AboutThatCar.com
MINI Clubman -- Bigger is Better
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Frank S. Washington
The MINI has a slot in my dream garage. There’s only room for about five vehicles (how many cars and trucks do you need) and the MINI is one of them.
We fell in love with the car the first time we drove it which was several years ago in the dead of winter. To its credit, BMW, which owns the MINI brand, did not mess it up. It labels the British icon as the world’s only “small premium car.”
That may a bit much. But the MINI had panache, it had flair, it was quick, it handled really well, it was stylish, it was really fun to drive, it was economical and it was relatively cheap.
One reason you don’t see that many MINIs is that BMW has resisted market forces, stuck to its North America allotment of about 35,000 sales a year and it has sold every MINI headed to these shores without incentives since 2002.
Anyway, I had one real problem with the original MINI and the MINI Clubman takes care of it nicely. In a word, we’re talking space, or, the lack of it.
When I picked up the original car at the airport, I had a really oversized duffle bag. I had to lower the back of back seat to get the thing in the car and once in there wasn’t much room for anything else.
The back seat of the MINI is laughable. Although it looks like it can hold four passengers, common sense and the laws of physics say you get two people in the car. Well, the MINI Clubman takes care of that short coming. It’s bigger.
The Clubman’s wheelbase has been increased a mere 8 centimetres or 0.31 inches more than the regular MINI. But the Clubman is 9.4 inches longer than the original car.
So its now sold as a five-seater with rear seat passengers having more than 3.15 inches more legroom that in the regular MINI. What’s more, there is 9.1 cu ft of cargo space behind the rear seats.
An innovation is that the rear-seat backrest may be partially or fully tilted down. With the seat backs fully lowered the MINI Clubman's cargo space increases to 32.6 cu ft. Now that’s some room.
But the real news is access. The MINI HATCH provides split rear door access to the cargo area. Access to the rear seats is facilitated by an additional door, called the Clubdoor; it’s hinged at the back on the right-hand side of the car.
In other words, although it is a subcompact car, the MINI Clubman has five doors.
Like the MINI, there are two versions of the MINI Clubman. The MINI Cooper S Clubman is powered by a dual turbocharged 175 hp four cylinder engine that can scoot the car from a standstill to 62 mph in 7.6 seconds. Top speed is139 mph. What’s more, the MINI Cooper S Clubman gets a miserly 29 miles per gallon.
The MINI Cooper Clubman gets an even more economical 37 miles per gallon. Its four cylinder engine, without turbochargers, makes 120 horsepower and from a standing start can move the car to 62 mph in 9.1 seconds. Top speed is 126 mph.
The power plants can be mated to either a six speed manual gearbox or a six speed automatic. In the case of the manual transmission, it has a gas saving auto stop function: the car shuts off when idle. The MINI Clubman also has a five star European crash rating.
We were particularly pleased with its USB interface. This connection charges the compatible Apple iPhone while driving and an Apple iPod. Other MP3 players can be fully integrated into the MINI’s audio system via the USB audio interface.
Of course, the car has Bluetooth which turns any compatible cell phone into a hands free car phone. Prices start at $20,600 for the MINI Clubman and $24,100 for the MINI Cooper S Clubman.
I’m prejudiced but the MINI might be the best, fuel efficient, reasonably priced, and fun to drive every day driver on sale in the North American Market. If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself.
Frank S. Washington is managing partner/editor of AboutThatCar.com
About That Car: Saturn Astra
Good & Practical
2008-01-08
By Frank S. Washington
PACIFIC BEACH, Calif., – It was a very snappy looking little car with a visceral exhaust note. That was our first impression of the 2008 Saturn Astra. We thought it long, low and sleek, which is saying something for a compact car.
The Saturn Astra is a global car; it is sold in Europe as the Opel Astra and it is the second best selling car on the Continent. Almost 10 million have been purchased since the Astra was first introduced in 1991. So it’s a given that the 2008 Saturn Astra is a very good and practical compact car.
Saturn’s current challenge is to get American car buyers to embrace the Astra which went on sale in the U.S. in January. Saturn has to be very skilled at telling consumers about the Astra’s attributes because it has many.
We’ve always felt that European produced vehicles are sturdier than American built cars and the Astra is no different. Designed and engineered in Germany, the Astra’s chassis, suspension and powertrain are geared towards European tastes where drivers like sporty responsive and fuel- efficient small vehicles.
Both two-door and four-door hatchback models of the Astra were powered by a four-cylinder 138 horsepower engine that made 125 pounds-feet of torque. Two transmissions were available: a five–speed manual and a four speed automatic.
During our test drive of the two-door hatchback with a manual transmission, we found shifting relatively easy, acceleration was acceptable, handling was good, the ride was firm and steering was responsive. However, we would have been much more comfortable with a six-speed manual -- one more gear for downshifting in the hills here, not to mention the added fuel efficiency.
Still, the Astra in manual mode has an EPA rating of 24 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. The EPA numbers for its automatic counterpart are 24 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.
Our test drive of the four-door model with an automatic transmission ended with the same results. It was a very solid ride. But we did find the four-speed automatic lacking when climbing. Just the slightest deviation on the gas pedal sent the four-speed transmission searching for the right gear.
The amount of rear seat headroom in the two-door Astra was a real surprise. Despite its sloping roofline we could sit up straight. The four-door version had even more headroom. And remarkably, we never felt cramped in the rear seats because we had very clear views out the side of the car in both models. Wide rear door openings in the four-door model made getting in and out really easy.
The front seats were comfortable and interestingly, we never felt overwhelmed. In other words, the Astra drove big and the car was really quiet, especially for a four cylinder.
We had a cloth interior but it still was equipped with heated front seats. Our test car was quick and agile which is necessary for small car survival on the freeways of Southern California.
Other than the need for an extra gear on each of the transmissions, our only other quibble was the center stack. Though the design was clean, the controls were too low. Drivers will have to look and or reach down to adjust the climate controls. Familiarization would allow some of this to be done by touch but still the controls should be higher.
In Europe, compact cars are tantamount to midsize sedans and are equipped as such. The Astra can be ordered with 16, 17 or 18-inch wheels. It can also be equipped with a dual pane moonroof and it had express down windows. Its side airbags provided thorax and pelvic protection and the vehicle had OnStar, which is free the first year.
Prices start at $15,995 for the four-door XE, $17,545 for the four-door XR and $18,495 for the two-door XR.
Frank S. Washington is managing partner/editor of AboutThatCar.com