Less mini. More MINI. The new Clubman S, video review.

We had the chance to drive the new Mini Clubman and Clubman S last week in Northern California.  The weather was a nice mid 60's and the roads were clear of cars going up the PCH.  We were in the newest release from Mini, a vehicle which tries to bridge the gap between small city car, and not quite there cross-over SUV.  However, of all the cars we drove last week (The M3, the 1 Series and the Mini's) the Clubman offered the most storage space, and the easiest access to all of our gear.

For the city dweller who likes the occasional trip up into the woods or out to the beach, we found the Clubman to be the perfect balance of exterior size and interior size.  The added 3rd door on the passenger side makes getting into and out of the back a lot easier, especially for us taller people.  The double rear swinging doors making loading your cargo up very easy, and the patented hinges insure that even those big boxes from Best Buy will squeeze in there.

Those double rear doors do come at a price though, rear visibility out the mirror.  Having the doors arranged the way they are, means there's a 4-5" gap in your vision, right in the middle of the mirror.  In a car that can be easily overlooked whilst driving down the road, we thought this was a little troublesome, but really the only major flaw we found.

The suspension is on the sporty side, 001 thought it was a little rough and tough to take on the long drive we had, I thought it was sporty, but it was starting to wear on me in our 3rd hour driving it around.  I think had we been on more beat-up roads I would have felt it sooner.  That being said, when you're whipping around corners, diving through s-turns, and gunning it up hills, you tend to forget about all of that and concentrate more on the fun that it is to drive.

The S is quick.  It is not 135 fast or M3 fast, but it is sneaky fast.  It will get you onto the highway in about 6.5 seconds.  However, we were spoiled having just driven the M3 and couldn't decide if the added HP in the Clubman S was really worth the added cost.

Overall, the car was a blast to drive, and even with the longer wheel base, it still gave you that same go-kart like feeling the regular Cooper gives.  It would have been a shame to lose that, but BMW/Mini made sure to keep this iconic feeling.