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Avenue of the Giants Weekend Run - Sat. March 23, 2024

Saturday will be a very full day of cruising from Novato up through the Avenue of the Giants and ending at Eel River Brewing in Fortuna. Sun...

MINI Cooper SD Clubman Hampton Reviewed

Okay MINI. When does North America get those diesels? You are providing them almost everywhere else in the world. For example, The Independent in the UK just reviewed the MINI Cooper SD Clubman Hampton. Here's what it concludes and, yes, we want it here!
Stuffing a big diesel engine under the bonnet may not seem like a very Mini thing to do but the car that results still achieves a very high Mini-ness rating, mainly because of its lively performance, which fully justifies BMW giving this new model not just a Cooper badge but an S - presumably for Sport or Sporty - to go alongside its D for diesel. With this much (refined) go, the 2.0 diesel Mini shows excellent levels of brand-typical nippiness and must therefore be judged a great success.
A short stint in a Clubman estate also confirmed that this often overlooked version of the Mini is a very good compromise between the cramped hatch model and the bulky Countryman. It provides just enough extra rear leg-room and luggage space to address the main drawbacks of the hatchback, while its longer wheelbase doesn't dent the Mini's dynamic qualities and, if anything, feels like it probably helps ride comfort.
And there's more good news on the way. A sporty new coupĂ© version of the Mini will go on sale shortly, and the 2.0 diesel will be one of the engine options – now that really promises to be a combination worth trying.