The new generation MINI Clubman has been launched in India at Rs 37.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It is the second product to be launched by the carmaker in India this year, with first one being the MINI Cooper S Convertible. The Clubman is currently the longest model in the British carmaker’s line-up and in its second generation.
It was early this year in February during the 2016 Auto Expo that MINI announced its plan to launch the new Clubman and the Cooper S Convertible in India. While we have already driven global-spec MINI Clubman, we will soon bring you a review for the India-spec version as well. As for the car itself, the new Clubman is based on the same front-wheel-drive UKL platform like its smaller siblings and shares its design cues with the Cooper S. In fact, you could even say that the Clubman is an elongated five-door wagon version of the Cooper S.
In reference to dimensions, the new MINI Clubman is 270 mm longer, 90 mm wider than the standard MINI-5 door and comes with an added wheelbase of 100mm as well. The longer wheelbase not only translates to additional cabin space but also increased boot capacity of 360 litres. In fact, by toggling down the rear seat it can be further expanded to 1,250 litres.
In terms of design, a lot has changed in the new-gen MINI Clubman. The car now comes with a new face styled by a bigger front grille with a honeycomb pattern and a large black chrome slat and a chrome surround. The classic sweptback headlamp cluster comes with projector lights with LED daytime running lights with chrome bezels. The new front bumper looks well-designed with the muscular lines and houses the new round fog lamps and wide central air dam. From the sides the car looks very much similar to the older model apart from the new alloy wheels along with the redesigned ORVMs and door handles. The car also comes with plastic underbody cladding.
The rear section of the MINI Clubman has always been the most intriguing part of the car and it’s mainly because of the signature two-door tailgate with nice chunky chrome handles and a Clubman badge below them. The horizontal LED tail lamps have been redesigned and now come with a bolder chrome border and new light pattern. The rear bumper is also new and is really well-designed. The lower portion of the bumper also gets plastic cladding and houses the dual chrome-tipped exhaust pipes.
The Clubman comfortably seats four adults offering generous space for luggage. Up front, there is an entirely new dashboard, but the cabin design is pretty much same as any MINI out there like the seats, steering wheel and gear lever. So you’ll find the same circular design patterns with toggle switches, frills and furbelows. The speedometer has found its place directly in front of the driver and there is the signature round centre screen fitted with a navigation system.
Under the hood, the new MINI Clubman gets the 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic Steptronic transmission. It delivers 189bhp and 280Nm of maximum torque.
[“source-ndtv”]