What other models of cars do you consider to be the competitors of the Mini Clubman and Clubman S?

 

I would have to say Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed3,Volkswagen GTI, Nissan Versa, Matrix/Vibe and Fit.

 

Direct? none....just the body: no other 2.5 door wagons. They're all bigger and a few are fast & sporty (GTI, 3), some are slow & boring (Versa, Vibe,Fit).

There's a reason why we're paying more $ for less size and I have absolutely no problem with that. I could've spent the same money for much more power (GTI, Civic SI, MS3, even a Genesis 2.0t) or could've saved a few bucks and got something utilitarian (any econocar). My only other serious choice was the Fit, a spritely but slow small car w/ an amazing interior. I would've bought it but couldn't get comfortable in the seat. I decided on the Cooper as there's nothing else out there that has: small size & efficiency, maintenance & rental cars for 3 yrs, and most importantly, a $20k that drives like a $30k car (and I don't mean power-wise). The Cooper is the slowest car I bought ever. Its also the most fun to drive car I've ever bought ( a JustaClubber). Its one of a very few cars thats as fun driving slow as it is driving fast.

 

I was also road testing the Volvo C30. Has 227hp, uses regular gas, has the most comfortable seats and gets from A to B pretty quick. But it's sedate in it's responsiveness/handling compared to the Mini Cooper Clubman.

 

That's pretty much it. As far as the C30 goes, it's pretty sexy looking, but the back seat is smaller and harder to get in and out of, and the cargo area is smaller and less accessible. If you option it up to the average MINI level, it's a fair jump more money.

 

Interesting question. I'm looking at the Clubman, not because I want a small sporty car, but because I want a sporty car, with some luxury features, that averages over 30MPG. With that in mind, there is almost no competition. Along with the Clubman S, I am also considering VW Jetta TDI Sportwagon, or waiting until Audi releases the A3 TDI early next year.

 

I'm biased against VW/Audi products in general. The Clubman offered more versatility, higher performance, and features than my other choices.

I also looked at the Scion xD and the Fit, but was not impressed compared to the Clubman. The xD was better powered than the Fit, but the Fit also had some great handling. Clubman offered more than the best qualities they both possessed.

I looked at the GTI, but after the various complaints of VW reliability in general, and then MkV GTI specific gripes online, no thanks.

 

Well, if you're considering the various TDIs, do the math for the actual cost per mile. At the current price differential between gas and diesel (2.19 vs 1.84), 30 diesel MPGs =only 25.2 gas MPGs. Anything will get 25 MPG. At midgrade it's less than 27 to be equivalent cost. That price differential gets less punishing in the summer (if you're driving the diesel), and a good bit worse in the fall and winter.

All of that's why after nearly 30 years of driving VW diesels I'm in the Clubman.

BTW, the OP mentioned an anti VW/Audi bias; I've always described VW ownership as a self-inflicted wound...

 

meh, no competition.

 

Owners are regularly reporting close to 50MPG from 2009 Jetta TDI's. That makes the math more appealing. Also, diesel prices appear to be moving closer to gas prices. I was recently in California, and diesel there was actually cheaper than regular.

As for VW/Audi reliability, I just turned in my 2005 A6, which was flawless, and my wife drives a '99 A4, which aside from the regular maintenance stuff that comes up on a 10 year old car, has been very reliable, and still handles like new. I wouldn't hesitate to own another Audi.

Don't get me wrong... The Clubby has a lot of appeal to me, and that's why it's at or near the top of my list. My only complaints about it are the cheesy sounding stereo and the prodigious torque-steer.

 

In addition to many of the others listed, we also considered a Chevy HHR SuperSport. The Clubman S won and has been ordered.

 

Great list and another one might be the Subaru Impreza.

I test drove the Fit and Matrix, but I went with (and have never looked back -- except to admire my car after parking) the Clubman.

 

I looked at the C30 and the A2 - was hoping the new scirroco was coming out soon, but when I looked at the cars I saw one glaring deficiency in all of them. None of the cars were fun to drive so it was the Clubman!!!

 

I am mad about 3 things on the C30:

1) The doors were WAY too long. You have to swing very wide, and in a car billed as hip urban transportation, it's a major design flaw. I imagined a parking spot, opened the doors as wide as I could, and had to limbo out of it.

2) You have to pay $500 bucks to do anything fun to the car as a one time customization fee during building.

3) The engine is powerful, yes, but it's not exciting. Similar to a Scion tC- sure it's got a lot of hp and torque, but it's still a Camry engine! I like how the Cooper revs.

I REALLY like the styling, especially the 2+2 and the rear glass hatch. But Volvo ruined it for me.

 

Whew! Close call!

