Filed under: Hatchbacks, MINI
FULL GALLERY: 2008 MINI Clubman
by John Neff on Jul 27th 2007 at 10:20AM 
click above image for 21 high-res pics of the 2008 MINI Clubman
The trail of embargo breaking is long, but apparently the first images of the 2008 MINI Clubman were published by AutoWeek in their actual weekly magazine, which began arriving on some doorsteps yesterday. Since then, more and more pictures have appeared online, to the point that Autocar just let loose with the whole kit and kaboodle. Hence, we've added the rest of the pictures to our own gallery, and unlike most other sites, ours are high-res at 1,280 pixels wide so you can examine closely how odd those rear doors really are.
The actual embargo on the photos was supposed to be lifted this Sunday, so if that holds true, we should expect the official press release from MINI with more details then, and maybe even more pictures. That is, unless the brand realizes it's futile at this point to hold out on us.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
F451 10:27AM (7/27/2007)
A snout only a mother could love. The obese child of the family.
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FLR 10:32AM (7/27/2007)
It's amazing how a car that I've always thought was attractive has now become flat out ugly. Yikes!
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1337 10:37AM (7/27/2007)
It probably would look okay in silver--you wouldn't have the mismatched paint around the rear doors.
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1337 10:37AM (7/27/2007)
It probably would look okay in silver--you wouldn't have the mismatched paint around the rear doors.
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Mike 10:39AM (7/27/2007)
The more I look at this, the more I think:
"Why put the extra door on only one side?"
On the RHD version it gives the driver easy access to open that door, to get kids or stuff out. But in the rest of the LDH community it means that the driver will have to go all the way around the car to get kids out etc.
Were they unable to design it with a door on both sides for structural reasons? Does the RHD version have the rear door on the left?
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Juan 10:44AM (7/27/2007)
Yeah, would have been better to have the extra door on the driver's side (isn't it that way on the Rx-8?), or just put them on both.
Silver paint on the back looks goofy, too. Hope there's an option to do that body-color.
epilonious 10:53AM (7/27/2007)
It was the same reason that vans (and for a long time minivans) only have a door on the passenger side for the longest time: You don't want the kids/passengers/stuff exiting into traffic when parked curbside. Getting out from the back would be awkward and if you're going to stumble better to stumble onto the sidewalk than into an oncoming bus.
Mike 11:01AM (7/27/2007)
"It was the same reason that vans (and for a long time minivans) only have a door on the passenger side for the longest time: You don't want the kids..."
True, but I think that we're established that everyone wants the doors on both sides. BTW I checked, the UK version appears to have the rear door on the right side, which puts it into traffic. In a van you can often get to the back seat from the front while inside the van so it isn't as huge a deal.
The RX-8 appears to have the rear doors on both sides.
Since MINI is trying to grab more of the group of people who wanted a MINI but need more room, it seems like a shortcomming. Since kids pretty much have to sit in the rear seat in the US now (in Virginia they have raised the age where kids need a car seat to 8 yrs old!) it's going to be a hassle (IMO). BTW I have an '06 Cooper S, and the rear seats are a big PITA to access.
Atomicbri 12:55PM (7/27/2007)
MINI says the reason for one door is because of where the fuel system had been designed and the location of the fuel tank did not allow them to do it on both sides.
psarhjinian 10:59AM (7/27/2007)
Awesome. I want this car.
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Fletcher 11:02AM (7/27/2007)
Personally, I like it. I've found the standard MINI to be appealing for it's go-kart handling, fuel economy and style, but my need for occasional utility (and passengers) has kept me away. I like the execution of this. This car doesn't warrant 4 full conventional doors, and if there's to be a rear half-door I prefer it on the curbside like this. I like the rear doors and, while the rear two-tone treatment is odd, I think criticism of it will fade when Clubmans (Clubmen?) are common enough on the road. MINI design doesn't necessarily subscribe to the normal conventions of automotive beauty anyway.
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David 11:08AM (7/27/2007)
...da isser endlich, der MINI Clubman:
http://www.mini.de/de/de/general/homepage/index.jsp
...finally, the MINI Clubman:
http://www.mini.com/com/en/general/homepage/index.jsp
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TheVoiceOfReason 11:58AM (7/27/2007)
While I think the regular mini's rear end looks perfect, the clubman's with the two-tone material looks absolutely hideous.
I am also surprised by the lack of room. I can appreciate that they had a limited amount they could stretch it, but there really isn't that much more leg room for the back. The rear seats are unable to fold flat (or even relatively flat) either, making the space less usable.
Perhaps the clubman will do well in Europe, but I have a hard time believing it will fill much of a niche here in the states. There might be some mini owners that will go for a slightly larger model, but in my opinion there isn't a large enough difference in size/space to differentiate it enough from the standard mini. People wanting more space than the standard mini will be hard pressed to settle for a very slight improvement.
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Stephen Lang 12:39PM (7/27/2007)
The two tone looks ugly IMO, but otherwise this is exactly the car we've been expecting- a stretched out Mini. I don't think it looks bad at all, but it loses the bulldog stance of the Cooper.
How much of a splash this makes will depend on the numbers- price, interior room, HP, and MPG. I don't think it's 'cute' enough to be able to just roll out and expect the dollars to come rushing in. But if they've set out to make a truly practical small wagon, I think this could work. If all the cars on the dealer lots are $38,000 Clubman S models with $2000 dealer add-on rims, it's not going to sell.
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dave 12:59PM (7/27/2007)
I saw the front angle of the car and thought, "It looks nice. Not too shabby..not for me, but nice".
I look at the rear.... they actually followed through with that cheesy two tone color scheme in the back?? Quite unbelievable... I think it brings down the attractiveness of the car quite a bit. In a way, it even appears cheap...I wonder who was responsible for approving those crazy colored panels...
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kylindell 1:02PM (7/27/2007)
i think it looks like the scion xb's
scion xb sideshot..
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/02/07-2008-scion-xb.jpg
mini clubman sideshot..
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/clubman013.jpg
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lotuslips 4:59PM (7/27/2007)
I actually dig this car quite a bit. It has a unique look which in a world of power racer cars is hard to come by. I was a little uneasy with it's looks at first- I 'am a designer and involved with automobiles quite a bit. After studying the lines and seeing where the design takes me ,I can see this is the closest incarnation of this type of vehicle since the VW squareback. Its raw, a little uneasy and slightly cumbersome but in the end has tons of character and flavor. I don't like the rear side door I actually prefer and wish the automakers would see that small sliding doors are much more convenient and require less space.
( mazda 5 ) All Mini needs to do now is get rid of it's hideous colour swatches and move into a wider spectrum of offering's.
SonOfSaab 1:55AM (7/31/2007)
The Clubman version is refreshing. Some of the aesthetics are a bit odd, but that's a Mini's charm, so I'm down with 'em. The odd color placement on both the silver and blue photos seems random. Either they need to add a bit more of the accent color or just remove it. That said, the basic look and functionality seems promising.
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Steve 5:43PM (8/01/2007)
This is long overdue! It looks GREAT! I hope the powerplant is as nice as the body line.
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