I have an fjcruiser. With regard to the rear suicide door, the issue won't be banging it against another car- it's being trapped between the front and rear door, but since the mini is so much smaller, it shouldn't be that big a deal- just leave a little more parking room on the passenger side.

 

I like it. Thanks for the photos. I don't want one with all wheel drive.

 

Ok, so you leave more parking room on the passenger side...that might solve the problem on that side. But you're still screwed on the driver's side (more so, now).

Plus, another problem with suicide doors on the driver's side: no one can get out of the back seat on that side unless you open your door first. Not easy to drop people off.

I don't want to discourage anyone from getting a Clubman if you're into it--I just encourage folks to really find out how irritating these doors can be before you buy. They are advertised as an accessory, but I find they are more often a pain than an asset once you own them. If you're not bothered, great. Have fun. I do really like the cholcolate color.

 

And how easy is it for folks to get out of the back seat of any 2 door vehicle in general and the MINI in particular? There are more reasons for wanting a Clubman than the third door - some folks need or want a bit more room. Until one can actually see, touch, and drive a Clubman, all of the speculation is just that, speculation.

 

Sounds fair.

 

I really love the Clubman and the way it looks, but the more I look at and disect the rear 50% of the car I realize that it does not offer THAT much more over the current coupe space wise. The rear might be still a pain to get in and out of, as the 3rd door looks a bit clumsy. And while MINI noted that they are NOT marketing the car towards families with small kids, it should be ideal for someone with a newborn or the like ... but ...

The rear cargo space seems plentiful but again, not too significant over what we have now .. and all us current coupe owners know that if need be, we can pack things in the coupe quite nicely with the seats folded.

Again love the car, but fail to see the big advantage of it over the coupe.

 

Im considering the Clubman. what im not sure i get about the suicide door is that its shorter than the front door, seems like you would have more of a problem opening the front door than the suicide door , if someone was parked next to you. I have 3 kids and Im hoping to maybe get 3 car seats in the back so the whole family can motor together. If that doesnt work then Im getting my wife a regular mini and we will split the kids up and motor in seperate cars. I heard a rumor that the EU version gets a bench seat in the back, but US version stays with 2 buckets.

 

Stand back nay-sayers, I think the clubman looks hot. I woulnt go with a contrasting roof though, I like the way they look in one solid color. But They Are Hot.

 

From the front I think the Clubman looks great. I love the idea of a longer wagon-esque MINI (even though in practice it doesn't really provide that much extra passenger space in the back seat). It takes the front end of the R56 and with a longer body makes it look a little more proportional IMO. However, the back is hideous. What's worse is that the whole C Pillar/bumpers must be either black or silver so unless you have an Astro Black MINI, it will still look a little off. I'm also not a fan of the tail light design. For months MINI kept the rear covered in all the spy shots and once it finally got uncovered it is a big mess! Again, I really like concept of the clubman and they got 3/4 of it right, but some the rear needs some adjusting.

 

I'm just not loving the name of the doors! Do we really have to refer to them as "suicide doors"??

 

That is the traditional name for that type of door: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_door
Wikipedia has already added the Clubman to its list of cars with suicide doors.

 

WOW!
CAN'T BELIEVE IT LOOKS THAT GOOD!
GOOD JOB MINI! LOL
CAN'T STOP DROOLING!

 

This is a real Clubman

 

I think it looks ok, but the Mini is an icon and I hate to see them start branching out. If I want a bigger car I'll go get an X3. I say leave the Mini the way it is....the One and Only!

 

YES!!!!! This is close to what my hubby drove in high school. The current clubman . . . I like the front, back doesn't bug me, but the elongation kind of makes it look like a gangsta mobile. Hubby doesn't mind the sides, but HATES the back with the silver trim. If they offer it with wood, he'll get one, though.

 

Actually, no, that isn't the Clubman. That's a Countryman (albeit a really nice one!)

This is a Clubman...


and the Clubman Estate...

 

I personally like the Clubby, I'm the first on the list with my deposit down at Downtown MINI in Orlando. I currently have an 05 MCSc, 06 MC, and a 67 Austin Mini RHD. My wife and I are planning on selling the 06 MC to get the Clubman. Here is the problem, if MINI does not offer those C pillars in body color, I doubt I will end up getting one. We want Astro Black, but according to MINI UK's configurator, you can only get AB with silver C pillars. That to me is just rediculous. The other color I like is Pure Silver, again, according the configurator, if you choose PS, you have to have black C pillars and the black bumper trim. If this is what MINI is going to do, I will forget the whole idea of getting it and I will ask for my deposit back. The reasoning of why we wanted to get the Clubman is because we are planning on having a kid next year. So if I don't get the Clubby, does the R56 have a tad more room in it? I'm not sure how R53 owners can fit a kid and stroller in the car. Any R56 owners out there that had the previous generation and can vouch for having more room, especially in the back?

 

Everything I've seen indicates that the C pillar can only be ordered in a contrasting color. Maybe MINIUSA will be different, but I wouldn't count on it. Why not just get replacement C pillar and bumper trim pieces in the color you want, or have a body shop paint them? Rejecting the car completely for this reason seems rather extreme, when the problem is relatively easy to "fix".

 

One of the cooler options is the silver roof, stripes, and mirror combo. Here's a couple of interesting color choices that I find I like because they're so odd.

 

brown and silver....awesome (besides that ugly c-pillar )

PW and silver....now that will look ODD if I'm imagining it right:impatient

 

I am with Rally. all for the brown and silver sans the silver C pillar. the car has enough accents (all the lighting, door handles, wheels, grill trim. It doesnt need the C pillar, its just too much IMO

 

Yeah, the rear is really ugly. someone needs to stop smoking the rock and make mini's look nice again.

R56 is my favorite look with chromeline. That's why I have one. new 07 went the plain and simplified way a bit too much. However, 07 MCS rear looks really neat.

 

here's a Mini international website that fetures the Clubman http://www.mini.com/clubman

 

Found this a couple of days ago and thought folks here might be interested.

 

I can't agree with the suicide door complaints, we've had 3 Elements and the doors were a feature not a problem. If you ever have to haul multiple large dogs it's quite handy for unloading especially as they can't get past you. they were a slight inconvenience initially when dropping someone off from the back seat but quickly adjusted. They were great for retrieving placing and retrieveing items from behind the front seats too.
Looking forward to the new MINI.