According to sales report, 197 units of MINI have been delivered this year up until March. That’s an increase of 38% compared to the same period in 2015, which says that the MINI brand is growing in Malaysia.
As it turns out, ‘growing’ is the key word here, since the 6-door Clubman – launched just this morning – looks rather un-MINI. Take out the tape measure, and it will show that the car is 9cm wider and 27cm longer than the current 5-door MINI. Wheelbase is up by 10cm too.
It’s properly spacious now that it even gets dual-zone airconditioning as well. OK, enough about the size, then.
Bigger, but is it practical? Of course, and the split rear doors – the only quality that truly makes a ‘Clubman’ a Clubman – gives access to a useful 360 litre cargo space. Fold the 40:20:40 rear seats and you have a massive 1,250 litres.
What’s the MINI-quality in this MINI?
We’re talking about quirkiness here. Try opening the door; an image of the MINI logo is projected onto the ground from a light source hidden inside the driver’s side window. Cute.
Not-as-cute but more functional is the Comfort Access feature with easy opener function. A foot-activated sensor opens the split doors automatically, perfect when the hands are full with groceries and such.
Under the hood
We have a choice of 3- and 4-cylinders, with TwinPower tech no less. Expect 136bhp and 220Nm from the 1.5-litre 3-cyl while the 2.0-litre 4-cyl dishes out 192bhp and 280Nm. 0-100kmh is done in 9.1 seconds and 7.1 seconds respectively.
They’re quite frugal too with a claimed 5.4-litre per 100km for the 1.5L, and 5.9-litre per 100km for the 2.0L.
Connectivity and stuffs
The areas of infotainment, communication and driving experience meanwhile, is further enhanced with MINI Connected which offers an extensive integration of smartphones in the car. Spotify is part of the app package, and the timing couldn’t be better what with the data-war going on with the telcos. So, between the endless ads from most radio stations, and sometimes-excruciating yapping in BFM, Spotify wins. MINI wins.
Price
Retail prices (on the road for personal registration, without insurance) of the New MINI Clubman are RM203,888 for the MINI Cooper Clubman; and RM253,888 for the MINI Cooper S Clubman.
