A van's not a real van unless it's a proper workhorse pounding the motorways with empty Red Bull cans rattling about in the footwell, right?. And the little Clubvan has certainly been earning its keep recently. And what better vehicle for the ads boys to spread the PH message than a one-of-a-kind Mini emblazoned with a giant PH smiley?
The Clubvan's been hanging out at Aston...
It's certainly been racking up the miles as the commercial team take the PH word on tour, visiting Lotus, Aston Martin and, most recently, Demon Tweeks among many others. It cuts a decent dash too and make a good first impression, which is what it's all about. If you see us out and about make sure you give us a wave!
Niggles about the nav reported last month by Nathan seem to be persisting too, PH business development exec Sam reporting frustrations like 'gradual left turns' actually turning out to be 90-degree ones and easy to miss as a result. He also dislikes the way the nav voice cuts in over handsfree phone calls, to the extent his fiancée apparently thought he was having an affair ... with a robot woman? Assistance 'lag' in the power steering when parking - leaving the wheel to weight up suddenly - and a lack of rear parking sensors also make low-speed manoeuvring a bit of a pain in his book. You may snigger at the latter but visibility ain't great either. It's not all moans though.
"I've driven a selection of car derived vans including Escorts, 106s and Citroen Berlingos which all pale into insignificance on the comfort/noise and ride fronts," says our Sam. "Unlike the above the Mini really still feels like a car, until you remember you've left your bag in the back and you've got a cage in the way! Having a car where you get nods, thumbs up and waves is always good fun, which I guess is what Mini ownership is all about."
Supercar-like attention seeking in a 112hp 1.6 diesel Mini van? You'd better believe it!
Personally I've only had a couple of goes with the Mini so far - blame the distraction of glitzier metal - but I need to rectify that. At the McLaren 650S reveal at a photo studio complex I got chatting with a photographer in the car park as he was getting into his and he was a big fan; an 'artisan' baker near me who runs one too suggests Mini has been successful in attracting trendy business users to the fold as it has the ubiquitous estate agents.
Having spent time with the Mini we'll be interested to drive the new third-gen hatch, which we'll be doing in just a couple of weeks. It may be a while before the Clubman and Clubvan variants are spun off that new platform so the van's got a decent working life ahead of it yet - here's hoping it carries on into the next generation too. Gis a proper JCW Clubvan as a last hurrah though, eh?
Fact sheet:
Car: Mini Cooper D Clubvan
Run by: Everyone!
On fleet since: June 2013
Mileage: 10,316
List price new: £19,575.50 (Basic list of £14,275 +VAT plus £400 for Midnight Black paint, £1,700 for Media Pack, £55 for Storage Pack, £50 for space saver spare, £105 for leather two-spoke steering wheel, £60 for velour floor mats, £45 for warning triangle and first aid kit and £30 for front passenger airbag deactivation switch. All options prices inclusive of VAT.)
Last month at a glance: Mini van is out spreading the PH love as the ad boys go out on the road