Eric's Autos: 2024 Mini Clubman

There will soon be one less Mini -- and it's the one that's not as "mini" as the ones that will remain.

It's the Clubman version of the Mini Cooper -- which will be retired after the end of this model year.

But why is it being retired?

And is it worth considering one before they're gone?

What It Is

The Clubman is the largest Mini currently available.

It is also the only Mini that's a wagon -- with a pair of outward-opening rear doors rather than a single liftgate -- and that may be why it's being canceled. Not because wagons are bad. Or because having two outward-opening rear doors that can be opened individually rather than a single upward-opening liftgate is a bad idea.

Wagons just aren't popular in this country.

Every major manufacturer has tried to sell them, but Americans seem to prefer buying crossovers and SUVs instead. The latter offer similar (or even greater) utility and they're not low to the ground -- which is likely the main reason that wagons like the Clubman don't do very well here. Because there are so many tall-riding crossovers and SUVs out there -- and many people don't like feeling towered over by them, apparently.

And so they buy crossovers and SUVs -- which means that's mostly what's out there -- which makes the handful of wagons that are out there feel towered over by them. The circle is now complete, as Darth Vader told Obi Wan.

Still, some people who think the mini Mini (two- and four-door) is cute but too small might want to check out the also-cute but not-as-small Clubman -- before it's gone.

Prices start at $34,050 for the base S trim, which comes standard with a 189-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. The S also comes with 17-inch wheels, LED headlights, ambient interior lighting, a leather trimmed steering wheel and a six-speaker stereo.

The $36,150 S All4 comes standard with all-wheel drive and the same engine, paired up with an eight-speed automatic.

The high-performance John Copper Works version of the Clubman gets a 302-horsepower version of the 2.0-liter four, also paired with AWD and an eight-speed automatic -- plus a performance-tuned suspension, upgraded brakes and bolstered sport seats.

What's New for 2024

A Final Edition package ($1,385) is available for the Clubman's ... final year. It bundles a set of two-tone 18-inch wheels and piano black exterior accents with "shimmer" copper interior trim offset by dark maroon leather seats, Nappa leather-trimmed steering wheel and a gray anthracite headliner.

What's Good

-- Not as mini as other Minis -- but still a Mini.

-- Standard 2.0-liter engine is much stronger than the 1.3-liter three-cylinder engine that's standard in the mini Mini.

-- Cheerful, distinctive personality.

What's Not So Good

-- Much pricier than the mini Mini (which you can buy for $7,250 less for the four-door iteration, which stickers for $26,800 to start).

-- Mandatory automatic transmission detracts from the fun.

-- Only a little bit more room for cargo than the four-door (hatchback) Mini.

Under the Hood

Unlike the mini Mini -- two and four-door hatchbacks -- the Clubman does not come standard with a three-cylinder engine that only makes 134 horsepower. Instead, it comes standard with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that's the optional engine in the two- and four-door mini Mini. It makes 189 horsepower, enough to get the base Clubman to 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds. That's more than a second quicker than it takes for the three-cylinder-powered Mini four-door hatchback to make the same run.

However, the two- and four-door Mini is still available with a six-speed manual transmission, whereas the only transmission you can get with the Clubman's standard engine is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (with front-drive versions) or an eight-speed conventional automatic (with AWD).

The Clubman is also available with a 302-horsepower version of the 2.0-liter engine, in the JCW trim. Not surprisingly, the JCW Clubman is the quickest wagon you can still buy in this country for the money.

It can get to 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds. Interestingly -- and laudably -- going with this engine versus the less potent version of the 2.0-liter engine that's standard in other Clubmans hardly costs more gas. The 189-horsepower version rates 25 mpg city and 35 mpg highway, while the JCW's 302-horsepower iteration posts 23 mpg city, 31 mpg highway.

On the Road

The Clubman's tiny footprint -- it's only 168.5 inches long, which for some sense of just how small a footprint that is, consider that a Toyota Corolla has a 182.5-inch footprint -- allows the driver who's willing to exploit holes in traffic that are closed to larger and less nimble vehicles.

If you have ever played Frogger -- and liked to play it -- you may like driving the Clubman, because that's what it's made to do. It's a fantastically fun urban-suburban car for just that reason. It can actually make driving in traffic enjoyable, like playing a game of Frogger.

But you have to be willing to play.

If not, the Clubman's small footprint -- and thread-the-needle agility -- isn't much of an advantage and the car may feel intimidatingly small among the behemoths.

At the Curb

The Clubman's not as mini as the two- and four-door Mini hatchbacks, but it's still a small car, especially for a wagon.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have that much more room for cargo than the four-door Mini hatchback, which is 158.5 inches long but still has 13.1 cubic feet of space behind its second row and a total capacity of 40.7 cubic feet, which is a lot of space for such a small vehicle. The Clubman -- nearly a foot longer -- only has 17.5 cubic feet of space for cargo behind its second row and a total capacity of 47.9 cubic feet.

It's more - but not a lot more.

On the other hand, the Clubman does have more backseat legroom -- 34.3 inches versus 32.3 inches in the Mini four-door hatchback. And the Clubman has what you can't get in the Mini four-door hatchback: a pair of side-opening rear doors.

The Rest

Part of the reason for the impending cancellation of the Clubman may have less to do with its being a wagon than with it being an expensive wagon -- especially relative to how much less you might pay to get a Mini four-door hatch that's nearly as spacious inside but only costs $26,800 to start -- versus $34,050 for the least expensive version of the Clubman.

The Bottom Line

If you're interested in a different kind of Mini, this is your last chance to get one.

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Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.