Mini Reviews

Hatch? Wagon? Either way, Mini's Clubman is like a breath of fresh air.Some cars, at first glance, make no sense. The Mini Clubman is one of those cars. It's essentially a slightly larger, slightly more practical version of the standard Mini, with a couple of delivery van-style barn doors at the rear.You could call it a mini wagon, or a six-door stretched hatchback. No wonder the ad slogan says go with your gut — you're unlikely to buy one for sensible reasons.It's expensive, too. Unlike its humble 1960s predecessor, which had a delivery van version, this Clubman is aimed at the well-heeled weekend warrior. It's got plenty of poke, handles like a go-kart and has a funky retro interior that's more sports car than sedate hatchback.But at a time when we're being assaulted by a wave of mini-SUVs that, despite outward appearances are just as impractical as the Clubman, the Mini begins to make some sense.Whatever criticisms you might want to level at the modern Mini, you can't accuse it of being bland. Our test car oozed character from every panel, from the two-tone black and British Racing Green paint scheme to the black stripes and bonnet scoop.The cabin is equally stylish and sporty. The leather sports seats have ample bolstering for those twisty back roads, while our optional sports steering wheel had go-fast red stitching. The new model isn't as slavishly retro as the previous one and the centre screen is hi-tech with legible, modern-looking graphics.The mood lighting, which illuminates the floor and the backs of the door handles, can change from blues and greens to reds and oranges at the flick of a toggle switch. On the topic of toggle switches, they are everywhere, even down to the ignition switch that glows red when you turn the car on.Unfortunately, a lot of our press car's character came at a cost: the paint, the stripes, the wheels, the seats, the steering wheel, roof lining … the list goes on. Options pushed the price of our Mini out to an eye-watering $52,850 plus on-roads.The cabin is roomier and more practical than you'd expect from a Mini. Rear legroom is adequate for the size of car and the load area is about the same as a Corolla or Mazda hatch, with a neat false floor for storing valuables out of sight. Storage cubby holes are adequate if not overly generous.The good news about this Clubman is that it won't rattle your fillings out over pockmarked city streets. The ride is firm without crashing too much over potholes. We drove it after a BMW X1 and found it a comfier setup.The four-cylinder turbo has plenty of pep for getting off the mark as well, with a nice note when you push on. Official consumption is 5.9L/100km and it's relatively achievable if you go easy (the engine shuts down at the lights and there's a "green" mode for frugal driving). Drive it hard, though, and the Mini's consumption quickly climbs into double figures.On the Cooper S, standard techno trickery for negotiating the city includes reversing camera, parking sensors and autonomous braking, which warns if you're too close to the car in front and slams on the brakes at up to 60km/h.For the commute, our test car had a $2700 multimedia option with a larger centre screen, head-up display, better satnav, an excellent 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio and digital radio tuner.The Mini is fun to drive around town but it's in its element on a winding country road. Flick the switch on the centre console to sport and the throttle response, steering weight and gear shift points become more aggressive.Choose the optional adaptive dampers and the suspension stiffens for better cornering control.The steering is precise and the Clubman stays flat and composed, with only the hint of a tug at the steering wheel when accelerating hard out of a corner.It's an engaging driving experience, helped by a great sounding exhaust that spits and snarls under braking.The 2.0-litre (141kW/280Nm) is a beauty, delivering peak torque from a low 1250rpm for great initial pick-up. It remains strong through the rev range, too, spinning happily to the red-line. The eight-speed auto helps performance as well, shifting rapidly and smoothly.A lot of hot hatches now deliver significantly more power than the Cooper S but you never feel short-changed by the urge at your disposal.

Alistair Kennedy road tests and reviews the Mini Clubman with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

Craig Jamieson road tests and reviews the Mini Clubman with specs fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the Mini John Cooper Works with specs, fuel consumption and verdict

Peter Barnwell road tests and reviews the Mini Clubman with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its international launch in Sweden.

Sporting makes do dual-purpose hatches - daily drivers that can be unleashed on a track - in divergent ways, says Craig Duff.

Craig Duff road tests and reviews the Mini John Cooper Works at its Australian launch.

Paul Gover reviews the Mini John Cooper Works at its international launch.

