If I'd bought the Clubman (which I didn't), it would've been for the slightly more relaxed highway behaviour vs. the hatchback (Why do people keep calling the hatch a "coupe"?).

 

He started it!

 

As others have mentioned, we liked the MINI right from the start but considering we already had a 2-seat roadster, needed something capable of comfortably carrying up to 4 adults from time to time, our dogs, and all the usual home-owners' utility-type "stuff". (Of course, it had to be fun to drive as well. ) The MINI hatch always fell just a little short when it came time to actually lay down the cash (both literally and figuratively, for us ).

As soon as we saw/drove the Clubman, we knew it was perfect for our needs, and now can't imagine owning anything else! We actually prefer the look of the Clubman, overall (not that we dislike any of the models). I might prefer a hatch-type opening on the rear to provide one large rear window to look out, but the barn doors are fine, too. The Club door is so handy, I wish they'd add one to the other side, and the smoother ride was an unexpected bonus, as is the fantastic under-floor storage - we'd definitely buy one again!

 

Funny, when I started this thread, I had written hatchback... then saw a couple references to coupe, so I edited my post and changed it to coupe -- afterall, the discussion forums are Coupe talk, Clubman talk, Cabrio talk ... I just changed it back since I've always called it a hatchback.

Regarding the Clubman, I really relate to Danny... I've always wanted a Cooper, but had a family and it just wasn't practical. If a Clubman had been around a few years ago, I would have made the plunge. I like it a lot more than my old X5. I'm 50 now and my kids have gradulated from college and left home. So, now I don't really need the extra space (I can fit a dog and golf clubs in my Cooper), but it would come in handy sometimes... however, as much as I like the Clubman, I like the look of the Cooper more. Still undecided.

 

For us - the Clubman moved the Mini Cooper from being a irrational splurge to a useful, 4-person car. It allowed us to have a "fun car" without us feeling childish or decadent (puritanical roots?). The third door makes the back seat quite comfortable and easy to get in/out. And I actually prefer the barn doors.

We love our Clubbie!

 

I was just tired of driving a really small car.... At least interior-wise.

My car prior to the Clubman was an Infiniti G35 coupe - which, while a pretty cool car in its own right, is far from practical when it's your only car.

I wanted something with a huge interior and small exterior... I do a lot of parallel parking, and I've found that the small frame of the Clubman comes in handy quite frequently... And its cargo capacity seems like it's MUCH more than that of the G35.

So yeah... I'm loving this car.

 

I have had two MCS's and just traded up to the clubman yesterday. Love the look, feel and space.

 

I'm not sure my answer yet. I bought mine coz of the extra space and the vlub door, which is easier access for 3rd or 4th passenger.

If not for the extra, space, I will need to see what's available to make my decision!

 

I test drove a Mini Cooper Hardtop and when I turned around to look at the back, it was obviously too small. I could just hear my brother complaining about the leg space. Plus, the trunk is nothing. So... I opted for the Clubman. Personally, I think the hardtop is more aesthetically pleasing but I love the third door of the Clubman and the barn doors at the trunk. Last Saturday, I left the dealership with my first Mini.

 

I bought my clubman to replace my Jetta. I wanted something with a "hatchback" but wasn't sold on the hardtop. The boot in them just seemed so small compared to my trunk in the Jetta.

I also have a tendency to carry 4 full sized adults on a semi-regular basis, so having them squeeze into the back seat seemed unreasonable. The club door took care of that.

My husband loves smaller sporty kinds of cars -- right now he's driving a 2001 Tiburon, and there is just no cargo room. It's nice to know that flopping the seats forward, I have more space that seemingly in my Jetta.

 

I always thought the normal hardtop looked nice, but it always struck me as too small to be actually practical, and then one day last year I saw the Clubman parked at the beach and that convinced me to go on my first MINI test drive. It's nice to have the extra space just in case I need to put something there or fit people comfortably in the backseat. (And of course now that I have had the car for a little over a week everyone wants a ride now)! I actually prefer the look of the Clubman too because it really reminds me of a woodie. If MINI hadn't released the Clubman, I would have a different car now.

