On November 13th, we were invited to an exclusive MINI party to see the preview of the MINI Clubman. The people at the party were mostly MINIUSA people, and we were referred fondly as the MINI enthusiasts.

The Clubman looks great up front and close. We got to touch and sit in a Lightening Blue with Silver Rooftop MCS, as well as a Hot Chocolate with Silver Rooftop. We had a great time fiddling with it. We might wait out for the JCW version that comes out next June. You will all be glad to know that they have some cool commercials for the clubman which will soon air.

We met some good MINI folk - we had a good time talking with Jim McDowell, Vice President, MINI USA.

Here are some pics, to see more go to my flickr Clubman set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lexster05/sets/72157603160539998/

Check out this video:
www.minitaggers.com/videos/Clubman_Preview.mov

 

that's awesome! can't wait, i'm going this friday

 

Wow! I really like the Choc Brown. I was already scheming to configure a CB/Silver with interior of cream white and piano black. They beat me to it. Looks fabulous.

 

Great pix!!! I'm not a fan of the Chocolate Brown myself - but the Blue is gorgeous!!! Thanks for sharing..

Donna

 

I like the chocolate brown 'it's so ugly it's cool .In the video the dash looked metal .Is it ?

 

In the right light, Hot Chocolate looks very similar to the '02 Burgundy Red.

The dash is plastic...but very clean looking. The guy kept wiping down the Clubman every half hour.

 

Very nice! Thanks for sharing your pictures.

 

I don't like the brown paint, but I do like the brown leather.

Mark

 

That's VELVET Red. How soon they forget...

 

You're absolutely right, it is Velvet Red. Geez, all this time I have been calling DB's MC burgundy red.

 

Thanks for the preview... very interesting.

A couple of questions, if you don't mind my asking:

1. How big is it in person? It's hard to tell, but based on the people seen in this video, I imagine this Clubman to be about the same size as, say, a Honda Fit. How far off is that guess?

2, Do the gauge backlighting colors change with the ambient lighting color? Is it possible at all to change the backlighting color? The orange lighting always seems to burn my eyes, a cool blue color would be far preferable (to me).

3. Do you really have to open the right rear door before the left? Seems like a bit of a pain to me. I'd prefer to be able to pull on either handle and have the thing open.... just me?

 

just saw the triplet tonite; lightning blue, hot chocolate, and pepper white. they really do look very attractive in person. in photos they look a bit awkward and too long at the wheelbase but in person they looked great. the trunk isn't that much bigger, but there's more legroom for the back seats. and yes you do need to open the right rear door first. the door is kind of a gimmick and a nod to the old travellers, not that way 'cuz of function. but they're fun. i do think they should've fitted suicide door to both sides. having them just on the right is a bit silly. it doesn't seem that much bigger, but overall it's 10 inches longer (3 of those in the wheelbase). i really liked it a lot, and the lightning blue color is gorgeous. that said, i'd still take a regular cooper before the clubman. they also had a fully kitted out jcw car, red and black, and it was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. i really wanted it. the r56 speedo is HUGE; never notice how big it is until seeing one w/ the gps. the mini stand was pretty exciting for me. i wish they gave away better brochures than that mini mini brochure

 

I'll admit, I do like the notion of having the two boot doors swing open like that. Not sure how well that will work parked parallel all the time but cute nevertheless.

From the pics you do get the sense that it sure is bigger.

 

I just got home from the LA auto show . If the A pillar color was bugging you dont let it it looks way better in person ,not an issue for me anymore .Seems like tons of leg room front and back ,the suicide door works great ,the back double door latch seemed a little cheap but it was being opened and closed about every 10 seconds .rear view out the double doors not a problem .I got in the back of a Mazda speed 3 and there was a couple in front ,the guy wanted to buy it for her and she said she liked the Mini better and would rather have that ,I said "thats what I got" and left .I'm sure the fight continues .

 

My wife really wants one, but she'll have to wait until they fix the boot-the silver trim sux! The lights look out of place as well. The whole rear looks like it's still under construction. I think MINI dropped the ball here.

 

I like the boot and the silver accent stripes - I think MINI succeeding in producing a car that polarizes opinion!

 

I went to the LA Auto Show yesterday. Just went by the MINI booth for fun as I never really liked the Clubman in pictures - always looked awkward as someone already said, and I am not a fan of brown cars. Saw the Pepper White, which I have always liked on the Cooper and MCS, and blue... But when I saw the brown Clubman, I knew what my next car would be. In person is really different.

 

I'm not sure I agree...best to see one in person. I think if you eliminated the contrasting paint and unique roof profile the car would look dead boring. If course, I'm waiting to see one, too!!

 

We went to the LA Autoshow on Sunday.

The PW Clubman was an eye opener, in particular looking at the roof and boot pillars. Not too bad - at least the front pillars are the same color as the rear ones - aesthetics.




I would like to see an all same color scheme (rooftop and rear pillars same color as the body). Even though the front pillars would still be black, it would be possible for someone to repaint them to match the rear.

Dark Silver looks promising - I think it would look good with either the silver or black rooftop.


Right now, we're considering a Chili Red with Black Top JCW Clubman which should be available by June.

To see more pics, check out my LA Autoshow Flickr gallery:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lexster...7603243190142/

There was a MINI community board with lots of pictures from the MTTS...
maybe you can spot yourself.

 

I went to look and came away more than a tad underwhelmed.

I walked around and around and around it, sat in it front and back, looked at it from many angles and still could not find anything to really like about it.

For whatever reason it just looks 'wrong' to me from every possible view point.

The silver / black panels look bad - I wonder how long it will be before this is 'fixed' ?

I am not sure if they raised the ride height yet more, but it certainly appears to sit an inch or more higher, the tire-to-arch gap looks huge.

But this is not the worst bit to me - the suicide door and the twin rear doors have 'design over function' written all over them - as was noted before the rear door handles feel especially fragile - the ones on the white one where loose already. To cap it all the slightly sticky/fiddly nature of the second passenger side door lead my wife to smack herself in the head with it trying to open it ! Mini hospitality supplied her with ice and a napkin though.....

Interior space, while better than standard was still insufficient for my wife and I to sit in tandem.

- if you feel like lambasting me for not having a positive opinion, go ahead, but really, it is so incredibly over-styled it grated on me. I am unimpressed and feel that if anything it dilutes the brand rather than strengthens it in any way.