MINI Clubman alternative
Discussion
It's getting near the time when we're going to get a 2nd car. I currently drive a Zafira tourer and I do like it as our main big family car. I finish paying it off soon and the idea is to get my wife a 2nd car and keep that going for a few more years.
We're both keen on the MINI Clubman as it's a great compromise for what we'd both like the 2nd car to be:
1. I like the thought of having something big enough as a 2nd car that if the Zafira was off the road we can use as a family car still (2 adults 1 child). The Clubman works really well for this as we have a big roofbox and the fact the doors open as they do on the Clubman means we can use that easily.
2. My Wife is really keen on the looks of the MINI and the MINI brand and it's small enough to her to still consider it a 'small' car as she doesn't want a big car.
I was just wondering if there's anything else out there around the same size as the Clubman but still has the boot doors that are hinged on the sides?
We're both keen on the MINI Clubman as it's a great compromise for what we'd both like the 2nd car to be:
1. I like the thought of having something big enough as a 2nd car that if the Zafira was off the road we can use as a family car still (2 adults 1 child). The Clubman works really well for this as we have a big roofbox and the fact the doors open as they do on the Clubman means we can use that easily.
2. My Wife is really keen on the looks of the MINI and the MINI brand and it's small enough to her to still consider it a 'small' car as she doesn't want a big car.
I was just wondering if there's anything else out there around the same size as the Clubman but still has the boot doors that are hinged on the sides?
vtecyo said:
Don't those doors make it a pain in the arse if you parallel park and someone parks close behind you / you reverse in to a parking space / a gust of wind causes them to smash into something?
Parallel parking is not really a problem, we have enough driveway space for all the cars at home and nearly everywhere we go has car parks.vtecyo said:
Don't those doors make it a pain in the arse if you parallel park and someone parks close behind you / you reverse in to a parking space / a gust of wind causes them to smash into something?
We have got one as a second car and as much as that isn't an issue, accidentally pressing the boot open button on the key flicks out one of the doors and that can hit things.We really like it, seems to prioritise inside space rather than the boot as the space in the rear is great but the boot is a boot is a bit shallow, whereas the Countryman has a movable rear bench. We have an SD model, 17 plate in Grey, plenty fast enough with a good level of kit. Just wish my wife would kerb the alloys just a little bit less...
MECHENG84 said:
2. My Wife is really keen on the looks of the MINI and the MINI brand and it's small enough to her to still consider it a 'small' car as she doesn't want a big car.
Just bear in mind the appearance can be deceptive. We've got a new Clubman on order, but when you check the specs the Clubman is actually slightly wider than my Mk3 Focus, and almost as long. It'll be a replacement for the 3 door hatch my wife currently drives, and although we could do with the extra room, part of us will miss the relative ease with which we can manoeuvre and park the 3 door.Zetec-S said:
MECHENG84 said:
2. My Wife is really keen on the looks of the MINI and the MINI brand and it's small enough to her to still consider it a 'small' car as she doesn't want a big car.
Just bear in mind the appearance can be deceptive. We've got a new Clubman on order, but when you check the specs the Clubman is actually slightly wider than my Mk3 Focus, and almost as long. It'll be a replacement for the 3 door hatch my wife currently drives, and although we could do with the extra room, part of us will miss the relative ease with which we can manoeuvre and park the 3 door.PSRG said:
I’d second that...the Clubman is not a small car really. The wheelbase is, I think, 100mm longer than the 5 door MINI and the car itself almost a foot longer. It’s effectively Golf sized, so maybe consider a Golf or an A3?
I like those Golfs and the A3, I think my wife would be more than capable with a Clubman though as she used to drive my old Focus. The main reason for a clubman is the barn doors at the rear. It means we can use our roofbox but still have access to the boot, we have a very large roof box and on a smaller hatchback it would prevent the boot from opening.MECHENG84 said:
I'd prefer the F54 but budget restraints will see us more likely in an R55.
As someone who owns an F54 Clubman, I would suggest getting one of these instead of the older R series. They have proper rear doors for a start plus they use the later Bxx BMW made engines which are much better and far more reliable.We got a brand new Clubman last year and have banged 16k miles on it in 18 months, taken it to Cornwall several times with a 530 litre roof box for all the camping gear, plus with the barn doors its handy as we can have a dog in the boot in her crate.
As an owner of a R55 Cooper S and an F57 Cooper S if you want the better drive get the R series. The F series are just BMW's.
The club door is usless, you need to open the front door fully and have nothing parked next to you otherwise you become trapped between 2 doors. The N18 is the best engine for the R series cars, its as big as a mk1 Focus and seats 5 ... although 4 is its limit. The boot is quite deep if you remove the false floor. I did toy with a F series car to replace it but i think it will be a Mustang that i get next.
The club door is usless, you need to open the front door fully and have nothing parked next to you otherwise you become trapped between 2 doors. The N18 is the best engine for the R series cars, its as big as a mk1 Focus and seats 5 ... although 4 is its limit. The boot is quite deep if you remove the false floor. I did toy with a F series car to replace it but i think it will be a Mustang that i get next.
stevemcs said:
. The F series are just BMW's.
.
Precisely why we got one, the old ones were still a BMW but you had the French developed engine to worry about. .
Perhaps the Rxx cars are a better drive but ultimately its old vs new in terms of both engine and technology.
The N14/N18 engines have known issues you may encounter which I didn't want to take the risk of, the B48 seems a decent engine from what I have read.
Wagonwheel555 said:
Precisely why we got one, the old ones were still a BMW but you had the French developed engine to worry about.
Perhaps the Rxx cars are a better drive but ultimately its old vs new in terms of both engine and technology.
The N14/N18 engines have known issues you may encounter which I didn't want to take the risk of, the B48 seems a decent engine from what I have read.
The B48 had plenty of issues when first released, certainly more engine related than the N18. The biggest issue with the N14 was owners trying to push 20k service intervals and the chains not liking it. The vanos solenoids have affected BMW's for years although the fuel pump seems to be the only biggy on the N18 (mine had one 2 years ago)Perhaps the Rxx cars are a better drive but ultimately its old vs new in terms of both engine and technology.
The N14/N18 engines have known issues you may encounter which I didn't want to take the risk of, the B48 seems a decent engine from what I have read.
No I don't think there is anything else with a barn door, RAV4's have doors that open from the side as does the Ford ecosport, some estates have the glass section of the tailgate that opens that might be an option.
Now this might be of no help at all, but the Merc estates that I’ve had with power tailgates (which is all of the more recent ones I think - from S204/212 definitely) let you stop the tailgate part way up. So you could, in theory, make sure it never hit the roof box. Whether it’d give you enough room to actually access the boot sensibly or not I don’t know!
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