2008 MINI Cooper Clubman

"You want a large for $.25 more?" That's what the popcorn drone behind the concession counter asks when you order a medium Coke at the movies. You may not need it, but hell, it's offered, so you pull the trigger. The same thing is happening in auto showrooms. Why settle for just an Escalade when you can have the ESV? This year, even BMW-owned MINI is getting in on the act. The result is the MINI Cooper Clubman, which your local MINI salesperson will happily offer for just $2,000 more than the regular Cooper. So, what does that extra two grand (before options) really get you? After all, the regular MINI Cooper is a tidy little package; it's great looking, fun, and economical, while offering a high level of factory customization and/or personalization. Want more performance? Buy an S. Want even more than that? Get the JCW. If you wanted more room, however, you had a problem. Until now. Enter the Clubman. MINI has decided to expand the niche it occupies by combining the red meat its core customers want -- the cars' signature styling and entertaining nature -- with more room for people and stuff. But not too much more, because then it wouldn't be a MINI. The idea was to get bigger while remaining small. What a conundrum. Go too big, and you squash brand identity, don't go big enough, and the whole exercise is a waste of everyone's time. %Gallery-23575% All photos Copyright ©2008 Alex Núñez, Weblogs, Inc. Our tester was a standard non-turbo Clubman finished in Pepper White with a black roof and black rear-door trim. Appearance-wise, it just looks like a bigger Cooper, which is the general idea. The Clubman half-door on the passenger side and twin barn doors in back are the model's obvious visual cues -- there's no "Clubman" badging on the exterior at all. Inside, it was embroidered on the floormats. Additional length does little to lessen the MINI's squat, eager stance. Sitting out in the driveway, it looks like a wheeled version of the Pokey Little Puppy, and people always smiled at it. Because really, who doesn't love a puppy? Notable additions to our tester included the Sport Package and Premium Package ($1,500 apiece), the latter of which includes a pretty impressive panoramic roof. Both panels tilt up, and the front glass slides back. The Clubman is a full ten inches longer than its little brother, and it sports a 3-inch longer wheelbase. This translates into a back seat that's actually tolerable for adults, assuming neither the front nor rear occupants are particularly tall. I'm 5' 9", and I was able to sit behind the driver's seat in a state of reasonable comfort. With a taller driver, probably not so much, and as I said, tall backseaters are probably going to have a hard time getting settled in unless the person in front is of Ewok stature. Accessing the back seat requires you to flip the front seatbacks forward, even on …
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