. All I can say is that I love the car. I love the barn doors, the gas mileage, and the way the car drives. Right now we are getting about 35mpg so I really can not complain.

 

My favorite part about the article is the comparison chart of all the cars at the bottom of the page. I noticed that, with the exception of the Nissan Versa, the Clubman has the most powerful engine, weighs the most, but still yields the best fuel economy, and is undoubtedly the most fun to drive. Sure it costs 4,000-8,000 more than all those other cars. But that's pretty neat!