![]() With 200 or so extra pounds to haul depending on trim and options, Mini figures the Clubman will take about a second longer to scramble to 60 mph, or 7.2 seconds for the S and 8.7 for the base model. Mechanically, the Clubman is identical to the freshened Cooper that was launched in 2007, with a choice of 1.6-liter inline fours providing 118 naturally aspirated or 172 turbocharged horsepower hooked to a do-it-yourself or automatic six-speed transaxle. With the seats folded, 33 cubic feet of storage are available, nearly as many as in a Chevy Tahoe-although you can't fit that much stuff and nine people in the Mini. The rest of the extra inches end up in the cargo area, where capacity swells by 3.4 cubic feet, a nearly 60-percent increase to 9.1 cubes. Judging from the size of the rear door opening, though, we imagine it won't be easy to get into and out of the rear seat. Just 3.2 of the Clubman's additional inches go into the wheelbase, meaning bouncers and other big folks still won't want to be crammed into the back seat, but now adults-instead of just grocery bags, briefcases, and children-might actually fit behind the front seats. A passenger-side-only, rear-opening half-door christened the Clubdoor by Mini hearkens back to the early days of three-door pickups and the Saturn Ion and is not guarded by a thickly muscled bouncer with a clipboard. ![]() ![]() Unlike the Clubman of yore, the new car will boast a third door. Each door gets its own external handle and wiper, and the hinges are concealed by the doors when closed to keep the bodywork clean. Like its predecessor, the new Clubman features side-opening "barn style" cargo doors instead of the hatch found on regular-length Minis. All were names for a stretched version of the original Mini. Mini Clubman Estate is a model name from Mini's past, although that car was alternately known as the Morris Mini Traveller or the Austin Mini Countryman.
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