MY11 Mini Clubman Cooper S
Discussion
Will need to replace the family car soon and these caught my eye. For the last 3 years my wife has driven a Nissan Note Tekna 1.6 - which we bought for around £4500. This has served us well but is now getting on a bit and things are starting to fail - it's had a hard life.
My wife wants something quick. I'm keen to avoid anything diesel powered. The go-to cars would be the likes of the Astra, Focus or even Mazda3, but try finding a peppy one that's not a diesel!
I was surprised to see a few Clubman S's in our budget or just above it - is it worth seeking one of these over a regular Cooper? There seems to be negligible differences in tax and fuel economy.
I'm a bit worried about how practical it will be with its little half-door. Most journeys will be just her and our 2 year old. I'm keen to try one out so we can be aware / rule it out straight away. Anyone with any hands on experience of the Clubman with kids I would be grateful of your honest views.
I know we'd get more for our money with a less premium car, but my wife has never had anything flash before - car history containing the aforementioned Note and a Picanto! But any alternative suggestions also welcome.
The cars in our price range will be around 7-8 years old and have approx 50-60 thousand miles on. Are there any horror stories about this particular model / engine?
Thanks in advance
My wife wants something quick. I'm keen to avoid anything diesel powered. The go-to cars would be the likes of the Astra, Focus or even Mazda3, but try finding a peppy one that's not a diesel!
I was surprised to see a few Clubman S's in our budget or just above it - is it worth seeking one of these over a regular Cooper? There seems to be negligible differences in tax and fuel economy.
I'm a bit worried about how practical it will be with its little half-door. Most journeys will be just her and our 2 year old. I'm keen to try one out so we can be aware / rule it out straight away. Anyone with any hands on experience of the Clubman with kids I would be grateful of your honest views.
I know we'd get more for our money with a less premium car, but my wife has never had anything flash before - car history containing the aforementioned Note and a Picanto! But any alternative suggestions also welcome.
The cars in our price range will be around 7-8 years old and have approx 50-60 thousand miles on. Are there any horror stories about this particular model / engine?
Thanks in advance
We had an R55 Cooper S Clubman (MY2007), with two kids. (My missus also has a Note! 
)
The Clubman did many family holidays and coped well. We did have a roof box for when our lad was young and needed to take a pushchair about.
Ours was very reliable in our ownership, with only the thermostat housing really needing to be replaced in almost six years. The earlier engine (in ours) did have timing chain issues (changed in about 2010) and ours loved to drink oil (about 1 litre every 800 miles)
I enjoyed the driving experience but it is not quite as accomplished as our 2004 Cooper S we had before. The torque steer is good fun.
There is an ongoing debate about the runflat tyres. I felt it ran better on run flats so stuck with them.
Ours would get anywhere between 37mpg and 44 mpg dependent on the jouney type - so not too bad.
I hated the stereo, so if I was looking for any options I would seek out an upgraded stereo.
Rambling finished!
Mike
)The Clubman did many family holidays and coped well. We did have a roof box for when our lad was young and needed to take a pushchair about.
Ours was very reliable in our ownership, with only the thermostat housing really needing to be replaced in almost six years. The earlier engine (in ours) did have timing chain issues (changed in about 2010) and ours loved to drink oil (about 1 litre every 800 miles)
I enjoyed the driving experience but it is not quite as accomplished as our 2004 Cooper S we had before. The torque steer is good fun.
There is an ongoing debate about the runflat tyres. I felt it ran better on run flats so stuck with them.
Ours would get anywhere between 37mpg and 44 mpg dependent on the jouney type - so not too bad.
I hated the stereo, so if I was looking for any options I would seek out an upgraded stereo.
Rambling finished!
Mike
Thanks - spot on. I think we'll only know whether we can get on with the door situation by having a go.
I can live with the petrol consumption, that's close to what she's getting from her Note. Even if it drops to 35ish. Tax is cheaper too which seems like madness.
