I am a big fan of the Mini especially with the new Pirelli Tires I put on mine.. As a fan, I own one and drive it every day. So, when I heard that the Clubman was hitting the U.S. markets I was looking forward to going to the dealership and giving it a whirl. 
What attracts me to the Mini is that it is just plain fun to drive. It is nimble, quick, and one of the best handling production cars I ever have driven. I wasn’t sure how the Clubman (a sort of wagon) was going to measure up.
I test drove the Clubman and was able to put it through the same aggressive paces that I put any car that I test drive. Generally, I thought the car performe
d well. It seemed a little sluggish compared to the Cooper S that I drive every day, but that was to be expected. It handled corners sharply, although I felt a little slippage in a couple tight turns. I was testing the Clubman S, so the horsepower was comparable to my daily Mini experience.
The part that I didn’t get with the entire Clubman is why it exists. I believe the point was to give more cargo room and to make the back seat able to hold someone over the age of six. As I looked in the back seat and checked out the expanded storage area I 
didn’t really see that much difference. They state that there are two more inches of leg room in the back seat, but I couldn’t notice it. The split-doors of the rear end do offer a little greater access, but I am not sure the slightly enhanced storage space will change who can buy a Mini.
The Clubman left me scratching my head. I think some devoted Mini drivers will pick one up for the novelty, but I am not sure if many American families would want one of these.
