Just a few years ago the very idea of an elongated MINI with a small diesel engine was considered too ludicrous to be taken seriously. These days, though, such a thing exists and the company is proudly presenting it in form the new MINI One D Clubman.
The Clubman is still not a likable car to be honest, but what it offers makes a lot of sense to a sensible buyer. You get the MINI styling – if you are into that – the split rear door, a ton of practicality, an efficient engine, and a long list of equipment which includes MINI Navigation, DAB, Bluetooth, Cruise control and MINI Connected. Even the pricing is not silly. MINI One D Clubman costs £21,375 for the manual and £22,870 for the automatic.
The engine in the MINI One D Clubman is nothing to write home about. But then again, it’s a three-cylinder diesel, so expectations are low. Boasting a displacement of 1,496 cc, the 3-cylinder diesel engine with variable turbine geometry turbocharger and common rail direct injection makes 116bhp and 270 Nm of torque. That is only good for a 0-60 mph time of 10.4 seconds and a top speed of 119 mph. But on the bright side it averages 74.3 mpg and if you go for the manual, it emits no more than 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer.