Hey, so I am really looking at the Clubby as our next car. We have an 07 MCS and I am really impressed by it. Of course, the clubby with near identical performance and significantly more room is high on the list.

Which brings me to my questions...

What is the actual cargo space (seats down) and how is it measured?

I have done my homework and see that the MINIUSA website lists it around 34 cu ft. However, the little diagram shows the highlighted area from the height of the front seats only, omitting the technically usable space near the roof. Additionally, one Clubby review I found made a comment on the space being 53 cu ft, but didnt offer any official measurements or sources. Quite a difference.

That said, how is MINI measuring this space? According to some other articles I found, the SAE methodology can include space from the undercarriage up, including protrusions such as wheel wells. Thus, measurements can vary and give false impressions.

Given that I am weighing all of the issues, this calculated space is important to me. I want to make sure I am comparing apples to apples here. The Mazda 3 doesnt look that much bigger than the Clubby but has a calculated cargo area of 43 cu ft. Is this comparable?

I am confused. Any help here would be appreciated...

 

Good question. I think I saw the same sites you did & have also wondered that. Im trying to compare the Clubman's total cargo space to my 1st gen Scion xB.

 

BUMP.

Seeing that one of the main selling points (and pretty much why it was even developed) of the Clubman is its extra cargo space over the Cooper, this is REALLY important to a lot of people & will pretty much make it or break it for me (and Im sure many others). Im ordering sight unseen, so its kind of a big deal as this has to double as a family car for us.

I would love someone forever if they could post some detailed pics of the Clubman's cargo area with the back seats up, down, passenger seat down, etc with some kind of points of reference like actual cargo, people lying down inside the cargo hold, or better yet, measuring tape!

There are plenty of pics online of the interior, but none with actual real life cargo in place & the measurements aren't really clear either how they were taken or what space they included in the measurements.

 

That's a great idea. Bonus points if someone can tell me whether or not the back will take a road bicycle (56cm frame) with the front wheel (the bike's, not the Clubman's) removed. Failing that, I suppose I'll be bringing my bicycle to the test drive.

 

While at the dealer the other day, I was talking with the manager who told me that a bike tray is going to be offered on the Clubman that will pull out and allow you to put the bicycle in with the front wheel off and then slide it into the car. In that I am not an avid biker, not an option for me but sounds like something to check out DaveloMA.

 

Get a roof rack. Then you can carry up to 4 bikes and their riders with minimal if any disassembly of the bikes or the riders.

 

Thanks for the BUMPS.

I still have not found any more info on this cargo space measurement question.

The slide out bike rack sounds intriguing. However, being a cyclist I can only see this useful during the season. I am not sure how easily this would be removable if you had to add something else. We'll see....

 

C'mon, guys. We got a thread 2 pages deep already about vanity plates, but cant get one going about probably the most important feature of all??

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/212127/mini_clubman.html

This is the best have I found for images and sizes. Hope this helps.

 

I for one am very interested in this topic as well. Like you, Pee I need the Clubman to function in a family car capacity. When I do get to take my test drive, I plan on checking out how the child seat I am using fits. It would actually be a deal breaker if the car seat did not fit well. That and if the boot did not fit a baritone saxophone with the seats up...

 

I'm not sure if this will help but someone mentioned the Mazda 3 5-door (which I currently own) and trying to compare it to the Clubman. Sadly I never got to see the Clubman at an autoshow or I'd give you an opinion but try these numbers:

Width:
Mazda: 69.1
Clubman: 66.3

The Mazda windows curve in pretty aggressively so it is not nearly as boxy as the Clubman should be. I don't think the extra width is going to make much difference here.

Length:
Mazda: 176.8
Clubman: 155.8

Here is where the huge difference is going to be. From pictures I've seen the Clubman looks to have less room between the end of the car and the rear seats. The Cooper's length is 146.2 so the difference between the Clubman and Cooper is about 9 and a half inches. The Clubman is advertised as having 3 more inches of leg room then the Cooper.

Additionally the Mazda 3 is advertised as 17.1 cubic feet of cargo with the seats up and 31.2 with them down. For the Clubman I found reports of 9.1 cubic feet with seats up and 33 cubic feet with the seats down. Edmunds is saying the Clubman provides only 3.5 more cubic feet compared to the Cooper with seats up.

