I was originally looking at a 2 door Cooper S but the idea of having at least 3 doors and a bigger trunk is very appealing.

To anyone that's previously had a 2 door Cooper S, how does the handling/speed compare to the slightly bigger Clubman S?

Thanks all!

 

I had an 06MCS and i got my 11 clubman on Christmas Eve.

1) Words cannot describe how much I love my car, i thought i loved my 06 haha
2) after test driving a 11 MCS and the Clubman i will tell you there is no performance decrease what so ever
3) IMHO, Clubman handles a little better maybe its just me but i honestly can say it feels better
4) the usability of the car has tremendously increased, you will be shocked how comfortable the car is with four passengers. Im 6'3" and my mom which is pretty tall her self fit behind me just fine
5) The barn doors are handy, i like it better then the hatch

The only thing i can tell you is to go test drive one back to back. Honestly, I love my new Clubman i dont think its fair to compare it to an 06 because that is a different animal all together. Deep down though I will always be a supercharger kind of guy

It snowed over the weekend here in Jersey and my car is filthy, I got a snow foam gun for christmas and plan to break it out this weekend, ill post a pic of my new baby when shes clean, you'll probably want order yours soon

 

We have one of both, and I don't really notice a difference. I did get the performance tire/wheel option on my Clubman, so maybe that's why they handle pretty much the same. My Clubman also has a sunroof, so that should be a negative too. I'm sure if I took them both to the track, my wife's Cooper S would win by a small margin due to the Clubman's weight disadvantage. But for everyday driving on the street you won't notice it.

 

Thanks for the first hand experiences! I work from home and to be honest don't really need a car for myself but the car guy in me needs one. We currently have a 2008 VW R32 and as much of a joy as it may be, I can't really tinker with it since my wife drives it. I want something I can modify yet practical enough to get the 2 kids in and out of. The two doors on the R32 is starting to bother me a bit. I think having the third door would be a bit nicer but I was a ya bit concerned about how much performance was sacrificed for the bigger clubman.


Thanks again!

 

That's good information to have. I haven't driven the Clubman yet but I have an 07 MCS and have been toying with the idea of swapping it for a Clubman S. I love the MCS but I'd also love have that little bit of extra room.

 

If you choose a comparible suspension, set of wheels and tires then it should be pretty close between a Cooper S Clubman and hatchback for normal street driving.

You get more utility out of the Clubman but a little more size when parking.

If you want a softer ride then opt for stock suspension and 16" wheels and tires.

If you want a stiffer sporty ride then upgraded suspension and 17" wheels.

Test drive both if you can and both wheel options in the same one MINI model before you decide.

If your roads are bad and full out potholes then choose the 16" wheels and tires for more comfort.

 

I have a Cooper and am quite pleased with the handling on 16s. I had a loaner Clubman S with 17s and Conti tires (sorry cant remember exact tire.) for a couple of days and it really stuck to the road. I didn't feel the extra length hampered my hard driving/cornering at all. Lots of fun.

 

My 2¢...had an '08 MCS that was rear-ended. Ordered the Clubman...kept it only 4 months and took it back for an 09 MCS. The added length of the Clubman does make for a smoother ride but I found the set-up awkward from the 3rd door to the barn doors. I've got some MINIac friends that love theirs so no right or wrong answer...just opinions. Good Luck with your decision.

 

I love my 2010 Clubman S! To date I've owned a 2003 MC, 2005 MCS, and this 2010 Clubman S. I've also driven the 2007 MC extensively.

The Clubbie is definitely more practical especially when you have a passenger in back which is usually my 6 year old.

I've modded mine with H&R coilovers and the ride is fantastic. Every bit as good as when I had the more expensive Cross coilovers on my R53.

Richard

 

The Clubman is definitely a road car. I find its not as bumpy, and the added room is a great asset.

 

I love my clubmanS a great deal. I have the upgraded suspension and you do feel the road a lot more, which I like. We have two minis and I notice hardly any difference between the regular mini and the clubbie. The clubman did terrible going up hills in the snow in Pittsburgh and once we actually started to slide backwards but eventually made it over the hill. I wonder if the countryman would have made it over that hill. The videos on it sure lead one to believe so.

 

If the clubman had trouble, I think most 2 wheel drives would. I think 4 wheel drive will alway do better in the snow.
My $0.02 worth

 

it's not so much the clubman as the tires, which are fairly new by the way. Run flats just can't do much in hard packed snow and ice. I would buy snow tires for winter, but can't justify it for an occassional trip up north once or twice a year. Since we have two minis, this is the vehicle of choice. If you go to the tire and wheel forum, there is a ton of info. on this very topic.

 

Just got my Clubman S last Saturday (one week tomorrow). We have had a Cooper S since September, but we were always fighting over who got to drive it. Problem solved

The Clubman is actually more comfortable than the Cooper. We were surprised at this, but it actually has a bit of a softer feel when going over bumps in the road. This is probably just because the wheels are farther apart. The Cooper S can be pretty jarring! The Clubman still has a very stiff feel though, and handles great in turns.

I haven't had a chance to take it out for real twisties yet, but just playing around on the curves and turns around town I would say it is very comparable to the Cooper S. Maybe slightly less nimble, but I don't think you will be missing out if you choose the Clubman.

Since you have kids, definitely go with the Clubman! Unless of course you don't care how easy it is to get them (and clean up after them) in the backseat. With the Cooper, they would have less leg room too. In fact, most of the time the seats in our Cooper are nearly touching the rear seats.

I am also quite happy with that third door and the extra boot space. I had a Rav4 before, and had fallen in love with the hidden space under the cargo floor... I am so very happy to still have that! It is great for stowing the things you always seem to need around in the car, but don't want cluttering up your trunk. I keep some bungees (it has tie downs!), my cargo net, the cargo liner, spare leash for the dogs, and some shopping bags there with a little room leftover. Come warmer weather I will keep glass cleaner there too... Minis are bug magnets. That stuff would fill up the boot in a Cooper.

 

Here's what ya do: lower the car, we used Eibach springs. That'll give you a bit of negative camber in the front. Get a set of rear adjustable control arms and dial in a bit of negative camber there too, though dropping the car will give you some. I just like the rear adjustable arms for alignments. Then get a bigger rear sway bar. We went with the ALTA 19mm bar simply because it was on sale. Any of the other manufacturers would be good. One of the biggest and best mods in my opinion is to also get rid of the run flats and put on a good set of tires.

 

We've got one of each, and I find the handling very similar. The wife's Clubby seems to be a little more compliant over bumps, probably because of the longer wheel base and 16" wheels vs. my 17's, but it really doesn't affect handling much at all.

Runflats are just plain awful in snow. They've got a very mild tread and seem to be a harder compound. Regular all-season tires will do better, but nothing beats a good pair of snows.

 

Thanks for all the valuable information! I just traded in my wife's Golf R32 for a Jeep Commander. So far it's proven to be an excellent choice for us with all the room whenever we need it. Best of all, now it really opens up the way for me to pick up a small car like the Mini. I think the Clubman S is the perfect compromise and definitely what I'm looking for.