 

I have not purchased one yet--still a shopper. I have driven the Vibe, the Fit, the Scion xD, the S30 and the Versa. I have owned mostly VWs for the last 25 years, but the Rabbit is gone until summer. I would drive the Hyundai Touring, but a manual tran is nearly impossible to come by. Strengths and weaknesses across the board. Th next best option would, in my opinion, be the xD. X30 was pricey for what it was--cool looking but not a lot of fun to drive. Vibe was very plasticy inside--just ugly. Fit was not impressive--nothing horrible but lots of not-my-taste issues.

The Clubman was the clear winner, but $8K more than the xD....is the extra pleasure (and the reliability fears, of which there would be none for the Scion) worth it?

 

No reliability issues with the scion b/c you throw them away when you're done
with them.

 

Oh--one more thing...

Though I have averaged about 42 city and 50 highway, and still do, mileage isn't everything.

I have a 2000 TDI that I am considering trading. 140K trouble-free miles (still original clutch and front brakes!) However, I read somewhere that the new TDI, in order to comply with emissions requirements, is recycling exhaust that will eventually cause troubles. This is what I read fromsomeone who spoke to their old-time VW diesel mechanic--so this is second hand and then some. But one more thing to consider for a propsective VW TDI owner. Scheduled maintenance is $$$$ and many independent VW mechanics won't touch the diesels. So you are stuck with those dealer prices. And....when you are driving in unknown territory, you don't always know where diesel is available....we once spent a long, worried drive looking for a place that sold it.

 

I'm cross-shopping a Volvo C30 alongside the Clubman, but as of right now, it appears that the Clubman is going to win out. Just gotta wait out this economy though...

 

i test drove a c30, i liked the engine, but it seemed very lacking in the personality dept.

 

Are you kidding me?
I don't understand how
anyone could compare
any car to the Clubman.
It is incomparable in every
respect, as is every MINI!

 

I thought of a Scion but then I realized I'm not the right demographic:

I'm not under 30, I don't wear a hoodie, I don't like hip-hop, trip-hop, or speed metal, I have no ink or piercings, and I can afford the clubbie.

 

That's who they WANT to sell them to, but you'd be surprised how much of a demographic shift they are really encountering.

I've seen more hip replacements (40-50 ) in xB's than hipsters.

 

tdiguy: My hubby was a die hard VW fan for years. He even insisted that we drive to the other side of the state to buy an older Cabriolet a few years back because he wanted to restore it. He finally realized that he wasn't cut out for maintaining an older vehicle in 2007 and replaced his beloved Cabby with a Honda CRV. The Honda is not as fun to drive, but handles really well for a vehicle of its size and in spite of that, I could tell the man just wasn't happy. He had a love hate relationship with the CRV. He loved everything about it, except that it was not little and did not growl when you put your foot to the floor.

Something had to be done, so I started looking at smaller more zippy cars for myself... and I test drove the following cars: VW EOS, Scion tc (why is there a fan club for this car? It's absolutely abysmal, it handles like a Corolla and has a louder transmission, great seats though), the Honda Civic, the Subaru Impreza and a 2004 MC.

Only two cars gave my husband that big goofy, "Wow this is FUN!" grin. The MINI and the Civic. The Civic wasn't quite what I wanted because it was a little too vanilla for me. I wanted something quirky. The VW was fun, but the dealership was rude and the car didn't make me smile as much as the MINI did, not to mention the really poor gas mileage. So it ended up being down to the civic and the MINI.

So I scheduled an appointment for a test drive at the MINI dealership and we made a six hour road trip. You should have seen the man when he test drove my car for the first time. He was like a kid in a candy store. He wasn't sold until the moment he got behind the wheel and took her through the bends and from then on, he was hooked. Now, he looks for opportunities to steal my car and I pretend to look the other way while he sneaks out to the garage.

Long story short, (I know... too late), I think you'll really like the MINI.

And by the way...

WELCOME TO NAM!!!

 

What you're referring to is called Exhaust Gas Recirculation and some gasoline powered cars have been using it for nearly 20 years now. I don't see it hurting reliability (besides any reliability issues with the EGR valve itself) but it will in theory reduce fuel economy under some condition and reduce the feel of throttle response a bit. Domestic diesels (trucks) have been using EGR since 2006 in conjunction with the low sulfur fuels, I'm sure VW knows what they're doing by now with this.
As for diesel fuel points, I guess some areas are harder to find than others but I always figure if there's a truck-stop nearby you'd be good to go. My Grandpa gave my Grandma a 2006 TDi Bug as a gift (he has a Ford Powerstroke for himself) and swore you wouldn't see him driving that car. Now he steals it every chance he gets, which is funny because he's quite the cowboy/countryboy.