Old vs. new: MINI Clubman
The legend:
Austin Mini Countryman (1961)
The newcomer:
MINI Clubman (2007)
A worthy successor?
Although the MINI Clubman is essentially the successor to the original Austin Mini Countryman of the early '60s, BMW didn't purchase the rights to use that name when it bought MINI; nor did it buy the rights to the Morris Mini Traveller tag - the other Mini-based estate of the same era. There was a Mini Clubman estate too though, which is why the name was deemed appropriate for the modern iteration.
And in the sense that the new version is a small estate based on the MINI, it is a worthy successor, although that means all the things that make old Mini fans chastise the new MINI are present and correct: the new version is big (by comparison) and expensive.
The Austin Mini Countryman and Morris Traveller were essentially stretched wheelbase versions of the original British Leyland Mini with a 'bread van' body shell and twin rear doors for added practicality. The new version has mimicked that rear setup, but has also added an unusual single 'Clubdoor' for rear passengers, making it asymmetrical. For UK users, the problem is that the door opens out onto the road, rather than onto the kerb, because MINI didn't want to incur the costs of re-engineering the body entirely for the right-hand drive market. The new Clubman does add a good dose of practicality (and originality) to the MINI line-up, but a true estate it certainly isn't.
But, thankfully, MINI has resisted the urge to unleash a 'Woody'. Original Travellers were available with wood panelling, giving them the look of a tiny American station wagon. These were affectionately referred to as 'Woodies,' although these days we're not convinced new Clubman owners would be best pleased about turning up to work every day with a Woodie.
What are my options?
As it happens we've just taken delivery of a brand new MINI Clubman - the mighty John Cooper Works flagship version, no less - so you can check out our long term reports on that in the coming months. The retail price of 'ours' is a lofty £24,610 with options, although the MINI estate experience can be bought into from a much more reasonable £13,290 without any boxes ticked. Of course, you're looking at a price between those two numbers for Cooper, Cooper D and Cooper S versions - though perhaps more if you go crazy with MINI's vast additional extras roster.
For the originals - like all Minis - age, condition, restoration, ownership history and rarity play a massive part in what you'll pay: you can part with a few hundred for a rusty 'restoration project', or spend into five figures on a freshly restored job. We found, for example, a shiny red Morris Traveller 'Woody' with 42,000 miles on the clock in mint condition for just under £10,000 at Car and Classic (www.carandclassic.co.uk). At the same time, the dilapidated rust-eaten shell of a Mk 1 Morris is for sale for a couple of hundred quid on eBay.
And the winner is:
BMW won't like it, but we've got to give this one to the original. You don't need us to bang on about how seminal and clever the original MINI was, but all the estate versions did was add more usability and, arguably, more charm to the blueprint. The new Clubman, on the other hand, is expensive and partly a big gimmick - especially the right-hand drive version. We love the new Clubman, but it's no innovator.
