I recently bought a 2010 MCS, but I'm starting to feel that I should have bought a Clubman S instead. I'm find the boot being just to small to be useful and with a 3 year old in the back and a 13 year in the front it does't make for a lot of extra room and putting the 13 year old in the backseat so the entire family can take a trip just doesn't seem fair.

So, I'd like to hear from others that have owned a Cooper and a Clubman. Is the back seat and boot space a big enough change to consider selling a MCS and getting a Clubman S?

Also are the rims and tire sizes the same on both?

 

I've got both. Sounds like you would reap the advantages of having the Clubman. The space isn't drastic but it makes all the difference. When you get a chance pass by your dealer with your 13 yo and step inside of one. Rims/Tires are the same.

 

I have the clubman, And two of my friends, one 6'1" and 215 or so and another 6'2" and 325+ can sit in the front/rear respectively. Is tight, but I would imagine undo able with any less room.

The other day I had lent my Tacoma to a friend but still wanted to go mountain biking with my wife. We put both of our full size mountain bikes in the back and they fit. We did have to slide our seats forward a little.

I got the clubman since my wife and I want to start our family soon and it seemed like it would be way easier accessing a child seat through with the 3rd door.

 

I have a Clubman S and prefer the look of it. The Clubman offers just a tad more room, but not by very much. The benefit is when you fold the rear seats down. I'd take a closer look at a clubman before making the jump. Maybe take your MCS to a dealer and ask to compare the two side by side and see what extra space you get after loading one up with all the stuff you need to haul.

I'll echo what Jprime84 said. The side door helps tremendously with accessing the rear seats.

 

The back seat of the Clubman is far more comfortable than the R56. It's only 9 inches longer I believe, but a few inches makes all the difference. In my old R53, I ended up taking the rear seats out because no one could realistically fit back there. The Clubman can comfortably fit 4 for long trips.

The wheels/tires are the same.

 

I had to haul 5 people (3 men 2 women), along with handbags, flowers and suit coats back from a wedding a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't imagine being able to do that with a standard MINI.

 

Wow... sardine can

 

I love my Clubman S and every time I got an MCS as a loaner I can feel that I lost some of the cargo room in the boot. That added 9-12 inches helped a lot.

 

Some great feedback, thanks! Haven't seen to many for sale lately around me, but guess I'll have to keep an eye out for a Clubman S. I was looking and most of the mods I've done to my '10 MCS will swap right over to a '10 or below Clubman S, so thats good news as well.

 

The clubman is just proportioned wrong for my tastes. Get a Countryman. Its like a blown up hatch and looks great!

 

Bought a clubman s becouse I have a daughter and I love the extra space it has. And I like the looks better than standard MINI. Extra door on the right helps with children enormously.

 

I bought a Clubman S instead of an R56-S for the reasons mentioned here, plus I like the dimensions as well if not better than an R56 (but then, I've always loved Morris Minor and Mini Travelers).

The Clubdoor makes a BIG difference in getting kids in and out, the extra space allows the R55 to be an everyday car, and the handling and performance are virtually indistinguishable between the R55-S and R56-S.

My only regret is that I wasn't in the financial position to get the JCW-R55. More is better.

 

I know plenty of people hate them and think they're an abomination, but as someone who just got his Countryman S last week, you should at least give it a test drive. You'll lose a little of the 'fun' from a hardtop/clubman, but gain a ton of practicality. And I'd say the Countryman S is more fun to drive than a 'Justa' Hardtop. I really can't recommend it more highly.

 

How'd ya do that? I thought it only has 4 seats, like the R56? When we were shopping, my wife and I both liked the extra utility of the Clubman, but we (my wife especially) couldn't get passed the look. It just looked odd to us. We've got 3 kids, so we wouldn't be able to take all 5 out no matter what anyway. I have taken all my kids out without my wife. My oldest is 8, he was in the front seat. I have 5 year old twins, who were in the back. They fit back there, but barely. I had to slide my seat forward to give my son room for his feet. No way an adult could sit back there.

 

Roof rack.

 

I traded my 6 month old 2010 hatch for a 2011 Clubman to get the extra rear space for our little girl's car seat and haven't regretted it once. The extra space in the back seat makes a big difference and the club door makes getting her in and out of the back so much easier (easier than my wife's four door Kia - you get more room to maneuver through the big door opening).