I have a good friend driving a MCS who has never driven a clubman yet. I have placed my order to a clubman S. She recently told me clubman does not have the same handling and driving joy as the MCS. I am thinking about canceling my clubman order since I did not order the sport suspension (my MA told me it is a wast of money and a regular driver won't need it) and I worry my clubman will not nearly have the same handling and go-cart feeling.

If you have driven both model consistently long enough, could you please help on this topic? I can still cancel my order to either add the sport package or switch to a MCS.

Thank You

Oh, please! Number one - have you driven them both? I have owned both and I can attest that both are wonderful MINIs. Although I have not owned an S or a standard shift - I have driven both, have owned both a MINI Cooper and now a Clubman and am going on record here. Your "friend" is full of you know what.

I still love the style of the MINI Cooper but the Clubman is actually smoother and just as much of a blast to drive! That's the gospel, too.

The Clubman has a wider turning radius which does have an impact on handling, however the Clubman has a longer wheelbase which smooths out bumps better. Is the impact on handling or the smoother ride a HUGE difference? No, many won't even notice it unless they're specifically trying to pick differences out. However, to say that both have the exact same handling and feel, would be a lie. Are both joys to drive? Heck frigging yea. I would say keep your order because you'll enjoy the drive regardless.

The longer wheelbase does give the Clubman a slightly "bigger" car feel, but as Izzy said, you will not notice any loss of handling performance.

Let's put it this way, the smile on my face is the same whether I am driving our MCS or our Clubman. We have had the MCS since 2006 and the Clubman since February.

We have had both to the Dragon and the handling is essentially the same. I did a Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy event at VIR in the Clubman. Some folks were questioning why I brought the "station wagon", but by the end of the day they all agreed that it handled like a MINI.

Stick with the Clubman. You won't be disappointed.

your friend is nuts

Alex, "Me thinks your friend doth protest too much."

Jealousy is a terrible thing.
Maybe she doesn't want you to have a cooler Mini than hers.

I drove both models in the S. The performance is virtually identical.
The Clubman had a bit smoother ride than the Cooper.
Other than that, it's about the same.

Unless you plan to spend your days running from the cops, keep the Clubman.
(Fewer Clubman on the road to confuse the fuzz) I have no regrets and smile every time I see her.

Unless you drive the two cars relatively hard back to back, I don't think you would miss too much with the Clubman. It's still a genuinely entertaining car to drive.

MAs say alot of dumb stuff. "A normal driver won't need it?" What does that mean? If your prefer a stiffer ride then you need the sport suspension.

When I picked up my clubbie (which I pre-ordered the day after thanksgiving last year) all the MAs other than mine (who royally screwed up my delivery and just wanted me to finish the paperwork) commented on how the clubman handled nothing like a "real" MINI and the I had clearly been smoking crack because I was buying one...

BS! Sure the COG is higher and the back end is a little more active, but the ride is smoother (comparing an R56 hatch I drove for 6 mos without sport suspension to a clubbie with). Unless my primary purpose for owning the car was auto-crossing, the clubbie is absolutely the better choice. I can fit adults in my back seat.

This car is a MINI through and through.

I drove a MC automatic for a few days while my MCCS manual was in the shop and i will admit i did not like the non sport suspension or the automatic.

That being said i still enjoyed my time in the MC.

As for your friend, she must just be jealous. And i would suspect that she has not driven a MCC or MCCS. Othe wise she would know that they are alomst identical and for normal street use there is no diffenerce. On the track there would definately be adifference but again only slightly.

if you are so concerned go test drive both of them and see what you think?

Exactly! I made my MA earn my business. Six test drives later...

I've had a 06 MC, 06 MCS, 07 MCS auto, and now a 09 Clubman JCW. I still have my 06 MCS, and my wife has the 09 JCW. Her 09 is a hell of a lot faster than my 06. The 09 handles better than my 06. Nuff said..