[TimCS]

Hey - I'm contemplating shipping in my 55 reg R53 MCS for a Clubby D to take advantage of the economy, extra space, lack of congestion charge, low road tax etc. Has anyone else done this swap and could you let me know if you are satisfied/disappointed at all?

I adore my Supercharged S but with the rising fuel costs plus the rubbish traffic I have to drive in these days I'm wondering if it's worth the change. I popped into the MINI dealer next to work and the sales guy was more than keen to put me in the direction of a Clubman S but when I said it was more likely I'd go for a D, he seemed less excited. Clearly the D is the big seller.

If you have made this swap, did you go for the Sport button and Sports Suspension to beef up your Clubby - or was that not necessary?

Tim

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

I recently asked a busy petrol station what proportion of their sales were diesel and they said it had had been continually rising and now stands at 60% diesel to 40% unleaded. They even added that they ran out of diesel the day before. As more and more drivers dash for diesel this proportion is only going to grow.

I've been driving diesel cars for work since 1995 and in that time, I've seen the price differential between petrol and diesel go from a small saving for diesel to a premium of 12p per litre in the last few days. I can only see this premium grow and grow as more and more people change to diesel and I'll give it about 18 months before the financial case for running diesel becomes dubious.

Tigger.

[mella yella fella]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tigger, Eeyore & Roo (original)

I can only see this premium grow and grow as more and more people change to diesel and I'll give it about 18 months before the financial case for running diesel becomes dubious.

Tigger.

Blimey Tigger, your'e optimistic!!

I'll give it about six months before the financial case for running any car at all becomes dubious.

especially now that it looks like we're all gonna get screwed if we own anything 'less green',post 2001 reg,and pay Darlings back tax on it

[CapriGT]

Quote: Originally Posted by TimCS (original)

Hey - I'm contemplating shipping in my 55 reg R53 MCS for a Clubby D to take advantage of the economy, extra space, lack of congestion charge, low road tax etc. Has anyone else done this swap and could you let me know if you are satisfied/disappointed at all?

I adore my Supercharged S but with the rising fuel costs plus the rubbish traffic I have to drive in these days I'm wondering if it's worth the change. I popped into the MINI dealer next to work and the sales guy was more than keen to put me in the direction of a Clubman S but when I said it was more likely I'd go for a D, he seemed less excited. Clearly the D is the big seller.

If you have made this swap, did you go for the Sport button and Sports Suspension to beef up your Clubby - or was that not necessary?

Tim

Hey Tim, I went from a big 4x4 to the Clubman D so it felt like a supercar in comparison! I know that doesn't answer your question but I think you will get used to the difference quiet quickly.

Iam running 17inch rims on standard suspension which gives a nice balance of comfort and cornering ability, the sport button was the best £90 I've ever spent, well worth it, I have it on all the time unless Iam on a motorway.

Even if the cost of running a diesel ends up the same as running a petrol due to fuel prices I think the D is worth the extra money just in performance alone over a petrol, and that's without congestion charge and road tax savings.

John

[kalexan]

I've gone from an 2003 MCS to a Cooper Clubman, not exactly the same comparison that you are looking for, I miss the out and out performance of the old s, then again the increase in space and more civilised ride makes up for that. I've also driven a D as well, to be honest the difference in performance between the two engines is not that noticeable, though the petrol engine does have to be revved a little to get the best out of it.

I've put 17" wheels on my car and in no way does it handle as well as my old s, it seems to be more prone to bumps on the road (especially going around bends, which can be quite unnerving) and it feels far more vague. I wouldn't even consider sports suspension as well, the only thing it might do is make the ride far more harsh.

My advice is that you should look at both models and not just the D, I really wanted a D, based on road tax (£25 a year from next year?) and the MPG but after looking in more detail the extra cost of the D over a petrol made less sense, I drive through a city to work each day and I doubt there would be that big a difference in MPG (About 10 MPG urban at the most).

Also you can get a good discount on a petrol Clubman over the D, expect the real difference in price is more like £2k not £1k, that's a lot of petrol and road tax you could buy over the life of the car.

Then again the trade in value of a D should be rock solid and if you pay congestion charges the D might be the better choice

[paul04]

i traded in my R53 MCS for a clubman S, take the Clubman D out for a test drive and then the Clubman S incase you regret it. And the way Diesel is going up in price it will be cheaper to buy a Clubman Cooper. here is a pic of mine any way

[Shaun]

I traded in a 55 plate MCS for a Cooper Clubman dont do the miles to justify the extra costs of the diesel. I didn't actually test drive either cars went for a spin with dealer driving (lost my counterpart) and went for it on the basis that I wanted more space, I was tired of paying £50 a week to fill the S and it was a bit to much for the Urban commute. Too raucous and up for it when you just want to blend in to the traffic on the way home from work on oldhams rough roads.

I miss the midrange shove the S was never quickest of the line a poor clutch and lack of traction saw to that. But the Clubman can be hurled down a b road at some speed and is still great fun it does feel different when you go into bends like you wait for the rear to catch up sometimes were the S would have drifted a bit more that could be a power to grip issue though.
Been out for a drive this afternoon to fuel up £34 about 32 litres in a 40 litre tank despite the tank reading only 44 miles left and it did 42mpg on open country roads thereafter.
Don't forget the Sport Button if you do trade.