Auto Trader Blog

Feature Writer Alex Eckford’s Car of the Year is the Mini Clubman.

Women stopped and stared. Van drivers gave the thumbs up.

It’s not a supercar, and it won’t get you from 0-60 in three seconds, but the Mini Clubman got the most attention of any car I’ve driven this year. Much more than Toyota’s new-in-2007 Yaris and even the luxurious Mercedes E280.

It’s certainly divided opinion, and may not be to everyone’s tastes, but BMW’s resurrection of the Clubman name is one of this year’s most talked about appearances on the UK’s roads.

Its styling is bold and eye-catching (although I’m still not convinced about the ‘Dune Lines’), and as you might expect the Mini Clubman drives just as well as its Cooper S siblings; it’s agile, quick and great fun. Inside there’s more space than in the Cooper S, with plenty of room for four adults, and the rear door arrangement (and fold-down seats) ensures there’s ample room for luggage.

The placing of the driver’s side rear-hinged Clubdoor has raised some concerns over safety, but will withstand an impact as strong as the passenger side door. The Clubdoor can only be opened when the driver’s door is opened.

There are two reasons I have a soft spot for the Mini Clubman – one, I used to ride around in an original Clubman when I was a child, and secondly it was the car which got me round an entire circuit of the M25 in one go (read about it in our article on autotrader.co.uk).

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