MINI Malaysia launches the new Clubman

Cooper and Cooper S variants introduced, priced at RM203,888 and RM253,888 respectively.

The Clubman has returned- longer, larger, and more practical than ever. Sitting on the UKL2 platform (which it shares with the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer), the Clubman carries over some of the defining features from its predecessor. We had the chance to drive the new Clubman previously, which you can read about here, but the MINI-fied wagon has finally made its way to our market.

For now, there will only be 2 variants of the Clubman on offer: the MINI Cooper Clubman and the MINI Cooper S Clubman. As per MINI’s current nomenclature, the Cooper is powered by a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine (136 hp, 220 Nm of torque) that is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox, while the Cooper S has the larger 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine (192 hp, 280 Nm of torque), paired with an 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission.

In terms of overall footprint, the new MINI Clubman eclipses its predecessor; its 4,253 mm long (8.9% longer), 1,800 mm wide (6.9% wider), and 1,441 mm tall (1.6% taller). It’s even longer than the behemoth that is the Countryman, despite being marginally lower in overall height. The single-sided rear door concept has been dropped in favour of having a proper pair of rear doors- perhaps a little less quirky than before, but far more practical.

The hatch remains cabinet-styled, which allows MINI to label the Clubman as a “6-door”, an ode to their oddity. With this generation the hatch hinges are placed at the very edge of the doors, allowing for a larger boot opening space. The tail lamps had to be repositioned horizontally to accommodate this. Up front are LED headlights and fog lights- standard across the Clubman range. The ‘Melting Silver’ roof colour, which is offered as an option at no additional charges according to MINI Malaysia, is also available for the first time.

MINI likes to shout about their “go-kart feeling” that is inherently engineered in their models. The Clubman is said to be the same, despite having a longer wheelbase and larger form on the whole. The rear suspension is multi-link, while the front is a single-joint strut design. Our local-spec Clubman also receives the EDLC (Electronic Differential Lock Control), which is essentially another brake-based form of torque vectoring- though this only engages when DSC is turned off.

Various driving modes are available to the driver, selectable via a rotary dial. SPORT mode sharpens up the response, GREEN mode runs the powertrain as efficiently as possible, while MID is a blend of the two. The transmission is capable of decoupling as a coasting function between 50 km/h and 160 km/h.

On the inside, the Clubman shares a lot of styling cues with its smaller sisters. Dual-zone automatic air conditioning comes standard, as is the rear Comfort Access function (essentially the foot-activated sensor under the rear bumper that is used to pop open the hatch). The Cooper S Clubman receives the JCW leather steering wheel with paddle shifters, electric front seats, as well as Piano Black interior surfacing and leather upholstery. The regular Cooper Clubman instead features a cloth upholstery and Hazy Grey interior surfacing with a Chrome Line interior.

Perhaps the largest justification for purchasing a Clubman, out of all the other MINI models available, would be its ample boot space. The rear seats are capable of folding in a 40:20:40 split, with a boot volume of 1,250 litres once the seats are completely folded. With all seats in use, the luggage space drops to 360 litres- which is roughly 150 litres more than the MINI hatchback. In reality though, this figure is quite similar to a Volkswagen Golf.

Infotainment is as you would expect with the current crop of MINIs. The MINI Connected system features stronger smartphone integration than ever, with a number of applications available that improve the flexibility and versatility of the system. Apps can be downloaded from the App Store to be viewed on the MINI display and are accessible via the standard controls.

Pricing for the MINI Cooper Clubman stands at RM 203,888, while the MINI Cooper S Clubman is priced at RM 253,888. The MINI Clubman comes with a 4 Year Unilimited Mileage Warranty, along with free scheduled servicing. For now these are the only two variants that MINI Malaysia has announced, and there is no word on whether the ALL4 variants will be made available in the future. 

Looking for a MINI Clubman? Find one now at Carlist.my