I have an 02 330i with only 46k miles and I love it but even with snows I'm not real confident with it in the winter. I would prefer an AWD or fwd with snows.

I've read through some threads on driving the Clubman in the snow and it sounds like it would be fine with a good set of tires. I read some things about a limited slip, is this only an option on the JCW or do all S's get it?

Also this would be my daily driver and I would be using it to pick my kids up. How hard is it to get the kids in and out of the back?

Have any of you come from a BMW to the Clubman?

 

I went from a 2003 330Ci to a Clubman S.

Separate set of snow tires for each car - no problem with either, but the Clubman is a little better. FWD and not as much power. I've lowered my Clubman, so I really have to watch it when we have fresh snow.

I don't have kids, but if yours aren't too big I think the Club door would work very nicely. I carry adults in mine occasionally and it's easier to get in and out of than my Coupe.

I have the old-style mechanical LSD on mine....not sure about the new models....although I think the electronic limited slip is available on all of them.

One thing to note is that some of the odd (to me) ergonomics on my e46 carried over to my R55....for example, the back pressure on the accelerator pedal is very light on both of them (go over a bump in the middle of a fast corner and it can jar your foot enough to change your engine speed...was never a problem in previous BMW's...e36, e28, e12)....however, one thing that did not come over is the excessively long clutch throw on my e46 - the R55's is normal. The e46 steering feel was much, much better than the R55.... the R55 drive-by-wire throttle mapping is just weird and annoying....the R55 steering wheel is very skinny...the e46's was "just right."

 

My kids are 5 and 7 so I don't think that will be too much of a problem. What year is yours? I could probably get by in my BMW with winter tires but there are a few bad hills in our area and getting started on them when its snowy or icy can be pretty tricky

 

The clubman steering wheel is skinny? You must have huge hands! Lol

 

And my kids are 9, 18 & 19. We've all gotten in the back at one time or another with no problems, not at the same time of course, lol.

 

My Clubman is an 09 - I took delivery in October, 2008. It's my daily driver and I've really enjoyed it.

 

i wear extra large gloves, so they're somewhat large. Another factor could be that I was taught to hold the steering wheel at 9 and 3 (I'm old - got my first license in 1968), and all modern cars, including MINI's are designed for drivers to hold the wheel at 10 and 2. i just can't get comfortable with that....and the steering wheel spokes at 9 and 3 bother me....

 

Wow, 46k on an 02???!! Nice. I too went from the e46 330i to the Clubman S. I actually still have the E46, but thats besides the point. Interesting that there are a number of us e46 to MINI converts. Guess we are cut from a similar cloth! Love the Clubman. One of the best sticks I have driven and I wouldnt mind the auto because it is also one of the best I have driven.

Anyhow, I have only had the Clubman for one winter and I had no issues with the snow here in the Midwest. Snowtires are a must for me though. Having kids shouldnt be an issue with the clubdoor. It might actually be better safety-wise since you know 99% of the time which door they are getting out of. The only thing is, opening the passenger door and clubdoor is a bit of a hassle from the rear seats if there isnt anyone in the front passenger seat to open the door first.

 

What are the common problems with these? I looked into a countryman S but I've heard the clutches go out pretty quickly and are like $3k to replace

 

I looked at the Countryman S really carefully before going the Clubman route. The countryman was underpowered and not as responsive as the smaller MINIs, plus the body roll was too much for me.

As for the Clubmans, the pre-2011 turbos had issues with timing belt rattle and carbon buildup which is expensive to resolve. It seems like the post 2011 N18 engines have been reengineered a bit to resolve these issuse, but it is still too early to tell in my opinion.

 

My son is 5 (almost 6).. In a Recaro Young Sport seat. I DD my Clubman with him in it all the time. No issues what so ever.

I really enjoy driving mine. Not worried about snow at all. Traction control on a FWD car is pretty amazing even on ice.

 

Get a post 2011 car. More bugs worked out of the engine.

As for clutches, my buddy is a mini tech at the local dealer.. He said clutches don't fail often... It's people who can't drive them or hard launch the crap out of them that are the issue.. Most last 100k or better.

 

I went to the MINI dealing expecting to purchase a countryman S. Despite folks expressing concerns, I thought this was the right vehicle for me. After test driving both cars, I searched for reasons to buy the countryman. For me, the clubman's handling and looks won me over. Thought long and hard. Came across a great deal for a 2011 clubman (22K on it). Six months later, I am still as happy as could be.

Previous to the clubman I was most driving a "99 A4. I loved that car, but needed to move on.

 

There is an 08 with low miles and a 2011 at a local dealership. I need to go drive them soon. I wouldn't go crazy but how hard is it to get more power out of these?

 

ha i did the same. i went in looking at a countryman, got a clubbie. and we just ordered a 320i over the weekend. shows will be going on both cars (in about a month for me, expect delivery in dec on the 320i).........

 

Funny you should ask because this is the latest tuning solution:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ms-tune-s.html

Also, given the choice of the 08 or 11, I'd go with the '11 because of the possible problems with the '08 as discussed above....

 

Of course, price is always an issue -- That said, I would go with the '11 if only for the mechanical issues you initially presented in this tread.

 

Not sure if you can still get a warranty thrown in with the '08...if it comes with one, it might cover you for a few years in case those mechanical issues pop up. Then you could go with the cheaper '08.