:frown:Mini Clubman 1.6 Cooper D - Autocar.co.uk (http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/RoadTestsHistory/Mini-Cooper-1.6-D/228916/)

Who has upset these hacks then :D

I take it any Motoring Journalist that doesn't rave about a MINI is a hack then? :rolleyes:

That review is hardly a 'bash' just the honest opinion of the writer.

I wouldn't say it was bashed at all :rolleyes: It's a fairly balanced report.

Great quality and engineering, side door a bit odd (but then we all know that) and a firm ride (again, nothing new there).

I take it any Motoring Journalist that doesn't rave about a MINI is a hack then? :rolleyes:

That review is hardly a 'bash' just the honest opinion of the writer.

"Hack" was referring to what they did in the article :D as much as the work they do for a living

The review was more a bash IMO than constructive. I am bored to death hearing about the Clubdoor, the rear doors, the contrived styling, the stupid sized speedo, etc In meantime the Clubman will join the hatch and become another top selling fun to own / drive nish car.

Struggling to average more than 34mpg was a worry too not so much about the BMW engineering but more the fashion in which this hack must have been driving throughout the test time. I am achieving 31mpg every week in my daily grid locked commute through London in a R56 MCS without the stop start gizzmo :aargh:

The writer is paid to have an opinion and write about it - you don't have to read or agree with it ;)

The writer is paid to have an opinion and write about it - you don't have to read or agree with it ;)

Or remain silent :biggrin:

I think its quite a balanced review. They obviously quite like the car but what they say makes sense. If you want a truly parcatical car for £15k plus then this probably isn't the car for you, if you love the looks and styling etc. of the mini but need something a little bit more practical, then the Clubman is great!

It seems a fair review to me. I was tempted by a Clubman, but it really isn't much more practical than a 3-door MINI. A standard 5-door approach with a sliding rear seat would have been much more attractive to me. Maybe the MINI SUV will deliver.

It seems they tried to be objective. I'll hold my thoughts until I see one in person.

Have to agree, not a bashing and quite a balanced review really.

I particularly liked this bit....

"It’s one thing to build a car using gimmicks – and this one has more than its fair share – as a substitute for design integrity, and quite another to provide all the essentials in the first place and then add on whatever stylistic and functional addenda the brief requires. The Clubman is emphatically in the latter camp."

Some excellent pics in the gallery too White and blacks on my watchlist

How did he manage to get such crappy MPG. I've never got less that about 54MPG from my Cooper D, and its only 5 and a bit weeks old!

If you ever get to drive with car journalists, you'll know how. :eek:

I totally agree with the magazine report, what market are BMW actually trying to target in an already over crammed family carrier market.

Rams

The people who like Minis but need more room I will not be forced into normal cars.
You have to remember though the MINI had no direct rivals when it came out it was better quality than lower priced rivals and cheaper than similarly well built cars.