greetings one and all!

i am not currently a mini owner, but am actively in the market for a new car as the lease on my current car ends later this year. being a research hound, and with some fundamental needs, wants and general lifestyle considerations to keep in mind for my next car i thought it would be an excellent resource to solicit input and thoughts from this community of mini aficionado's!

first, a general question then some background...

can the mini cooper hardtop s/jcw serve well in a role as a single vehicle for a two adults (no children now or in the future) and two dogs in an urban setting where the car is not a daily driver (public transit will be the daily solution)? or, would the increased capability of the mini clubman be a "better" choice?

on the face of it, that's a question that really can only be answered with an evaluation of our specific needs but i'm suspecting that others have likely wrestled with this question. so, i thought that gathering the thoughts and experiences of others would be a valuable exercise.

here's the background...

i recently test drove several examples of the mini hardtop s/jcw and clubman s/jcw, and i came away with a subjective opinion that that hardtop s/jcw was a slightly more engaging, and fun to drive car. again, that's only my subjective opinion but it's resulted in the question at hand.

primary concerns with the hardtop s/jcw are the lack of readily-available cargo space, but even in the urban setting i'm not sure how frequently we will be carrying significantly large objects, or large quantities of objects. for use on the weekend (e.g., errands, sub/ex-urban family visits, golf, etc.), or the occasional road trip and a real space need, the seats seem to fold quickly and easily. the downside there is that carrying people and cargo at the same time becomes a potential problem. that's expected to be a rare exception, however, and is something that could possibly be resolved with a roof carrier. optimal? no, but certainly workable.

the clubman s/jcw would reduce some of these concerns (but not necessarily eliminate them entirely) but given my subjective impressions of the overall driving experience, i'm having a tough time convincing myself that the clubman s/jcw is the answer.

so, if anyone has any thoughts i welcome your input. if the clubman is really the better option, i'm not afraid to make that decision. but if the hardtop can be viable single-car solution for a husband/wife and two dogs in an urban environment that may just about make up my mind.

tia!!!



joe (a.k.a., bozaman)

ps - if neither the cooper hardtop s/jcw or the clubman s/jcw is the best decision, there are other options but i have to admit that i was supremely impressed by the mini following our test drives. the other options just don't have the same character and fun to drive soul that i found so endearing in the mini.

 

I would get the clubman if you want to have more space in the trunk.
I have a 2010 Cooper and my wife has a 2010 Clubman S so I get to drive both. I have to say that I love to drive the Cooper just as much as the Clubman. Personally I like the look of the Cooper better than the Clubman.
I would order my Mini if I were you so you get exactly what you want.

 

i understand the capacity differences between the hardtop and the clubman, but my question is this: is it reasonable to expect the hardtop to serve as the only car available based on the lifestyle i briefly described. our situations may not be the same, but if you only had the hardtop would you find it too limiting too frequently? does the clubman provide enough extra capacity on a regular basis that if you could only have one car that you would only have the clubman? or, does the hardtop work well for most of your needs?

i agree on the visual attractiveness of the hardtop over the clubman, but that's subjective and a minor issue overall. the driving dynamics were just slightly different in my experience to make me want to have the hardtop. with that in mind, i'm trying to determine if it would be able to serve my needs as the only car available.

 

You can't lose with a Clubbie S.

 

I guess it really depends on your individual situation - I know you briefly described it above, but only you know how often you would need the "space". How big are your dogs? If they fit, then I would go with the hardtop - If the dogs fit, then I really wouldn't be worried about the other situations that might come up - I would buy some roof racks and a cargo holder for long trips and you for transporting larger items that won't fit in the car (i.e. lumber, Christmas tree, etc.) just throw it up on the roof racks.

good luck

 

that's probably true, but if i like the hardtop that much better i was wondering if anyone else has had the same dilema to work through and if so, what was their decision factor.

in the end, i'm really looking to rationalize my want of the hardtop. ultimately i need to work with my significant other in that decision but at this point she's more sold on the clubman. personally, i'm willing to trade a little of the clubman's benefits for the perceived (yes, i recognize that the differences may be virtually non-existent in reality, but it just felt like a sportier ride in the hardtop) better/different driving dynamics of the hardtop.

i guess i'll have to go and test drive them again. rats!

if anyone has other thoughts, i appreciate the feedback.

 

You can make this decision in many ways but as you know, we think and feel. You can have a checklist with more checks for the Clubbie S than the coupe but your feelings may tell you a different story. You are going to have to balance all of that.

 

i totally agree that ultimately it boils down to "what will work in my individual situation" and that's what i'm debating with my significant other.

our dogs are relatively small (pembroke welsh corgi's) and would easily fit in the hardtop. adding a set of roof racks and a cargo box would seem to be an easy solution, and something i would likely do with either the hardtop or the clubman.

i really like the hardtop better than the clubman, but see the value it offers and would be able to go that direction without too much pain. but that hardtop s/jcw would just be so much fun!

this is decision where there's really no "wrong" answer, that's for sure.

thanks!