The only thing that bothers me about the barn doors is the stripe down the middle when looking through the rearview mirror, but so far this has only blocked my view when there's a car WAY behind me in the distance on the highway. Otherwise I really like them and the spring-loaded mechanism (and my friends all think the doors are pretty cool).

 

no--i do not like the look of the clubman--i understand why mini made it though--just not for me or my wife--my wife wanted the smart car because of its size but we also needed a place to put my mother so we wound up with a mini cooper s

 

As for the Golf Club question, yes I do have to fold down one seat, BUT the other rear seat is useable. I recently had THREE guys (large framed) in the Clubman with three sets of clubs (carry bags)! I was making a trip from the DC area to the Eastern Shore and it worked very well! Not to mention the gas mileage at 33 mpg (weight "dated"), and the looks ya get when you pull into the Club Drop and THREE guys get out! Then you get WOW when you pop the club doors and pull out three bags!

 

We choose the Clubman S as it works well with our boomer's emerging lifestyle, i.e. it's just perfect for our trips to the beach!

 

I bought the MCCS thinking I did need the extra space for the dogs. But since I got the windows tinted... I don't want the dogs in it. LOL. If I were to do it all over again, don't know which I'd pick. The test drive didn't really differenciate either - both were fun to drive. But is nice to know that an adult or two can actually sit in the back seat when needed.

 

I like the Clubman Look, It's sort of a Mini Lowrider with spunk. The ride is great and to tell you the truth, I didn't even look at the Mini. I wanted something less common and more unique

 

We're having a hard time deciding between a justa cooper hatchback and a justa clubman. We like the hardtop, but think the clubman would be more functional in the long run. Is driving justa clubman different (less get up and go, passing ease, etc.)? Was wondering since I hear that the clubman weighs 147lbs more?

 

mshelton,

I drove a loaner Clubman MCS standard tranny while having my MC serviced. The transmission shifted like stirring butter. I couldn't get over how little pressure was needed vs. my MC.

It seemed to handle nicely. Didn't get her on the highways in Nashville, so can't say about ride. In-city agility seemed good, but I was being a very good boy since it was a loaner.

I can't imagine that 147 pounds will make much difference at all, but since it was an MCS vice my MC, I hesitate to make a judgment.

R

 

From our perspective, as new MINI owners, we think the Clubman S has plenty of get-up &go. We just liked the styling of the car and, rather than go the Corvette or Z-4 route, we choose the Clubman S and are very happy with our decision.

 

I'd like a pic of this too if it can be done. In the MCS you're limited to putting at least one seatback down to get a golfbag in. Twosome is fine, more means take their car.

 

My bet is that if you were to test drive both - the same year/transmission - blind folded - the only difference you'd notice is that the Clubman is a smoother ride, due to its longer wheelbase.

Test drive 'em both and decide but make sure they're the exact same transmission!

 

Thanks for the replys. We have test drove both mc and cm in automatics but several weeks apart. Smoother ride would be good. We are headed back to San Antonio again to take a closer look at options. The poor MA will probably be glad when we finally make our decision.
Reading all these threads have made me wary of mcs, and of the clutch in manuals. I'm still wondering about the ghosts with the electrical (windows dipping and/or opening, lights coming on by themselves, etc.) and trying to pinpoint if it's in a select model. Also going to ask about the fuel pumps as I sure see a lot of mentions of problems in this area. Of course there's the issue with the sun roofs. But at least there's a fix for the small third door of the clubman not opening. First new car since 1987. I see that they have an option for regular tires if ordered. All the clubmans at the dealer had rf tires which we don't want. Decisions, decisions, decisions. What fun!!

 

Didn't need the space,just liked the look.Q

 

I own a clubby... and if I didnt' need the extra space, I would have purchased the standard Hardtop JCW

 

I like the look of the Clubman MUCH better than the regular Mini. PLUS I wanted a car with some muscle (CHECK!). PLUS I've always loved station wagons for their multi-use utility (CHECK!), and my Outback was getting old. AND I needed something my nine-year-old can easily get in and out of (CHECK! again). And it holds our golf clubs with only one seat folded down...

A no-brainer for me (I prefer not to have to use it).