From English tea to The Beatles, my partner loves all things British. I, on the other hand, prefer the offerings from Germany a little more, such as Weissbier and The Scorpions.
And since she's been hinting at applying for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat together, I began to think about what car we could own that would tailor to both likings and be a ton of fun to drive without sacrificing practicality.
The answer presented itself two weeks ago with a reputation for able corner carving, space for a family of five, British soul and a German heart. At that very moment, I asked myself - could the new Mini Cooper Clubman be the one?Exterior
This second generation Clubman is based on the MINI 5 Door and significantly larger than the predecessor model - measuring 4,235mm long and 1,800mm wide with a wheelbase of 2,670mm.
But instead of the old car's bi-parting side doors, you now get four proper doors for passengers, although we personally prefer the first generation's unorthodox 'Club doors' and overall boxier shape.
Despite having matured with these added practicalities, the Clubman still retains much of its sporty, stretched silhouette, long roof line, steep rear and classic design features.
These include signature MINI circular headlamps with chrome linings, hexagonal contours of the radiator grille and the bold, arching bonnet. With the new car, MINI designers have added on air curtains and air breathers for optimised air ducting, which selectively channels air around the wheel arches.
From the front, the Clubman appears to be beaming with pride - a characteristic highlighted by its round headlamps - as if to say, "hello love!"
At the rear, the Clubman's split doors and striking metal surround take centre stage alongside newly-designed, horizontally oriented rear lamps. Depending on your taste, the contradistinct light signatures of these lamps could be a hit or a miss for the car.
Interior
Beneath the Clubman's quirky-cute sheet metal is a mildly redesigned but more generously-spaced interior with five fully-fledged seats. On the surface, it's recognisably classic MINI, although the brand has bumped up the quality of the materials a notch.
What's new is MINI's Your Interior Styles feature and it's a striking door trim design highlighted by means of indirectly illuminated decorative strips that are best enjoyed at night. Elsewhere, LED interior and ambient lighting create an atmospheric ambience so welcoming that you never really want to leave the car.
Seats, as before, are extremely comfortable and the sides provide just the right amount of support to prevent you from sliding side to side when the Clubman is driven more aggressively.
Beneath the Clubman's quirky-cute sheet metal is a mildly redesigned but more generously-spaced interior with five fully-fledged seats. On the surface, it's recognisably classic MINI, although the brand has bumped up the quality of the materials a notch.
What's new is MINI's Your Interior Styles feature and it's a striking door trim design highlighted by means of indirectly illuminated decorative strips that are best enjoyed at night. Elsewhere, LED interior and ambient lighting create an atmospheric ambience so welcoming that you never really want to leave the car.
Seats, as before, are extremely comfortable and the sides provide just the right amount of support to prevent you from sliding side to side when the Clubman is driven more aggressively.
In the back, you'd be able to fit three adults but we'd recommend sticking to two and a child.
More importantly, the largest representative of the new MINI generation has great baggage holding capacity. Boot space in the Clubman is a nice 360 litres with the rear bench up and 1,250 litres with them down.
Loading stuff into this space is where the German ingenuity shows. To make your life easier when burdened with huge shopping loads, the Clubman's split boot doors open up when you swish your foot somewhere below the license plate. This, however, will take some practice to perfect.
In a nutshell, the Clubman's cabin is a great synthesis of British character and German quality in a way that not many can match. The experience is akin to sipping a nice cup of tea in a contemporary art gallery. You bask in both comfort and tasteful design.
More importantly, the largest representative of the new MINI generation has great baggage holding capacity. Boot space in the Clubman is a nice 360 litres with the rear bench up and 1,250 litres with them down.
Loading stuff into this space is where the German ingenuity shows. To make your life easier when burdened with huge shopping loads, the Clubman's split boot doors open up when you swish your foot somewhere below the license plate. This, however, will take some practice to perfect.
In a nutshell, the Clubman's cabin is a great synthesis of British character and German quality in a way that not many can match. The experience is akin to sipping a nice cup of tea in a contemporary art gallery. You bask in both comfort and tasteful design.
The Drive
An experience in any MINI isn't complete until you grin and giggle like a school girl receiving a Paddington bear on her birthday.
We'll be honest. When we first checked the car out, two thoughts crossed our minds. Firstly, the Clubman looks pretty damn huge. Could its 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged motor be up to the task? Secondly, with its size, will the car handle how a good old MINI should?
We're glad to tell you, however, that the Clubman is one of the best and most fun cars we've driven.
Even for the power hungry, its 136bhp and 220Nm of torque seem punchier than figures suggest and, of course, credit has to be given to the equally capable, well-sorted six-speed automatic transmission.
Feeling a little frisky, we flicked the knob into manual overwrite, engaged Sport Mode and quickly got ourselves out of the bustling city traffic into quieter, curvier roads to really enjoy what the car had to offer.
Needless to say, the Clubman damn well handles like a dream. Steering is nicely weighted and its loquacious nature makes feedback refreshingly mechanical and tangible.
An experience in any MINI isn't complete until you grin and giggle like a school girl receiving a Paddington bear on her birthday.
We'll be honest. When we first checked the car out, two thoughts crossed our minds. Firstly, the Clubman looks pretty damn huge. Could its 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged motor be up to the task? Secondly, with its size, will the car handle how a good old MINI should?
We're glad to tell you, however, that the Clubman is one of the best and most fun cars we've driven.
Even for the power hungry, its 136bhp and 220Nm of torque seem punchier than figures suggest and, of course, credit has to be given to the equally capable, well-sorted six-speed automatic transmission.
Feeling a little frisky, we flicked the knob into manual overwrite, engaged Sport Mode and quickly got ourselves out of the bustling city traffic into quieter, curvier roads to really enjoy what the car had to offer.
Needless to say, the Clubman damn well handles like a dream. Steering is nicely weighted and its loquacious nature makes feedback refreshingly mechanical and tangible.
Together with a sublime suspension system, the Clubman's point-and-spurt capabilities reminded us why we enjoyed driving so much. The new Clubman is in so many more ways than one, better.
Conclusion
A friend once told me that if you don't have peace at home, life won't be complete no matter how successful you may be in other aspects.
My partner and I usually argue a ton over my taste in cars (which tend to be typically beng JDM types that make excessive turbo noises) but we both agreed for once that the Clubman is something either of us wouldn't mind having.
With that settled, I can peacefully enjoy a nice glass of German beer without her reminding me that a Nissan Silvia S15 wouldn't be practical to own in time to come.
Looks like some careful budgeting will have to be done in order for this $147,300 (as of 19th February 2016) MINI to be a part of our future family.