 

Good luck with that! What is your sig. other's biggest upside with the clubman? I would say if you really like the hardtop more, than get that one - you don't want any regrets.

 

honestly, there isn't much on the checklist other than it must have a manual transmission, and it must be a hatchback/wagon/touring style for practicality. the clubman has some allure because of the increase accessibility over the two door, and of course the larger cargo capacity.

to put the general question into perspective, however, consider this:

prior to driving the mini, my main contender was the volvo c30. this is a two door car (similar to the mini hardtop), that has essentially the same interior cargo capacity as the mini hardtop (volvo c30 = 20.4 cubic feet, mini hardtop = 24.0 cubic feet) when the seats are folded down.

the allure of the volvo (at least for my significant other) is the "ease of access" to the rear seats that's possible, and that the rear seats appear to have more "usability" than is apparent in the mini hardtop.

i think we need to go back and have another "test" but focus our attention on access, room and the such. that's what will help us make a decision in the end.

 

ease of access to the rear seats, rear seat "usability" and greater cargo capacity are the main points of concern between the two for her.

my point is that we rarely have a "need" for rear seats (in the last 8+ years i can count on two hands the number of times we've need to haul 3 or 4 people, and that's always been for short distances around town), and access can be had either by moving the seat forward or through the rear hatch.

as for cargo capacity the lack of cargo capacity hasn't been an issue for in the last 8+ years either and if there's been a need for more than either of our current cars would permit, we have arranged to borrow/rent something larger (e.g., pick-up, etc.) to meet the immediate need.

it would be easy to purchase a vehicle large enough for the "exception" but i don't consider that a good decision. i would prefer to buy what will meet our current/expected needs that majority of the time and manage to the exceptions as required.

i really believe the hardtop will fit that rule, and meet the current/expected needs the majority of the time. i can "expand" the capacity with a roof rack/cargo box to address some gaps, and simply borrow/rent if another need is identified.

if anything, this has been helpful for me to organize my thoughts and rationalizations (that's what they ultimately are, i guess) for the mini hardtop s/jcw over the clubman s/jcw.

 

We have only the 2 hardtops, they're our daily drivers and everything.

I can't think of an example of not having enough cargo space, especially once you fold the back seats down. We go on long road trips and our luggage fits in the boot, with the back seats up. We had to trim the amount of luggage we carry slightly, but not by much.

 

ok, an update...

i went back to the dealer tonight and spent some time looking closely at both the hardtop and the clubman in the showroom and have come around to the clubman's advantages and matching them up with our specific situation.

now, i have only to build and order one to my tastes...any suggestions for "must have" options?



thanks to all for their comments and help!

 

My absolute must-haves:
Bluetooth
Cold Weather Package

Good Luck!

 

Congrats! Hmm "must haves" are really limited by "wallet size"!

I've been configuring a 2010 Clubman S and my first configuration of "Must Haves" was $47,000. Hmm, I guess I must have a lot of stuff in there that I don't need vs "want". A second configuration brought it down to $34,000.

I've lived happily with my 2005 MCS. The only times I wished for something bigger was when I was moving, and unforunately, I've moved a lot over the past two years. I've outfitted it with the factory roof rack so I can put a cargo carrier on the roof. I also have a cargo carrier off the back end for larger heavier items that are too diffult to put inside, like a small generator.

This is how I've configured my Clubman. I will eventually change out the wheels too. I currently have a very heavily modded 2005 MCS and I won't be doing that to the Clubman....I need it to be reliable, lol. My only concern now is that I want to wait to have a late 2010 or a 2011 since there are some design changes happening for this model including changes to the interior center stack which I detest.



I'll be getting this for my wife

 

i have each of these options on my current bmw and would not live without them, to be sure. heated seats...i never would have thought of that as a "must have" a few years ago! who'd of thunk?

 

What to option on your MINI is a matter of going through the choices on the configurator and seeing what tickles your fancy. Once your done with your initial trip through the goodies, look at the price, whistle your shock, and then start back through with the red pencil and do some editing. As to what you consider "MUST HAVES" is a personal thing, so you and the wife have at it and good luck

 

it's almost too easy to go crazy with the options list, no doubt as my recent experiments have resulted in several $40k+ configurations.

after taking some time to really think about it, i've come up with a mini cooper clubman jcw for ~$39.5k that captures the items i think are critical, and good to have (e.g., premium, cold weather, convenience packages, etc.) and a few other items that i would really like to have.

wheels and tires i can live with as configured for now, but will definitely add a winter wheel/tire package.

i am curious to hear more about the late 2010 or 2011 changes to the center stack you reference. what changes are pending? nonetheless, those configurations you posted for yourself and your wife look awesome!

here's the proposed configuration i've created tonight:



as always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated.