Mini has showcased the brand new Mini Clubman — the carmaker's largest model to date. Based on the Clubman Concept showcased in Geneva in 2014, the new Clubman is 158mm longer, 10mm wider and 119mm lower than the current largest model, the Mini Countryman.
Measuring 4,253mm long, 1,800mm wide and 1,441mm tall, the new Clubman is significantly larger than the old model. This increase in dimensions has lead to the new Clubman’s kerb weight sitting at around 1300kg; about 155kg more than its predecessor.
On the design front, the new Clubman borrows heavily from the latest-generation Mini. The front features a large single-frame grille flanked by oval-shaped headlamps with LED graphics and a heavily rounded clamshell-style bonnet. The new Clubman gets a chrome garnish around the turn signals, along with four front-hinged frameless doors and black body cladding. The rear doors are large in size and stretch over the rear wheel arches to help improve ingress and egress. At the back, the Clubman gets barn-style doors in place of the conventional single hatch like on other models. The opening mechanism on the doors is chrome-plated while the vertical
tail-lamps seen on other Mini models, are now replaced by large horizontal units.
Inside, the dashboard layout is similar to the one on the new Minis, with a large centrally mounted, round binnacle housing the infotainment system with a BMW-style rotary control located between the front seats. The control surfaces are also new. The new Clubman is also roomier than the older model and now gets a more functional 360-litre boot along with 60:40 split-folding rear seats as standard.
Under the hood, the car is expected to be powered by a 135bhp, 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol motor along with 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and diesel motors in various states of tune. The new Clubman will also be offered in a S variant with the 2.0-litre petrol motor expected to deliver around 190bhp. The diesel motor is expected to develop around 148bhp in the D variant. The new Clubman will use a six-speed manual transmission along with either a six or eight-speed automatic transmission with paddleshifters. Also in the pipeline is a Clubman S John Cooper Works edition and a Clubman S D, with power expected to be around 228bhp and 168bhp respectively. The Clubman goes on sale internationally later this year. It is unlikely that this new car will make its way to India, where Mini currently offers the new Cooper and Countryman models.