It’s clearly a Mini, yet its proportions and dimensions secure attention due to the design of the rear.

The Mini Clubman features the 'clubdoor'.

Open the driver’s door, then open the rear-hinged clubdoor (which is similar to the Mazda RX-8 rear door), to enter a new lay-out of Mini accommodation, which boasts greater legroom and headroom for rear occupants than that offered by regular Mini models. Note: the clubdoor is featured on the right-hand side of the Mini Clubman and is not available on the left-hand side of the car, thus causing safety concerns for loading passengers on busy city streets. It seems this 'clubdoor' will have limited value to users of the car.

Behind this rear seating lies a significantly increased and flexible load space that caters to diverse needs.

The 'character' of the Mini Clubman makes it instantly recognisable, even with a new roofline that extends beyond the rear doors to form an integral spoiler.

Viewed from the rear the Mini Clubman has a striking look, defined by the vertically split doors complete with chromed handles and equipped with a wiper apiece to ensure some rearward visibility in all weather. The wide-opening doors ensure easy rear-entry loading.

The upper section of the C pillar cover is swathed in a shield of contrasting trim, to further amplify the heritage link, while vertically stacked taillights offer another authentic nod to past glories.

All this makes the Mini Clubman the modern successor to three legendary classics, the Morris Mini Traveller, the Austin Mini Countryman, and the Mini Clubman Estate.

Three motors on debut in Europe

The new Mini Clubman goes on sale in Germany on 10th November, 2007, 51 weeks after the introduction of the R56 series Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S Hardtop.

It will be powered by the same engines offered in the R56 Mini Hardtop.

Equipped with a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct petrol injection producing a maximum output of 128 kW at 5,500 rpm and 240 Nm of torque between 1,600-5,000 rpm (260 Nm with overboost), the Mini Cooper S Clubman is the most powerful.

The Mini Cooper S Clubman offers not only impressive performance, but also an exceptionally good balance of driving pleasure and economy.

The Mini Cooper Clubman features fully variable valve control developed from BMW Group’s VALVETRONIC technology. Its naturally aspirated engine produces 88 kW at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 160 Nm at 4,250 rpm.

In their performance as well as fuel economy and emission management, both the Mini Hardtop and the Mini Clubman are virtually equal.

As with all Mini vehicles, engine power reaches the road via the front wheels. All Mini Clubman models feature a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional six-speed automatic transmission. The automatic transmission has a manual mode whereby the driver may select gears via steering wheel mounted paddle shifts.

Bold design and five doors in brand-new shape

And now the Mini Clubman adds further room.

There’s 240 mm more in overall length, comprising an 80 mm greater wheelbase, all of it dedicated to rear passenger accommodation.

The new Mini Clubman is recognisable by its roofline and its rear vertically-split doors.

In profile, on the right-hand side (driver’s side in Australia) the design is highlighted by the clubdoor concept.

The Clubdoor turns the Mini Clubman from a four-door to a five-door, though thanks to the deft touch of inspired design, there is no external handle to interrupt the flow of the coachwork.

Both front doors remain exactly as they are in the Mini Hardtop; in fact the Mini Clubman and Mini Hardtop are identical as far back as the B pillar.

On the driver’s side, access to the rear is supplemented by an additional rear-hinged door, the clubdoor. For safety reasons, this can only be opened by the internally mounted handle, when the driver’s door is opened.

The clubdoor offers comfortable and convenient access to the rear, which in some markets will be offered with an optional three-seat bench.

At the rear of the Mini Clubman, the twin doors open wide to allow easy loading for bulky goods, the load bay swallowing 260-litres with the rear seats up. With the seats folded forward a significant 960-litres of space is available for loading.

The rear seat backrest is divided 50/50. When folded and teamed with an optional folding floor section, it provides a long flat load bed. Thanks to a generous load height in the rear, plenty of sporting equipment can be carried inside, including a mountain bike with the front wheel removed.

As an option there is also a safety net separating the luggage area from the passenger compartment. And to ensure visibility to the rear, each rear door comes with a separate windscreen wiper.

Modern interpretation of a classic concept

In its split-door configuration, the Mini Clubman recalls the Austin Mini Countryman, the Morris Mini Traveller and the Mini Clubman Estate sold in great numbers between 1960 and 1982.

These classic models were the source of inspiration for the 21st century iteration which is now known as the Mini Clubman.

The potential offered by a modern interpretation of this kind of vehicle was demonstrated by the four Mini concept cars (Mini Concept Geneva, Mini Concept Frankfurt, Mini Concept Tokyo and Mini Concept Detroit). Now the most important highlights are available on the production version; the new Mini Clubman.

But an additional surprise is the clubdoor, which unlike the split rear doors, was not previewed by the Mini Concept cars.

