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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...

Where Does The New Clubman Concept Slot In The MINI Lineup?

That is what Top Gear wants to know after reviewing the official MINI press release on the Clubman Concept to be revealed at the 2014 Geneva Auto Show:
So what else do we know about the new Clubman concept? Well, it's considerably larger than the current car - 26cm longer and a full 17cm wider, no less - and wears utterly vast wheels: Mini doesn't say exactly what size those blingy rims are, but they look no smaller than 20-inchers.

We know there are three seats in the back - no Countryman-style centre rail here - and that the central display screen packs a yet-posher version of the new hatch's touchscreen system.

But don't be fooled: despite the concept flourishes, this car is nailed-on for production. However, we also know that a five-door Mini - not the new Countryman but a smaller hatch based on the same platform as the three-door Mini - will arrive before the end of the year.

So where does that leave the (essentially five-door) Clubman when it arrives? Would you take the production version of this over a five-door Mini hatch? In fact, do you want a more-door Mini at all?