Autoweek Associate Editor Wesley Wren looks at the 2016 MINI Cooper Clubman and concludes:
. . . To the dyed-in-the-wool Mini fans, the Clubman will be well received. For the car-buying public, the Clubman could be a hard pill to swallow compared to the other sporty compacts on the market. The Ford Focus ST and the Volkswagen GTI are the two heavy hitters in the small but fun-to-drive hatchback world, and anyone looking for a something small that’s capable of hauling stuff will probably look at these two first. Not helping that problem is the price: a base Cooper rings in at $24,950, and the Cooper S is $28,500, right in line with the GTI and Focus ST.
What the Mini does offer over its competition is individualization. Mini says there are over 10 million different ways you can order a Clubman -- not the case for its competitors, and a key consideration for the Mini loyalists likely to make up the bulk of Clubman buyers. But those looking for peak hot-hatch performance would be better served elsewhere.
