The biggest Mini yet will go on sale later this year, following a public debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September
The all-new Mini Clubman has been revealed in leaked photos ahead of its planned public debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September.
Due to go on sale in the UK this autumn, the new Clubman is a significantly different car to the quirky outgoing model. First, the new model is a substantially larger because it shares the same front-drive platform that underpins the BMW 2 Series.
Judging by the Clubman concept shown at the Geneva show in 2014, the new car will be just over 4.2m long – some 26cm longer than the current Clubman – making it the biggest Mini yet. It’s also thought to be a significant 161mm wider and 24mm taller.
This time around, the Clubman gets four conventional doors but, instead of a conventional hatchback, it has the same twin, side-hinged, ‘barn door’ arrangement as the current Clubman.
BMW has also decided to distinguish the car from its three-door sister car by significantly changing the exterior and interior design.
The Clubman’s front end takes its inspiration from the Mini Rocketman concept. The interior gets its own style with a different dashtop moulding (which reduces the visual bulk of the dashboard) and a new high-rise centre console.
Sources say that the Clubman’s interior space will make it competitive in the European C-segment, offering a ‘fresh and dynamic’ alternative to the VW Golf and Ford Focus.
The Clubman has the same suspension set-up – including an independent rear end – as its smaller sister, and BMW insiders expect it to be most impressive driver’s car in this class.
The Clubman will share the same range of three- and four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines as the three-door Mini. All-wheel drive is likely to be offered on the Clubman, although not from launch. Later in the Clubman’s life a plug-in hybrid version with a three-cylinder engine is also likely.
There’s no news on pricing as yet, but expect the entry-level model to cost at least £17,500.
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