Okay, So our Clubman arrives later this month and I'm chomping at the bit to drive it...the tight handling...shifting gears on a stick again...it'll be great! But...one thing I'm a little nervous about...what constitutes a great car experience for the driver might be a completely different experience for the passenger. Specifically, I'll be driving around an infant and a toddler on a daily basis and have no idea how they'll transition from a plush riding Volvo XC90 to a taught MINI Clubman. Any stories (either positive or negative) on how young kids fair in a MINI?

 

My son LOVES (21 month old toddler) loves riding in both of our MINIs. Never seen a kid so happy about climbing aboard a car (He is also a great flyer!).

He was brought home from the hospital in my wife's 2002 MC CVT (We no longer have it). He has an absolute blast riding in my "rough and raw" 2005 R53 S hardtop. He imitates the sounds of the engine and exhaust.

My son is never been inside an SUV or Minivan.

Our Clubman S auto (Wife's driver) is by comparison, an ultra smooth car. Still the car is a ball to drive and as a family we ride closer together. Kids LOVE MINIs! If you ride my bone stock 2005 R53 MCS and our 2008 Clubman S back to back, you'll soon realize that the Clubman feels like a Lexus in comparison to my R53. The R53 feels like a go-kart and you feel every road imperfection on that car (and I love it but wifey is not so crazy about it).

Our Clubman S has the standard suspension and 16" runflats from factory. best compromise between riding comfort and good street handling.

One of the best memories you can give your kids is the fact that they rode around and grew up riding in "cool" cars like the MINI. How many kids today can say that? Most of them are been lugged around in Minivans or (gasp!) 10MPG SUVs.

You'll love the car, I guarantee it!

 

Our little guy, almost six, LOVES the MINI. He really loves the vroom vroom character of the car. He is very possessive of "his" door. Prior ride - Toyota Highlander.

 

Well my "kids" are the 4 legged variety. I have to take LadyG out for a "real" spin for about 10 minutes before I put the dogs in the back. That way, I get the need for speed out of my system.

Otherwise, they'd end up in a heap in the far corner of the cargo area when I took my first corner!

 

Another aspect that I love about MINI ownership + kids is that you become a smart packer. You no longer have a living room on wheels so for longer trips you have to learn to pack smartly. Truth be told, no one needs the "room" of an SUV. Most of the time that added space is wasted or simply used to carry needless junk.

In the MINI you learn to carry the absolute necessities, nothing more, nothing less. Also, the MINI discourages kids going into their own "universe" by means of iPods and DVD players. The family rides together, enjoys the ride a lot more and this in turn helps to spark good conversations. This is akin to once again for families to sit together at the dinner table.

 

Very smart!!! I like your outlook on this

 

My 2 kids (ages 4 and 2) went through the same transition that you're contemplating. About a month ago I ditched my XC90 and went with the Clubman. The kids love it and are now pointing out other Minis on the road ("Look! Dad's new car!") The only problem I've noticed is that they're now close enough for the ol' "Mom! Dad! She's touching my seat! Make her stop!" thing.

Eh, builds character, I say.

We didn't have any of the serious luxury amenities in the Volvo, like seat-back video or anything like that, so the only difference for the kids was space -- and there's plenty of that in the Clubman.

With no problems at all, we fit a Monarch and a Frontier seat, both from Britax, in the back. We found that the kids sit lower in those seats and therefore have a harder time kicking the backs of the front seats. If you need more of a convertible seat as opposed to a combination booster, the Britax Roundabout fits well too.

For my part, I don't miss the Volvo and its less-than-stellar build quality/terrible gas mileage one bit.

Enjoy your Clubman, and don't worry about the kids. They'll be fine.

 

Get the kids some MINI swag and get out there and have a blast. There are many things we strive to give our kids in life, a sense of adventure and fun should be high on the list!!

 

I believe your kids are going to LOVE riding in the Clubman They'll think they have the COOLEST parents...

Donna

 

depends also on the age ( maturity)of the driver. If you consider hitting 4 grand on the tach extreme, or doing 40 around a posted 35 mph corner... you dont have anything to worry about, the kids will stay asleep, just like your adult passenger next to you. Now if you have sport suspension w/ 17in runflats you might rattle them out the car. The question is...."Are you going to really drive spirited with kids in the car?" probably not.
They will be very thankful and think its totally cool the way the door opens up and the fact that they dont have to climb a ladder to get into the car anymore. The kids will enjoy it!

 

My kids haven't ridden in my Clubman yet (heck neither have I), but I do have an anecdote that is on-point. Since my daughter was born until just a bit ago, my wife has had a Chevy HHR, and I have a Jetta GLI VR6. One day, the HHR was in the shop for maintenance, and we were going somewhere in the Jetta, AND we were late. Normally I drive a little less enthusiastically with my daughter, then 1 1/2, in the car. This time, I wasn't thinking about it. So I take this turn at speed, followed by a short downhill and an uphill. From the back of the car, I hear my daughter say happily, "Wheeeeeeee!"

I think she is going to like the Clubman a lot.

 

For the past 6 years I have always driven an GMC Envoy..We always needed the space, stroller, pack n play, blah, blah....now, my daughter is 7, we just didn't need that extra space... Basically it was becoming another "storage"... Hello, its July..why are there winter gloves and hats in the trunk area?... it became a bottomless pit of "who knows whats back there?" With the Mini, there is just no space to become cluttered! My house is a whole other topic

BTW, my daugther loves it...she has her "special"door, I have the clubman and her own moon roof in the back!!

I have always admired Mini's from afar....I am sooo glad I have one now!!

 

I have an eight year old son and we came from a Subaru Forester. We have had the Clubman 3 weeks now and he loves to sit in the back with his sun glasses on and the tunes blasting. In fact, when we arrive at camp, he asks me to turn up the music. One of the camp counsellors told me today that they all look out for our car (amongst all of the SUVs and mini-vans) because of the "Mini Cooper Pinch" game (whoever sees one first, gets to pinch everyone else). Anyhow, it really makes my son feel cool that his mom's car is such a hit at camp.l Your kids won't miss the Volvo one bit (nor will you)!

 

re: junk in back os SUV (raises hand)

 

I have 8 & 5 year old boys. They love riding in the Mini. Their only complaint is that there is no air vent for the back seat. A little air is important in the 100 degree plus weather we are currently having in TX.

 

My daughter likes it, provided we are listening to some kind of childrens' songs cd.

I will say that the sports suspension rides rougher, but coming from an SUV, everything rides rougher. In my Suburban I wouldn't know if I was on the road or in someone's yard. I once ran over a hobo and didn't even know it. Dragged him 3 miles. Scraped him right off and gave him $100 when we got to the grocery store.

 

Hysterical!!

 

"Daddy, drive REAL fast!"

doesn't matter if we're behind a cop or anything else. Overall, kids really like the motion of driving, no matter what.

Matt

 

Guilty! On my last road trip, in preparation of my Clubman arrival, I limited myself to ONE bag (I have two dogs and must allow room for them). I had all that I needed (and still more) and unpacking the car wasn't such a chore upon returning home.

 

That is sooooo CUTE!

 

I think little kids have an immediate special relationship with MINIs that they don't have with other cars. In the month or so since I've had mine, I've had two separate incidents.

The first was in Annapolis with a little girl (6 or 7 years old) walking behind her parents while I was stopped in traffic. I saw her staring at the MINI and when she saw me looking at her, her face broke into a big smile and she waived. Very cute situation.

A few weeks ago, I was stopped with pedestrians crossing in a crosswalk in front of me. Again, a little girl looked at the car as she walked in front of it, and then mouthed "I love your car!"

To blather on a bit more, my mother has told me a story that I don't remember myself. When I was three or four years old, one of my uncles in New York bought a new VW Beetle, which were very rare back then (very early 1960s') My mother said I was completely enthralled with that car and would tell everyone it was "My Car"!

I think it's the size that gets 'em. Kids can relate to the MINI!

 

When the kids buy the car they can get what they want. Do you thinks your parents bought their cars because you liked them? Probably not. Everything doesn't have to revolve around the kids. Get what YOU want.

 

but then, how do I get both car seats on the back of a 60s BMW motorcycle?

Matt

ps, to some extent you're right, but to say FU to the kids isn't really very family oriented either. It's nice to get something that works for all!

 

I look forward to the "small boot" - my wife and I are pack rats and when it comes to travelling afar by car, we OVERPACK big time! I mean, it gets to the point where I have to say WE HAVE TO GO - NOW!!! Otherwise, my wife will keep loading snacks, extra blankets, pillows, etc. I am guilty of the same, although to a lesser degree. The small boot will FORCE us to be disciplined in packing.

On another note, my kids are very excited about the new addition to the car family! We have 'big car' (Lexus SUV), 'little car' (Honda), and soon to be 'very little car'. They saw me looking at someone's clubman flickr photos online and instantly said "Daddy, that's pepper white, isn't it? When are we getting it?". That comment from a five year old. I guess I've been talking about it a bit much the last two weeks!

 

I'm not sure who these comments were directed at, but someone seems very angry about something.
Maybe, someone needs a nap about now?