Another year, another supersized Mini. The Cooper Clubman variant of the old British classic, distinguished by its double back “barn doors”, has been given its first large-scale makeover in almost a decade, and the end result is the biggest Mini ever produced.
It has also been invigorated with some serious design panache and upgraded technology that takes the Mini range to a higher level. What’s left intact is the typically British eccentricity that Mini fans expect and has kept the car rolling off the production line for decades.
Although the Clubman is now 4.25 metres in length — not much shorter than a Toyota taxi – the designers have been kinder than they were with the Mini Countryman, which just looks bloated and is not a pretty sight.
Viewed from the front, the Clubman conforms to classic Mini design DNA; a chunky grille and rounded headlights. In the new iteration, the lamps are fitted with LED daytime running lights for the first time, running around the rim.
