2009 Mini Clubman Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Owner Pros and Cons by guttboy

Handling

The Clubman S handles like it is on rails! When the "sport" button is hit, the steering tightens up and the throttle becomes more responsive. The Go-Kart like ride is simply pure fun to drive

Powertrain performance

The turbo in the Clubman S spools up quickly with little apparent lag. The engine is very quick and provides outstanding response throughout the speedometer range.

Fuel economy

Very surprised at how well the car sips gasoline. From an agressive driving style (myself) to a more passive driving style (wife) we still consistently get 34 MPG and that is traveling in a 50/50 mix city/hwy with speeds 10-15% greater than posted.

Exterior styling

Unique! Cool lines and curves...the car just looks fun to drive!

Brand reputation & image

Having BMW working so closely with MINI it is a marriage made in heaven. All maintentance taken care of for 3 years 36,000 miles is nice!

Cargo capacity

The car is purchased for fun...I doubt that we would be doing any towing with it. The reason we went with the Clubman version is for the extra 9 inches in length that makes it possible to carry bags for vacations.

Controls and instruments

Again a unique design for MINI. Controls are not intuitive but you get used to them after driving them for a while. Really would like a DETENT for the reverse position on the manual transmission.

Insurance cost

The "S" is a sports car and is priced like that via my insurance company...so expect to pay a bit more on insurance.