Looking at photos and from the numbers I find my guess is less then a foot of extra space between the rear seats and the end of the Clubman vs. the Cooper.

I really hope my numbers are wrong somewhere and I'm just wasting electrons on this post. If it would be helpful I could go measure the distance between the rear seats and the back of the Mazda 3.

 

Yeah, Im with you. There HAS to be something going on with these numbers. I mean, only 3.5 more cubic feet than the Cooper?? That just doesn't seem right. And the crago hold with the seats up seems bigger than just 9.1 cubic feet. Hell, my Scion xB's is 21.2 with the seats up & its considered a pretty small cargo hold. So, the Clubman's is HALF that?? I dont believe it. Unless the pictures are just an optical illusion, it looks at least the same size, if not a bit bigger than my xB's.

BTW, cool username. You're my long lost bro.

 

The Clubman has 9.2 cubic feet of cargo area with the rear seats up and 32.8 with the seats down. This is from www.miniusa.com.

 

Here are a few I found, hope these helpful.

 

Since the Clubman is 9 inches longer than the MCS and offers 3 inches more legroom, the boot should be about 6 inches longer, right? I have a Mazda 3 fivedoor and I don't think the Clubman will have as much space at all. It's not even close with the MCS.

 

If the Clubman is truly only 9.2 cubic inches of cargo, where my xB is 21.2 inches & they used the same general measurement technique for each, then that might not work for us. Especially with a car seat taking up the backseat someday. I know the Clubman isn't a "family car", but I was hoping it could at least be doable. Maybe with the roof rack/storage box combo??

I was expecting it to be about on par with my xB since they generally have about the same footprint.

 

Thanks a lot for your numbers. Since I was looking at the Mazda3, I downloaded its spec sheet from the Mazda site. Contrary to your 31.2 cu ft down, it reports 41 or so (see attached). Not sure what is up there. Do you have the 5 door?

Appreciate the article review. Unfortunately, I'll have to sit down and figure out how to convert 260 liters to cubic feet!

It only gets more confusing!

 

Here is the link to the site that reviewed the Clubman: Windingroad.com

This is where I saw them cite "55 cu ft filled to the rafters". I think that sounds like a little much but it is a lengthy review and their numbers seem right on elsewhere in the article. I have not seen that figure anywhere else.

Is the 43 cu ft of the Mazda 3 to "the rafters" as well? Who the heck knows. I think these cargo measurements between manufacturers are really confusing.

PS - I agree. No offense to anyone, but this is far more interesting / important than vanity plates!

 

Yes, 5 door. That was a quick google search and finding a bunch of sites report 31.2 cu ft rather then going directly to Mazda. Oh.. and I don't think anything has changed but I was looking at reports from 2004 since that is the year of my Mazda (I should have said that).

 

Taken from that review:

That kinda...well, sucks. The cargo area of the Clubman only gains about 3.5 cubic inches over the regular Cooper it seems & given the car is aimed at being more passenger friendly (which it does very well), the usable cargo gain while those passengers are in the car is only mediocre.

GOD, I really want this car, but lack of even a decent cargo area may kill it for me. I really dont wanna have to strap stuff to the roof everytime we go anywhere for longer than a day.

EDIT: Here are the pics that rusty posted, but bigger.

 

I am with you here. I REALLY love the MINI just just need a bit more space! It's true. Anything more than a duffle and I'm folding the seats. And we are just an "urban" couple! When you factor in that it is more expensive to begin with, then there is the rack, and the luggage bin, & .... Wow. That is getting to be one expensive wagon!

I'll have to check it out in person when it arrives in order to make a decision.

I am an anthracite headliner fan, but I must admit that white/light gray headliner looks great with the chocolate brown interior. That'll save $250...

 

Just looking at that photo I really think there's way more than 3.5 more inches of space in the Clubman over the MCS. I still say 6. Plus more storage space under the flat floor piece. 3 inches behind the seats + 6 in cargo = 9 inches!

 

Yeah, Im wondering if they even included that space underneath the cargo cover in their official measurements. Im betting they didn't. It looks as if you can just take that cover piece off altogether & have way more room, at least vertically.

What we REALLY need is someone across the pond that already has the Clubman who can confirm these things.

 

And to find a friend with a road bicycle (56cm or so) and find out if it (the bicycle, not the friend) fits in the boot with the front wheel removed....

 

Check the other Mini forum for Euro people. They'll know.