I've been reading up about option packs, seems A/C was standard after 2009. Anything more than that will be a bonus, note your comments about the stereo. How does it cope blasting Disney tunes all day?! That's the real test!
I can live with the petrol consumption, that's close to what she's getting from her Note. Even if it drops to 35ish. Tax is cheaper too which seems like madness.
I've been reading up about option packs, seems A/C was standard after 2009. Anything more than that will be a bonus, note your comments about the stereo. How does it cope blasting Disney tunes all day?! That's the real test!
We've had our MY11 Cooper S Hatch for 4 years now. My wife mainly drives it with just our younger one who is 8.
It's been supremely reliable, albeit a High Pressure Fuel Pump (a common failing).
Ours is an auto, and IMO pretty good fuel wise, 39mpg is the long term average. It's not the most comfortable ride
but we can park it anywhere and it's good fun.
It's been supremely reliable, albeit a High Pressure Fuel Pump (a common failing).
Ours is an auto, and IMO pretty good fuel wise, 39mpg is the long term average. It's not the most comfortable ride
but we can park it anywhere and it's good fun.R55 is a 5 seater, its not that wide across the rear but i have had 4 adults in mine. If you have child seats you would only get 2 in the back.
The clubman is 80mm longer in the wheelbase which helps with the ride and interior space. The boot isn't massive but it will take a number of shopping bags and the boot is quite deep if you don't have the false floor. Mine has the seats down most of the time so its like a van.
The club door .... well if you are in a normal space then its useless as you get trapped between the doors, if you are parked parallel to a kerb and can open the front door wide open then it does make access to the rear a little bit easier.
Spec wise, Cooper S with the N18 engine, Nav or media looks a bit nicer and you can play videos, spotify etc. Chilli pack is a must so you gain xenons and a/c. Panroof is nice to have but make sure it opens. Mine has a great spec, i've owned it just over 4 years, put 30k on the clock, paid £13300 for it from a Mini dealer and even if i sold it to WBAC they would still offer £6800 for it, realistically i reckon i could get £8-£8500 for it so depreciation isn't bad.
I think if anything i'll end up paying for a fuel pump but other than servicing it owes me nothing else other than a service. It gets oil and plugs every year.
They have a great little character and i don't think i'll sell mine for a few years.
The clubman is 80mm longer in the wheelbase which helps with the ride and interior space. The boot isn't massive but it will take a number of shopping bags and the boot is quite deep if you don't have the false floor. Mine has the seats down most of the time so its like a van.
The club door .... well if you are in a normal space then its useless as you get trapped between the doors, if you are parked parallel to a kerb and can open the front door wide open then it does make access to the rear a little bit easier.
Spec wise, Cooper S with the N18 engine, Nav or media looks a bit nicer and you can play videos, spotify etc. Chilli pack is a must so you gain xenons and a/c. Panroof is nice to have but make sure it opens. Mine has a great spec, i've owned it just over 4 years, put 30k on the clock, paid £13300 for it from a Mini dealer and even if i sold it to WBAC they would still offer £6800 for it, realistically i reckon i could get £8-£8500 for it so depreciation isn't bad.
I think if anything i'll end up paying for a fuel pump but other than servicing it owes me nothing else other than a service. It gets oil and plugs every year.
They have a great little character and i don't think i'll sell mine for a few years.
Thanks guys.
I'm sold, sounds like the ideal little car - fun should I ever need to drive it too! Will be looking at one this weekend.
With regards to car seats, our eldest is on a booster seat already so it's just the one bulky car seat to worry about. Because my wife is a short-arse, ideally this seat will go behind hers where there's more legroom anyway - so immediately next to the little door. Last thing to check is insurance but it can't be that bad...
I'm sold, sounds like the ideal little car - fun should I ever need to drive it too! Will be looking at one this weekend.
With regards to car seats, our eldest is on a booster seat already so it's just the one bulky car seat to worry about. Because my wife is a short-arse, ideally this seat will go behind hers where there's more legroom anyway - so immediately next to the little door. Last thing to check is insurance but it can't be that bad...
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff