Mini Cooper & Cooper S Clubman

Martin · Mini Cooper & Cooper S Clubman

Well, what an interesting day. I've been to see Alfa's, VW's, BMW's and Mini's today and have driven both the Cooper S and standard petrol Cooper Clubmans. I wasn't going to try the standard Cooper but FB made me think twice about it because of the price difference. I was right, but I will come to that in a minute!

The first car we tried was an 08 reg white Clubman S with Chili pack (but without the no cost optional sports suspension), part leather and a couple of minor extras. I'm not going to write a very in depth report as I'm not great at that sort of thing, but I'll try and let you know what it was like. No pictures either, so I won't be getting into the road test section of TheMotor.net

I should start by saying the Mini is my favourite small car and the only one I would seriously consider. Secondly, I really like the Clubman, not as much as the Hatch maybe, I think it's a good looking car. Thirdly, I know some people think the interior is 'gimicky', but I love it! It feels special and interesting to me, not at all twee...

First driving impressions were of a car that feels bigger than it is, very solid and very BMW like to drive. You feel like you are sitting very high up after the 130 which I think would take some getting used to, but the controls and seating position are all spot on. The interior didn't look or feel as good as some I've sat in, which I put down to the part leather and all black trim. It has good steering, really good brakes and positively darts around corners. Unfortunately we had a sales woman with us which stopped me from properly throwing it around but I did attack a couple of roundabouts before noticing that she was holding the grab handle!! The ride (on 17" run flats) was pretty good. It was quite firm (but I like that) was noticeably better than the 130.

However, there are a couple of areas that are noticeably worse than the 130...... The engine is pretty gutsy, but it doesn't charge towards the rev line and the engine/exhaust note doesn't seem to change as you move through the rev range. It's quite a lot slower than the 130 overall, but at lower revs is comparable which suits Mrs Martins driving quite well.

Things got better when I pressed the sport button, the steering firmed up, the throttle response was much better and as a result, it felt quite a lot quicker. Still nowhere near 130 quick though......

Overall I liked it.

I had a shorter go in a standard Cooper this afternoon. The spec was similar, it had the Chili pack and 17" wheels, but it also had the sports suspension. It feels very similar to drive, but is so slow in comparison. It's not too bad when you wring its neck a bit, but it would be far too big of a step down from the 130. The ride was noticeably worse

So, if I was to get a Clubman, then it would have to be a Cooper S with a full leather interior but without the sports suspension.

I didn't even bother to try the diesel They want almost Cooper S money for slightly less spec. Madness!

Interestingly, the sales girl said sales this month were better than they have been for a long time. She had made 13 sales (3 last January), 7 new cars and 6 used ones. Even more interesting / surprising, was that none were for the Cooper D.

With used prices are they are that surprised me. In the spec that I would want a Cooper S Clubman would be £21-22k and you can pick up an 8 month old one for around £15k. That's truly scary depreciation, but it does make me feel better about what I've lost on the 130!

My final point is that the customer experience and customer service really is superb. Far better than in any other dealership I've been in, from the minute you walk through the door.

Martin

I forgot to mention my thoughts on the space, side door etc

Space wise I can have the drivers seat where I want it with my youngest in the big stage 1 car seat sitting behind me. I can't do that in the Mini Hatchback. His feet are just about brushing on the backrest, but that's the same as it is in the 130. My eldest is on a Booster seat and there is plenty of room for him. It will come as no surprise to hear that it fails the 'me sitting behind me' test!

The boot is small, quite a bit bigger than the hatch, but still small! It makes the 1 series boot look cavernous, but there are two false boot floors so you can tuck a lot away and the split fold seats fold quickly and easily providing you don't have two children in the back

I like the split rear doors, they are beautifully engineered and just quirky enough to be interesting. The additional side door is really useful and I don't agree with the general opinion that it's on the wrong side. It makes fitting the big car seat really quite easy, a little easier than it is in the 130 and it would be almost impossible in a small 3 door car without causing some sort of injury. I do agree that if you park on the side of the road it could be considered to be on the wrong side, but that's no different to lifting a child out from an offside rear door as we do all the time. If you're not parallel parking, then it would be a real pain in the arse to have to go around to the other side of the car to let the kids out all the time. I've also read reports that the front seat doesn't slide back into position, but it does.

We wouldn't consider a 3 door car at the moment, but the extra door makes enough of a difference to make it work for us. Not that it wouldn't be better to have one on both sides

Frank Bullitt

At least you've tried the Cooper to discount it - funny how the 130i has re-set your performance mindset as I suspect the Cooper is comparable to your wife's old Megane which she probably never found wanting in the performance stakes.

I found interior space acceptable, my wife (5' 3") could just fit behind me. While it comes with a 3rd seatbelt, this is utterly useless as you'd never get three people in the back unless they were toddlers without seats! Interesting how you've convinced yourself the suicide door is useful; I'd like to pick a small child out without getting intwined in the seatbelt, although agree it doesn't matter it's on the UK offside.

It also provides a nice memory for all those people who drove Mk2 Astra 3dr Estates!

The drive (Cooper D) was excellent - I think I'd save the money and go for a normal Cooper, especially used, as they are quite economical and I don't see the Clubman as a 'quick' car, just an interesting family wagon.

Martin

Stuntman

I've got a Cooper (hatch) as a courtesy car at the moment while the Cayman is having its key gouge sorted out.

This one is red with a black roof and is on 16" 5-spokers with runflats. It looks very smart IMO (with black wingmirrors as well).

My brief summary of the car would be:

Excellent visibility
Really quiet - a good thing in a car like this
Interior is well-made and looks nice
I don't like the central, dinnerplate speedo at all - would be a dealbreaker in itself
The driving position is very good and the pedal feel is good
The brakes are very sharp - need some getting used to
The steering is OK but feel is largely absent
It rides noticeably worse than the Cayman does in PASM-normal.
The seats are too firm and too wide IMO
It's quick enough to be fun, but unsurprisingly runs out of serious puff once you're above 60 or so
The boot is truly tiny - makes the space in the Cayman seem practical
Economy is OK but not outstanding - I'm averaging about 38mpg where the Cayman would do 24, and the 118d that I had last year did about 44.

PR

Dan, you can get a digital speedo to display in the LCD screen housed in the revcounter. Scroll through the trip functions until the lower screen displays the vehicle speed, then press the left-hand of the two buttons also in the revcounter. I think that should then give you the digital speedo in the upper screen, which is much easier to look at than trying to decipher the satellite dish sized speedo dial!

Stuntman

Agreed. I've been doing that anyway.

Ideally I'd like to get the digital speedo in the main display and the range displayed in the area underneath, but I can't seem to make this happen and the courtesy car does not have a handbook in it.

PR

Oh well. At least the number plate and handbrake are both in the right place!

Stuntman

Yep!
Anyway, I get the Cayman back tomorrow.

Dr. Hfuhruhurr

Martin