The Mini Clubman is reminiscent of its classic forerunners in terms of design, taking up and re-interpreting unique features of the classic models rendered in authentic up-to-date design language and with modern function.

Where once a wooden frame and exposed hinges characterised the rear end of the car, the door surfaces now merge smoothly and aerodynamically into the C-pillars to form one large, harmonious area.

The colour scheme also takes up the particular flair and look of the classic rear-door concept, the C-pillars on the Mini Clubman accentuated together with the bumper by contrasting paintwork and thus forming a striking door surround.

The colour of this rear door surround matches the roof colour. On the Mini Clubman this is a choice between Silver (in place of white) and Black.

As an option, the Mini Clubman is also available with the roof finished in body colour, in which case only the C-pillars and the upper section of the bumpers are finished in contrasting Silver or Black paintwork, thus maintaining the striking look of the rear door frame on all versions of the Mini Clubman.

The individual model variants are designated at the rear by their names “Cooper” and “Cooper S”, while the additional name “Clubman” is to be seen in the right-hand door sill strip.

A typically Mini driving experience

Mini has developed the new Mini Clubman for customers who want instantly recognisable and individualistic transport imbued with an extra dash of practicality.

Despite its longer wheelbase and rear overhang, the Mini Clubman retains the classic Mini stance.

The Mini Clubman boast sympathetically retuned suspension that lacks nothing in composure or grip; the chassis and suspension developed for the new generation of Mini guarantees superior handling safe and sporting at all times.

At the front, MacPherson spring struts ensure wheel guidance, keeping the steering responsive at all times, unaffected by engine torque.

The central-arm rear axle also benefits from the BMW Group development. The design is unique in the Mini segment.

Aluminium longitudinal arms help to optimise the car’s weight, while anti-roll bars additionally promote the safe handling of the Mini Clubman.

Reflecting the extra power and performance, the suspension set-up on the Mini Cooper S Clubman is more sporting and dynamic than the suspension of the Mini Cooper Clubman.

In Europe, the new Mini Cooper Clubman will feature 15-inch light alloy wheels, while the Mini Cooper S Clubman has 16-inch light alloy rims with runflat tyres.

Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) gives the driver feedback, the steering remaining direct at all times, with power assistance geared to road speed.

A further advantage of Electrical Power Assisted Steering is it weights much less than a conventional steering system. The steering function is also geared to actual demands in order to save energy. The servo motor is used only when power assistance is required by the driver.

The suspension of the Mini Clubman is supported by an efficient brake system featuring anti-lock control (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Cornering Brake Control (CBC) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) including hill start-off assistance.

The Brake Assistant on the new Mini recognises emergency application of the brakes and builds up maximum brake pressure whenever required to keep stopping distances as short as possible.

More than 40 exterior colour combinations

The new Mini Clubman offers the customer the choice of more than 40 combinations for the exterior paintwork alone. This array of choice is enhanced by a wide range of accessories and a great selection of options and special equipment geared specifically to the Mini Clubman.

Hot Chocolate, a metallic colour, is reserved exclusively for the Mini Clubman. Hot Chocolate works well with the new Silver roof colour and the frame around the rear doors.

The Mini Clubman is available in no less than 12 body colours – the three non-metallic colours Chilli Red, Pepper White and Mellow Yellow, as well as the additional metallic colours Astro Black, Sparkling Silver, British Racing Green, Pure Silver, Lightning Blue, Nightfire Red, Dark Silver and Laser Blue as well as the new Hot Chocolate.

Interior Design

All Mini Clubman customers may choose their own individual interior design, combining four interior colours and five Colour Line variants.

Seats are available in cloth upholstery, a cloth/leather combination, full leather or the premium Leather Lounge, complete with contrasting piping and fluted panels. Cloth/leather and full leather comes in a wide variety of colours.

A wide range of trim options helps to underline the premium character of the Mini Clubman, for example through optional English Oak or glistening Piano Black paint. If the huge individual choice is too much there are two standard trim options as well as Fluid Silver and Brushed Alloy as further optional selections.

The new Mini Clubman

The Mini Clubman reinterprets for the 21st century the concept of a small wagon, yet refers to the design features of its predecessor Mini Estate models.

The Mini Clubman heads into a segment of the market where buyers expect a touch of class with their acquisition. Cars, featuring versatility, quality and admirable heritage, such as the Audi A3 Sportback, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class (especially the turbo) and the Peugeot 307 Touring (with its mighty fine driving dynamics) own this market segment. No doubt buyers who require the load carrying capacity of a Clubman will also consider the classy all-wheel-drive vehicles, such as the newly released Land Rover Freelander 2 and next year's Volkswagen Tiguan, making the restrictive access for rear seat passengers in the new Clubman an undesirable feature.