Mini Cooper Clubvan: PH Fleet
Ads team commandeer the Mini to spread the PH word far and wide
The Clubvan's been hanging out at Aston...
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."
...and at Lotus too!
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
Previous reports:
To the 'performance car show' in a diesel Mini van!
Garlick tries his first diesel Mini and really rather likes it
It's a diesel van not a supercar but it has been hanging out with a few
Daily commuting duties reveal the Clubvan is still a Mini at heart
The PH Mini Clubvan is here and straight into the heart of our Le Mans field ops
I seem to remember a thread on here talking about the effect a car could have on your business & that some customers would be put off if you arrived to do an estimate in something seen as extravagant.
To me this thing would have exactly the same effect. I know if I go to an 'Artisan baker' for my bread I am going to pay more for it than a loaf of Kingsmill but I don't see the point of delivering it in a Mini @ £20k+ when I'm sure I could get a perfectly good Astra or whatever for probably half the cost to do the same job.
Being 'Trendy' is not always a good thing in business. I do not want a salesman to call me, Mate, when I am looking to buy a car or property. I am of a generation that believes I should be addressed as Mr, until I say otherwise, & to me whoever is driving the Mini is probably going to think mate is a 'cool' way to address me.
Mini & their parent BMW seem to continually come up with 'Niche' products that are IMHO totally pointless. That coupled with their abysmal attitude to customer service returns me to my opening question..... What is the point of this vehicle?
I seem to remember a thread on here talking about the effect a car could have on your business & that some customers would be put off if you arrived to do an estimate in something seen as extravagant.
To me this thing would have exactly the same effect. I know if I go to an 'Artisan baker' for my bread I am going to pay more for it than a loaf of Kingsmill but I don't see the point of delivering it in a Mini @ £20k+ when I'm sure I could get a perfectly good Astra or whatever for probably half the cost to do the same job.
Being 'Trendy' is not always a good thing in business. I do not want a salesman to call me, Mate, when I am looking to buy a car or property. I am of a generation that believes I should be addressed as Mr, until I say otherwise, & to me whoever is driving the Mini is probably going to think mate is a 'cool' way to address me.
Mini & their parent BMW seem to continually come up with 'Niche' products that are IMHO totally pointless. That coupled with their abysmal attitude to customer service returns me to my opening question..... What is the point of this vehicle?
I wanted to run a van at work for my own use instead of my car. Wanted something a bit less 'van' like and the Mini fits the bill perfectly. I leased one almost exactly the same spec, costs me £300 'ish per month + vat, goes like the clappers, handle brilliantly, tows a trailer for 500 miles in a day, looks cool (in my opinion and I don't care what other people think)uses hardly any fuel, it's very quiet and refined and well put together.
Try saying that about an Astra van or the other commercial car derived vans out there.
Doesn't matter about the list price, I know exactly how much it will cost me over 24 months which is more important. Until you get one or drive one then don't put it down. It's actually a bloody good vehicle.
I wanted to run a van at work for my own use instead of my car. Wanted something a bit less 'van' like and the Mini fits the bill perfectly. I leased one almost exactly the same spec, costs me £300 'ish per month + vat, goes like the clappers, handle brilliantly, tows a trailer for 500 miles in a day, looks cool (in my opinion and I don't care what other people think)uses hardly any fuel, it's very quiet and refined and well put together.
Try saying that about an Astra van or the other commercial car derived vans out there.
Doesn't matter about the list price, I know exactly how much it will cost me over 24 months which is more important. Until you get one or drive one then don't put it down. It's actually a bloody good vehicle.
It's owner sold it quickly too,as it aggravated am old back problem. Person she sold it to,has just been shafted for £1200"for a timing chain @ 20k& as usual was hung out to dry by Mini.
I may not have driven it but I have been unfortunate enough to have driven & been a passenger in a Cooper of some sort & thought it was awful.
I can assure you that if I had felt that it had a harsh ride on the test drive I would never have ordered it. Can't stand poor suspension setup's that spoil the ride. Mine on 16's is absolutely fine and I can only imagine your friend's was on bigger wheels with solid sidewalls that ruined the ride and their back!
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