The Mini stand at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show was always going to divide opinion. In time-honoured yeast extract spread fashion, you either love or hate modern Mini. Which brings us on to the new Mini Clubman. It’s the longest car ever to wear the Mini badge, a pub fact that’s simply adding fuel to the fires of hatred that burn within the Mini’s biggest detractors.
Mini will stress that the Clubman on show in Geneva is merely a concept, but it looks as near as dammit to a production model to us. That’s if you discount the lubriciously low profile rubber bands, excusing themselves for tyres on those show-spec alloy wheels.
Careful what you wish for - too many doors now?
So it’s bigger (larger than an Austin Maxi, in fact), but it’s also more conventional. Gone is the controversial Club Door, with a four-door layout put in its place. Mini will claim that the van-like doors on the boot make the Clubman a six-door, but unless you like entering a car via the luggage area, this is perhaps stretching things a little. We certainly don’t expect the interior to look anything like the show car, with the final production model falling more into line with the newly announced
Mini hatch
. But the benefit of the extra length should result in a bigger boot.
Away from the Clubman, the Mini stand was - by Mini’s standards - a relatively modest affair. Although the pumped-up Monster Energy Countryman, complete with 307hp turbodiesel engine, three-piece carbonfibre cockpit and Recaro racing seats certainly caught our eye.
Well you couldn’t really miss it. Still, at least it made the Clubman look small.