Up Close with the 2008 Mini Clubman

Like an overbearing parent, BMW has stuck its nose in Mini’s business via the navigation system offered in the Clubman. The system features an iDrive-esque control setup featuring a small joystick in the center console that functions like an iDrive controller knob. The integration of the system’s screen into the center speedometer is pretty slick, but if you’re averse to iDrive, you’re not going to like the Clubman’s system. The practicality of the Cooper’s rear seats has always been questionable, but the extended-length Clubman has rear seats that you could actually use on a double date without fear of putting your friends in a crabby mood. — Mike Hanley

The Clubman’s extra space eases getting in and out of this little charmer. Access on the passenger side, with the suicide-door opening, was really easy, even for me (6-foot-1). The backseat in the model I was in were a very comfortable leather, and even with an adult in front of me my knees weren’t crunched. It wasn’t like sitting in first class, of course, but it would be passable for short trips. My kids would definitely be more comfortable in this car than they were in the original Mini, where they found themselves cramped at the end of a two-hour trip. The speedometer on the model I sat in was different from previous Minis I’ve driven; instead of a large dial, there’s a red plastic piece that runs along the outside of the speedometer. In the center was a navigation screen with a joystick controller on the center console. — Patrick Olsen
I’m not the biggest Mini fan on staff, but I liked the Clubman. What I didn’t like were the rear doors, which are on extremely strong shocks. That means closing the rear hatch will take some effort. I’m hoping it was just a fault of the show floor models and not all Clubmans. The rear seats fold down easily from the back. The interior was better quality than the base Cooper, and an all-brown color scheme on one Clubman was especially snazzy. End result: Mini fans will rejoice. Me, I’d just take a regular hatchback. — David Thomas

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