OWG, where did you go in Maine?

 

Saco/Camp Ellis.

 

I drive an MC 04 manual, and as much as I love my car, I have to say in the heat my car is very sluggish from a dead stop. It has a bad hesitation. I'm in Lousiana, and in the dead of summer I am very careful pulling out in front of traffic. I've had some scary moments. My SA admitted that we have quirky cars, and one of the quirks is that it was built for British weather. They hate the heat. I've learned to adapt, but I have an MCS on order. I'm hoping it will have better pickup. MInd you, in the fall and spring, my Mouse is just zippy!

I'm developing a nervous twitch waiting for My MCS.

 

The Clubman has got to be the slowest car known to mankind.

I ordered mine on July 6 and it's still not here.

 

Are you talking about the car or the production of the car??

 

Hey, you were in the next town over and I never got to see your MINI. Bummer.

 

I've got 10,000 plus miles and never had any problems merging. It's a great little engine with plenty of power. Plus the "S"/Turbo temptation seems to lower peoples mgp more than I would like myself. I have a 5 speed Turbo Passat and the acceleration is very similar, the Passat is just a little better.

My Clubman is a 6 speed manual - don't know about the automatics.

 

It was funny to watch the reaction of people walking by. Lots of pointing and making door-like motions with their hands.

 

The issue with the air conditioning slowing down the car does not exist any longer because newer cars actually shut off the AC compressor when full throttle is engaged. Besides, AC only takes about 3-5 horsepower away from the motor when it is engaged. Grassroots Motorsports should have accounted for this. I still do respect the writer's opinions and I have never driven a non-s Mini. I just have a hard time believing that you can't make something of the engine when merging regardless of how much less power is made by the standard 1.6 liter.

 

Maybe that's true, but I don't spend a lot of time at full throttle. The effect of the A/C on the non-S is noticeable during normal driving.

 

Yeah, there aren't many Clubmans in this area. There's two in Biddeford, one in Scarborough, and maybe a couple more in the Greater Portland area. I rarely see any when I'm driving.

 

The idea here is that if you are having trouble merging on the highway, you shouldn't be nervous or even hesitate to go full throttle. Just cruising around town the power difference doesn't matter. Too many people merge timidly or even stop on entrance ramps, which is super dangerous.

 

As noted in other threads, automobile critics get paid for being critical. I suspect that the person who wrote that the "Clubman" is dangerously slow was either having a bad day or is thinking of something like a "Fit" or "Versa". They were definitely not referring to any MINI of which I know.
The "Clubman" may not have a V6 or V8, but it doesn't need them. It is a British Sports Car - which means "fun to drive" not "a rocket on 4 wheels", as in "Corvette" or "Shelby Cobra".
When I took my test drives here in New Jersey, (Home of the most aggressive drivers in the states) it was on a very congested major highway, near a mall, on a Saturday afternoon (wall to wall A-H drivers). The MCC I first drove had the automatic and had no problem with accelerating into the traffic stream. I then tried a MCCS with manual and was very impressed with it's power. I know that my (soon to be retired) Subaru H6 can't compare in acceleration and the wife's 325 might not be any faster than my MCCS.

 

So true - djmcgill. We test drove MCCSs in manual and automatic on LA freeways (some of the busiest in the world)...and LA drivers drive FAST. I had NO PROBLEM merging fast (because it's so dang fun in a MINI) with either car. And there were 3 of us in it at the time, ie, lots of weight!

 

I have a non-S manual and it's got plenty of power, as much or more response than my old 6 cylinder volvo. I actually prefer the non-S over the S due to more linear acceleration. I didn't like the test drive of the turbo... too much lag before the boost. Just step on it. It's the same engine displacement anyway.

 

Well, all the published 0 to 60 times are around 10 seconds, that's okay. I do find that my justa Clubman, heavily optioned, does lug a bit if I don't goose the throttle, so I have become accustomed to using the Sport Mode quite often while in medium flow traffic. It helps a lot, by keeping the gearing aggressive and then utilizing the car's torque, which is hefty. I had the same problem with my Saturns- rather fast when revving, but hard to get them to find the revs when you need them. Sport solves the problem, mostly...
The other problem is that there is that .4 second delay upon first touch of the throttle [is there a thread on this one?]
I have been hung out to dry a couple of times at some left turns, when I needed a boost NOW. Maybe this was part of the article's criticism.
Anyway, I find the car delightful in every way, traffic merging included, save for the throttle hesitation. I must say that if we had four passengers and a load, I may be missing the S on the side.

 

Car reviewers are 'dangerously slow' to understand that we're buying the Cooper, Cooper S, Clubman and Clubman S.
It's the gas prices, silly rabbits.
Rocket speed on the S is another reason.

I test drove the JustaCooper and it was ok, just not enough oomph for me.

 

Note that on a trip from Richmond, VA to Washington, DC today, 4 passengers in the car, my wife made me slow down while I was chasing a Testarossa and a Lotus. Funny picture actually, since we were all only doing in the two digits...

Seriously, though, my justa Clubman does just fine in Washington, DC freeway traffic, and is actually darn fun to drive- fun enough that I am not getting optimal gas mileage. My last car was a Land Rover that I have had for more than 12 years, so I am certainly not a sports car expert, but I think you will do just fine!