Not to labour the point too much, but many original Mini owners, their families and friends, while not exactly in their dotage, can be physically challenged getting into the back of a three-door hatchback.At the other end of the scale, young families with kids to accommodate in the rear seats face an awkward lift, especially with a squirming toddler or two. It makes sense, then, to ease both burdens by adding a couple of back doors.This Mini has done that with its latest hatchback, without subtracting from the things that have adhered the model to several generations of supporters. There are no compromises on Mini's distinctive looks, or trademark go-kart driving appeal.Mini Cooper 5-door, the second body variant of the new third-generation premium small car, is priced from $27,750, $3900 less than the previous generation three-door Mini Hatch.It comes powered by a choice of a 1.5-litre TwinPower Turbo petrol (Cooper) and diesel (Cooper D) engines and range-topping 2.0-litre TwinPower Turbo petrol in the Cooper S. I sampled the top-of-the-list Cooper S.For lovers of the Mini, the exterior is sublime, with all the attributes they have come to appreciate – the planted stance with all four wheels at the corners, short overhangs front and back, and tapered rear window with roof-mounted spoiler making for agile handling.Up to the A-pillar, the 5-door is the same as its sibling, while the floating roof is retained, adding a D-pillar at the rear to take the extra length. Longer by 161mm and taller by 11mm, the increased wheelbase (72mm) adds 72mm more rear legroom, 15mm more headroom and 61 mm more width at elbow level compared to the three-door Mini.For all but the Mini's greatest fans the cabin can seem somewhat chaoticThe boot offers 288 litres of luggage space, 67 litres more than the three-door, while up to 941 litres of cargo can be accommodated with the 60:40 split rear seat backs folded.For all but the Mini's greatest fans the cabin can seem somewhat chaotic, with almost every form of instrument, dial, needle, switch, knob and screen scattered around the place. Then there is the ever-changing Blackpool-style illumination. I'm ambivalent about the whole thing.There are some positive moves, however. The speedo has been shifted from its traditional spot on the middle of the dashboard to directly in front of the driver, freeing up the old spot to display more information, including a range of interactive displays, depending on the model. Head-up display, Park Assist and reversing camera are on the Cooper S menu.All Mini 5-doors are well equipped with dynamic cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, automatic windscreen wipers and lights, audio system with USB and Auxiliary inputs, Bluetooth connectivity, interior LED ambient lights package and rear fog lights.The Cooper S adds automatic dual-zone climate control, Radio Mini Visual Boost with a 6.5-inch central display screen, Bluetooth with audio streaming, front fog lights and front armrest.Further gains include leather/cloth combination upholstery, front sports seats and Mini Navigation System. Along with the upgraded display screen comes the Mini Controller, based on BMW's iDrive system, to access infotainment, vehicle, communication and navigation.The 5-door Cooper S calls on a 141kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol engine mated with a standard six-speed manual gearbox speeding the car to a claimed 100km/h in 6.9 seconds. This is cut by 0.1 second with the optional Steptronic Sports Automatic transmission.Various modern technologies are called on to limit fuel consumption. These include engine stop/start, brake energy regeneration, weight savings and aerodynamic advantages.All Mini 5-door models feature high-end safety equipment, including six airbags, dynamic stability control, dynamic traction control with electronic differential lock control, ABS with brake assist, electronic brake force distribution and cornering brake control, and rear park distance control.A strong, rigid body with clearly defined deformation zones is designed to absorb impacts and ensure maximum occupant protection. Also featured is a partially active bonnet that, in the event of an accident, is raised to increase deformation space to help reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians.Needless to say, the Mini 5-door experience starts with getting seated, the added doors putting a smile on the face of many would-be occupants, although the Mini 5-door's claim to be a true five-seater would be drawing a long bow.Three in a row along the back would be an uncomfortably tight fit for shoulder space, while leg room depends heavily on the positioning of the front seats in relation to the occupants' height.Hanging two extra doors on its iconic hatchback can only add to the appeal of the MiniStandard in the Cooper S is the Mini Driving Modes system which varies the driving characteristics in a choice of three modes – Mid, Sport or Green – by means of a rotary switch positioned somewhat awkwardly on the centre console behind the gear shift lever.Reaching back the driver can engage Mid (also the default mode), which offers a middle-of-the-road driving experience balancing performance with fuel efficiency; Green increases the latter at the expense of performance through intelligent control of such things as air-con and use of the coasting mode in auto cars.Sport puts a spurt on through greater throttle, steering and auto transmission responsiveness. Take up of the optional Dynamic Damper Control has the car gaining added agility.On the motorway the Mini 5-door Cooper S came up with fuel consumption of 7.1L/100km; in the city this blew out to as much as 10.0L/100km.

Launched to an amazed world in 1959 the Mini became a huge success worldwide as well as in Australia, with it being built in Sydney for years. It faded from the 1980s onwards though some variants were still being made overseas till the year 2000. The British motor industry was in serious trouble for many years and