Currently we have a GP and (as you might guess), absolutely love it. Its our first mini and we couldnt be happier with the car - from every angle, every feature.

Fast forward to November 08 and we'll have our own little mini-me I've been looking at replacements for the GP, like an A4 Avant, 328i wagon, Mazdaspeed3 and Clubman. With the Clubman clamshell on the passenger side, I'm concered about the baby seat and getting the little one in and out of the mini.

Has anyone toted their tot in the Clubman and could give us some pros and cons? I'd greatly appreciate the info.

Thx!

 

we sold our 2006 mcs for a clubman for that reason. baby fits great and i dont have to reach back and lean in to put him in his seat, we are currently using a orbit toddler seat in rear facing and it works great, wife is not sitting with her knees in her chest.

we can now fit our stroller in the same car and get 36 mpg

 

we took our 4year old daughter with us test driving... I WAS gonna get a standard mini-s but my wife struggled mightily to get the car seat in.

She spend about 20-30 seconds getting the car seat in the clubman. We were sold right there and then

 

Take a look at my gallery below.... I have a year and a half boy toddler. He has ridden in MINIs ever since he came home from the hospital. Now he is riding forward facing but do have plenty of experience with Britax car seats that work on the MINI and strollers. Feel free to ask questions.

And yes the Clubman gives you 3 inches more room in the back, about 1-2 inches more shoulder room in the rear and a trunk that is almost double the size of the standard hardtop.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coolminis/

 

You should have used the Britax Roundabout for rear facing. Only car seat that works perfectly in the R53 rearfacing and does not eat front passenger room.

Congratulations on the Clubman!

 

The Clubman + baby is a piece of cake. If we did it with 2 standard MINI hardtops, with the Clubman is a breeze. The Clubdoor makes life infinitely easier and this car is a limo compared to the hardtops. The fantastic fuel economy plus the fact is still 100% a MINI makes it a winner in my book.

 

nice photos, excellent that baby seats fit well.

is that the Gotham Grey interior? I was going to spec it on my HCMCC but decided against it as I could not find many photos of it.
How do you like it coming from the darker one on your previous car?

 

This is great news for us! I was a little worried the rear facing seat would eat up the front passenger leg room. It's this way in my neighbor's Mazdaspeed 6.

Any trouble with the clamshell being on one side only or having to dip down low to get the little one out?

Thx!

 

No problems in our experience. Having at least that rear door makes rear access that much more convenient. Think of the Clubman as the same MINI we all have to come to know and love but with added practicallity and better fit for family duty.

 

Yes it is. We love it! Since we don't have a sunroof, the Gotham Grey interior trim blends very well with the standard headliner, leatherette seats, and the checkered dash trim (I will post better pics with these details). It also makes the interior feel more spacious. Last week I was given a new Cooper Clubman (PS/B) automatic loaner with sunroof, black interior trim and the anthracite headliner. For some reason the car felt smaller inside to me (In despite of the huge sunroof). It is nice, but too much black for my tastes. My '05 S was getting its rear brakes replaced. My wife used to have the grey interior panels in her 2002 MC CVT, so we opted for them again and glad we did. As far as my '05 is concerned, I like the anthracite dash trim and black panels. Works very nicely in the Chili Red MINI.

 

IMO my clubman is more kiddy convenient (with the right car seats) than my wife's 328xiT. Headroom is key for dealing with kids in the back. The Speed3 is tall and wide but not sporty enough for my tastes. I have a friend who loves his 2.8L Avant. Minis are way more unique than the cars you mentioned tho (the 3 wagon is kinda rare but BMWs all look the same).

 

The BMW 3 series sportswagon is a great car but at $35K+ is a little too much dough. ($10K+ more than our Clubman). But you can do Euro delivery on BMWs and get 7% off USA MSRP sticker price. Plus BMW throws in tickets for 2 In Lufthansa to Frankfurt, 1 month free road insurance while in Europe, etc. Too bad MINI doesn't do Euro delivery.

 

First off, congratulations! My wife and I just welcomed our baby boy into the world near the end of March, and my adventures of trying to wrangle his carseat (Graco SnugRide) into my R53 were pretty much the tipping point for ordering a Clubman. We never considered another vehicle, but then I've fallen so in love with MINIs that I couldn't imagine going with anything else.

Don't have my Clubbie yet so I can't offer too much in the way of real-world experience, but have a few considerations to offer up:

1 - You definitely gain some valuable space if you forgo the carseat base. It works well enough in the wife's CR-V, but makes for a VERY tight squeeze in an R53. Without the base, we've managed to put the car seat in and keep the passenger seat situated in a way that doesn't violate the 8th amendment. I'm looking forward to even more room in the Clubman.

2 - The Clubdoor will give you a LOT more room to work with than the traditional front door/rear door setup. No dealing with the b-pillar, etc.

 

We have a Britax Marathon in the passenger side rear seat and my 4 year old can sit comfortably. My daughter also has easy access to the drink holder too. Installation is very easy since there are little doors for the LATCH system and the rear belt fits nicely behind the seat. I have to take her shoes off as she likes to put her feet behind the seat. This was a problem on my previous e39-540i BMW. When ever she hit the back seat with her feet, the SRS light would appear and I would have to borrow my friends PEAKE or go the dealer to have the light reset. This was a known problem with e39 models. I ended up leaving it on when I traded in the car. Since there are sensors on the front seat that sense if a passenger is in the front seat, I hope BMW fixed this problem with the SRS. Time will tell.
Enjoy,
Gary

 

Totally off topic, but I read the thread title as "Clubman + Baby Seal." Then did a double take...

 

The seat we use in the Clubman is the Britax Boulevard which is the updated Marathon model with "True side protection" technology and a fully adjustable headrest. The Britax has the best LATCH system in the market hands down. To install and remove the seat takes less than 5 minutes. The rear clubdoor creates a HUGE opening on the passenger side. You can almost stand up inside the Clubman to restraint the baby in the car seat. The Clubman has a slightly taller roof than the standard car and this helps. If you don't get the sunroof you gain another inch or so of headroom, all around.

 

Yes that problem was fixed. Never heard of it in the MINI. Besides, in the Clubman there is 3-4 inches more rear legroom and kids do not touch the back of the front passenger seat as easily as they do in the standard MINI hardtop (Or convertible). [ quote=gcaspelich;2171779]We have a Britax Marathon in the passenger side rear seat and my 4 year old can sit comfortably. My daughter also has easy access to the drink holder too. Installation is very easy since there are little doors for the LATCH system and the rear belt fits nicely behind the seat. I have to take her shoes off as she likes to put her feet behind the seat. This was a problem on my previous e39-540i BMW. When ever she hit the back seat with her feet, the SRS light would appear and I would have to borrow my friends PEAKE or go the dealer to have the light reset. This was a known problem with e39 models. I ended up leaving it on when I traded in the car. Since there are sensors on the front seat that sense if a passenger is in the front seat, I hope BMW fixed this problem with the SRS. Time will tell.
Enjoy,
Gary[/quote]