MINI unveils new Clubman

This is the newly unveiled MINI Clubman, which comes with a big price tag and proportions to match: it costs from £19,995 and is available to order this week.

The other big news is that this time around the MINI Clubman has four side doors, as opposed to the last one’s asymmetrical three, with the odd rear-hinged side door that opened out onto the road now abandoned.

MINI was lambasted for that move – the company chose not to bother with the expense of re-engineering the door configuration for the relatively small right-hand drive market, albeit its domestic one – and so has swerved the negative publicity by making the layout neater and more useful. This is, therefore, more a traditional estate than last time's esoteric effort, though it still keeps the twin-doored tailgate. 

The MINI Cooper Clubman is the £19,995 starting point, while a Cooper D costs £22,265 and a Copper S £22,755. They’re all powered by engines familiar to the standard hatchback range, meaning a 136PS turbocharged 1.4-litre to begin with, a 2.0-litre turbo diesel with 150PS in the Cooper D and a 2.0-litre turbo with 192PS in the range-topping Cooper S. Fuel consumption ranges from 45.6mpg to 68.9mpg combined.

A standard five-door MINI Cooper costs £16,085, making the premium a hefty £3,910 for the equivalent Clubman, and at 4253mm long, it’s a substantial 270mm longer than a five-door MINI hatchback.

For reference, the Clubman is a mere 2mm shorter than a Volkswagen Golf, while being a little lower and wider, though its boot is 20 litres smaller than the Golf’s by volume, at 360 litres. It is, however, 82 litres bigger than the five-door MINI's.

But enough numbers, because this is one practical MINI, like it or lump it, and as ever, quality is high. The Clubman sees the debut of an electric parking brake to the brand (like them or lump them also), full electric seat adjustment and a bunch of new interior trims.

An automatic option is available - a new eight-speeder no less - and the high price is partly justified by way of navigation being standard on all models. All cars get alloy wheels too, as well as Bluetooth phone calling and music streaming, plus keyless start and air conditioning.

The first customer deliveries in the UK are planned for autumn 2015.

Click here to read our review of the latest MINI hatchback