The New Mini Clubman: 5 things that make it unique

The words ‘Mini’ paint an image of a sharp looking small hatchback in every car aficionado's mind. The Mini Clubman is an ironical car as far as the name 'Mini' is concerned thanks to its sheer size. Though the name was coined back in 1969, the Clubman was originally not meant to be an estate but a facelift to the Mark I Mini. But when the Clubman estate rolled out a year later, the name kind of stuck. Fast forward to 2016, the Clubman has debuted in India for the first time. It is the second launch from Mini this year after the Mini Convertible, which was launched back in March. This Mini comes with a lot of interesting features which make it stand out from the crowd. Here are the top five unique aspects of the Mini Clubman that you should know about. 

1. Split Tailgate

The Clubman has the iconic ‘Barn Doors’ tailgate which splits at the middle. This makes it easy for the users to access it but, essentially, makes the car look really cool. This tailgate can be controlled electronically, which means it can be opened via remote, through a button on the dashboard or manually as well. Also, for the ease of access, the user could just wave a foot under the rear bumper and it will open automatically. Doing this opens the right side door first and repeating the action opens the left side door as well. 

2. Largest Mini 

This Clubman is by far the biggest Mini there ever was. It measures 4,253mm in length, 1,800mm in width and 1,441mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,670mm. To put these figures into perspective, the Clubman is a massive 270mm longer, 90mm wider and has 100mm more than the new Mini 5-Door in wheelbase. When it comes to luggage space, the Clubman has a decently sized boot of 360 litres, which can be increased to 1250 litres by folding the rear seats. Also, the boot floor can be folded away to increase room for taller luggage, like a golf set, without compromising the seating capacity. 

3. A Lot Of 'Firsts' 

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The Clubman has incorporated a lot of features, which are new to the range. For example, on the outside, it has 'Air Curtains', which are narrow, vertically arranged openings on the outer sections of the lower air inlet, which channel air around the wheel arches to reduced turbulence. Also, for the first time, the car can be availed in 'Melting Silver' and 'Pure Burgundy' colour options. On the inside, the Clubman has a storage compartment and two cup holders in front of the gear lever, electrically adjustable driver's seat and an eight-speed Steptronic transmission. 

4. Customisation Options

In terms of paint, the Clubman has four non-metallic and eight metallic paint finishes. Furthermore, the roof and exterior mirror caps can be finished in a contrasting colour ­– white, silver and black – as an option and at no extra cost. Further customisation options include white or black bonnet stripes and chrome line for the exterior.

On the inside, the owner can customise the upholstery colours, interior surfaces and an optional chrome line. Also, as an alternative to the standard fabric, the seat surfaces can now be wrapped in fabric/leather combinations and leather finishes with various seam patterns. The MINI Cooper S Clubman comes with sports seats as standard, and these are available as optional extras for the other models. Alternatively, there are also John Cooper Works sports seats, if you are willing to pay for it. 

5. No direct competitor

Mini it seems to have created a 'mini' segment of its own as the Clubman has no direct competitor. It's too low to be an SUV, too long to be called a hatch and a tad too small to be a full blown estate. In fact it's hard to even place the Clubman into a particular segment. It is these irregular dimensions and nonconconformity apart from the aforementioned split tail gate that helps the Clubman stand out and be truly unique.