Six things we learned about the Clubman JCW...
...after three weeks of driving it in the real world
1.
It's better than the last one. Hands down. Not hard, perhaps - the last Clubman JCW had the motive vigour of a discarded mattress - but significant nonetheless because it makes the latest model a legitimate option rather than something to sadly shake your head at in a supermarket car park. Blame for its predecessor's lethargy fell mostly on (the previously blameless) 231hp four-cylinder motor which had apparently been given far too much to do. As you'll likely know by now, the new version swerves this accusation by being much more powerful. It shares its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with the latest M135i, which means there's an industry hot-standard 306hp powering the ALL4 drivetrain via a standard eight-speed automatic.
This means that where the JCW once laboured - and there really is no other word for it - to 62mph in a little over 6 seconds (a supremely optimistic claim, from experience), it is now said to be capable of breaking the benchmark tape in 4.9 seconds. Does it feel as fast as a PDK'd Porsche Cayman T? No. The much-lighter-on-its-toes JCW hatch still feels much peppier. But with 332lb ft of torque available from 1,750rpm, clearly it is capable of emphatically picking up its skirts when the situation calls for it - and that's a gigantic leap forward in likability terms.
2.
It's still, you know - a Clubman. Which means that it's not quite big enough to be a proper small estate (the Focus ST wagon's boot is the best part of 200 litres bigger) and yet not really small enough to be called a Mini anything. Then there are those split rear doors. Inheriting the bread van style from the Morris Mini Traveller makes as much evolutionary sense to me as willingly inheriting your granddad's rotary dial telephone. But clearly some people like it because (BMW) Mini has been making the Clubman for well over a decade now, and while those same people must have encountered situations where said doors are rendered completely impractical, the novelty remains. As does the novelty of not being able to see out the back properly.
Of course this is all forgivable if the Clubman fits your lifestyle. By some astonishing stroke of good fortune, the boot which in no way seems big enough for family use managed to swallow everything the mrs and I needed for a few days away over Christmas. And that included what seemed like enough presents for an entire orphanage. This is to the Mini's credit. But had we also had a child and a child's associated paraphernalia, we'd have probably struggled. And if the Clubman isn't for young families, who is it for?
3.
It's hard to argue with the rest of the interior. Or it's hard to now point a finger at the current Mini, and accuse it of needless, cloying levels of kitsch. What seemed like a Disneyfication twenty years ago has now simply become what all Minis are like - and the multi-generation evolution has rendered a cabin that feels well put together, nice to interact with and ergonomically friendly. It still feels short of genuine originality - but no more so than the rest of the Clubman so you're better off making your peace with it. Frankly I like the toggle switches and re-skinned i Drive infotainment system.
Sharing things with BMW has typically been to the benefit of Mini, and that includes the premium-end feel. In press car format, the ambience is usually doubled down on with much more option box ticking than any sane, bottomline-paying person would indulge in, but the mountain of kit feels model appropriate to the Clubman. That said, there isn't much to get your JCW kicks from; especially if you like your 306hp Mini to come with a hip point commensurate to its badge and power output. Were someone to tell you that you'd just made yourself comfortable in the latest Countryman, you'd halfway believe it.
4.
You'll live with it easily enough. We did. And that's despite Mini's (sometimes grating) insistence that every car it makes has to retain a kernel of the hatchback's keyed-up character. That lingering lateral firmness which encourages the entire chassis to fall into potholes that have only actually snared one wheel remains, but truthfully the here-we-go effect is becoming less and less noticeable. The Clubman doesn't often bridle - even at speed. Sure, you might still find yourself wondering if the tight rein on body control is really necessary - ditto the heavy-handed steering resistance, which is adamant you have your wrists worked at low speeds - but the Clubman feels well-sized on a narrow British one-way system, and adequately tuned to ride atop it.
5.
You might not love it. We didn't. For all its added potency, the JCW doesn't do a particularly good job of encouraging you to indulge it. This has little to do with basic competency - there is traction aplenty and a swift enough change of direction - but the larger Clubman does not flounce about the place with the animated, incitement-to-riot character of the three-door hatch, despite the extra power. Which is a problem when it's been saddled with some of the same USP.
Some of this intransigence can be attributed to the drive modes. The default setting is (as perhaps it ought to be) adamant that you should not empty the tank 20 minutes after leaving your driveway. Cue a laggardly throttle pedal and half-mast upshifts - which would be fine if the Clubman were no more onerous than a gnat's shopping, but it isn't: it feels burly in a way that suggests it would rather sit immobile on the ground than be flung from corner to corner like a boomerang.
