58.8mpg, MINI fuel bills

So green motoring is a bit earnest, a bit boring, right? It needn't be with MINI's Clubman Cooper D. Being the Clubman, this is more of a maxi-mini, with space inside for a lot more stuff and a bit more room for passengers. That makes its 58.8mpg rating rather an impressive feat. The MINI features stop-start technology, regenerative brakes and clever engine auxiliaries to ensure it uses as little fuel as possible. Like all the cars here that figure isn't as good as the one MINI itself quotes, but it's still mightily impressive - and more representative of what you might reasonably expect to achieve.

If you're bored of driving sensibly though the MINI will thrill on the road too, the quick accurate steering, sharp suspension and snappy gearbox mated to the punchy turbodiesel engine ensuring you'll have a grin on your face. The only thing going against it is the price; the MINI is not cheap at the best of times, and even less so in Clubman spec with a turbodiesel engine under the bonnet.

Kyle Fortune

Tuesday October 21