The JCW is far more responsive in what Mini optimistically calls 'sport' and if you change ratios for yourself - yet it fails to alleviate the nagging suspicion that deep down the Clubman isn't really up for it. Not in the way its smaller sibling is, at any rate. The pseudo-wagon feels more grown-up - and because of that, you tend to drive like one.
6.
It's not cheap. The JCW starts at £35,360. Okay, we knew that before. But it's worth reiterating because elsewhere in the ballpark you can have something like the outgoing Seat Leon Cupra wagon - also invested with all-wheel drive and 300hp - for £33,395. The Focus ST Estate is £33,695. And if you're considering a Clubman on practicality grounds, both represent a next-level improvement.
But obviously that's academic if you're considering the JCW because you want a Clubman, and nothing else will do. Mini continues to command that kind of repeat business, and in that respect - as we mentioned five points ago - the latest model does easily enough to wash away bad memories of its predecessor. Unlike that car, if you choose to drive this JCW very quickly, it will oblige you. For devotees, expect that to be enough. For anyone on the fence, you'll need to convince yourself that the Clubman's various idiosyncrasies, some of them fundamental, are worth the premium.
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Like all Minis though they are very funny/odd looking things to my eyes. I do really like their interiors though for sure...and at least when you are sat in one you can't see the exterior of it.
If BMW are alluding to the original Mini by naming its models, why not go the whole hog and evoke 60’s / 70’s styling and name them after those wonderful ladies fashion items, the mini, midi and maxi skirts
That way they could have the smaller hatch as the ‘mini’, the clubman would be the ‘midi’ and the countryman the ‘maxi’
Well except the maxi brings back childhood horror of being driven around in one by a friends dad...
Like all Minis though they are very funny/odd looking things to my eyes. I do really like their interiors though for sure...and at least when you are sat in one you can't see the exterior of it.
We'd have loved the JCW but couldn't justify the extra cost, plus as a 50+ mile a day daily the Cooper S gets the right balance of running costs, refinement and fun. Being on 18" wheels means it soaks bumps up surprisingly well which is another plus vs the JCW which I believe comes with 19's.
Yes, these aren't exactly cheap (with options even our Cooper S came to more than £30k, before discounts), but compared to the Focus ST, Leon Cupra or Golf the build quality feels far more premium and better put together.
https://www.evolveautomotive.com/evolve-ecu-remap-...
So, a few thoughts...
It’s quick, much quicker (as you’d expect) and sounds far better. A nice raspy exhaust sound with the right number of pops and crackles in sport mode. A bit quieter in mid, which is fine. The four wheel drive really improves the way the car drives - even with ‘just’ 192 PS it’s all too easy to overcome the traction in ours, especially at junctions and in the damp. Epic torque steer can be provoked. All gone in the JCW, though it will run out of grip perhaps sooner than you’d expect. It also doesn’t brake as well as you think is should, though I’ll caveat that with the fact the demo car had only done 900 miles.
The 8 speed box is very different to the DSG one; in sport the DSG ‘box changes down much quicker when you put your foot down at low to mid speeds. But when cruising it’s remarkably reluctant to change down. The 8 speed was slower to change down at lower speeds, but too keen to change down on dual carriageways when I only moved the accelerator slightly.
I prefer the ride on the adaptive damper in ‘mid’ mode. Slightly softer than the suspension in the JCW. In sport the adaptive dampers are much harder than the JCW on standard suspension. I rarely use this setting! Other thoughts? Both cars have panoramic roofs. Needed in the JCW to lighten the dark interior - the only option is black, either recaros in faux leather/alcantara (the demo car) or optional lounge leather. The recaros were comfortable and grippy. Both had the Nav plus pack; the JCW had a cheaper feeling I drive controller though, reminiscent of that in MINIs with standard nav. The HK audio did sound better, but not sure it’s £600 better...
Those are my slightly unstructured thoughts after a couple of hours and 60odd miles of mainly narrow, windy and reasonably lightly trafficked country roads
It's not a surprise the roads aren't full of them to be honest, it kind of just doesn't work.
My only real [minor] criticism of the Clubman is how quickly the back window gets dirty - or more importantly the door handles. Fine the doors open on a press of the key fob but they don't close without touching the handles! Doesn't take away from great ride on 19"s, even without adaptive suspension , that MINI feel, quirky interior, and the stonking performance if required.
Lazy diesel really suits it, IMO. It doesn’t feel like the sort of car that’s crying out for a sub 5 sec 0-60 time. Maybe I’d feel differently if I drove one.
Like you though I'd probably change my mind if I had go in one.
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