2021 MINI Clubman

There was a time when station wagons came in all sizes, but in 2021 the Mini Clubman stands alone as the last subcompact wagon you can buy in the U.S. Even all of the one-size-larger alternatives, like the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, have been displaced by crossovers. But Mini self-consciously offers small cars that other brands don’t. The Clubman distills the Mini formula into a practical and family-friendly shape, though it doesn’t come cheap.

Ever since the introduction of the modern Minis nearly 20 years ago, the brand has been stretching the definition of “Mini.” The original Clubman was a longer, two-door wagon version of the Mini Hardtop, but the current generation, introduced in 2014, is a four-door machine. It’s slightly smaller than the Countryman crossover but offers similar cargo room while weighing appreciably less. That helps it preserve more of the fun handling the brand is known for. Conversely, it’s bigger and more useful inside than the four-door Mini Hardtop, and a better buy for Mini fans who need more space. 

It has few direct competitors beyond these other Minis, however. Volkswagen’s Golf GTI and the Mazda3 hatchback are real alternatives, but similar wagons are much larger, like the Volvo V60. Tiny crossovers like the BMW X2 and Lexus UX might also fit the bill, but none have the Clubman’s personality.

Unlike the Mini Hardtop, the Clubman line gets only two powerplants and offers all-wheel drive (AWD). The base model is the front-wheel drive S, which starts at a friendly $30,750 (including destination fees) and is powered by the same engine as the smaller Cooper S Hardtop. That 2.0-liter four-cylinder motor delivers 189 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic or, returning for 2021, a six-speed manual transmission. AWD, labeled ALL4 by Mini, is a $3,000 addition on the S.

Above that is the $40,350 John Cooper Works (JCW), which comes only with AWD but replaces the base engine with a more potent 301 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque motor mated to an 8-speed automatic or the manual. The JCW also gets a variety of cosmetic tweaks and suspension tuning for even sharper moves.

Minis are all about driving fun, and the Clubman preserves most of the feel of the smaller Minis from the drivers’ seat, though enthusiastic drivers will perpetually kicking it into sport mode by hitting the right-most of the car’s satisfying toggle switches.

The 189-horsepower engine gives the Clubman plenty of pep but it isn’t ever fast in a straight line and, in normal mode, tends to default to revving low. Sport mode, by contrast, holds the revs much higher even when it doesn’t need to. Zero to 60 times are in the high six to low-seven second range, but the car feels engaged and compliant on twisty roads if not 100% as nimble as the smaller, lighter Cooper S Hardtop. Mini fans will find it a very familiar companion but one with a softer ride thanks to its longer wheelbase.

The JCW is the more entertaining to drive, with punchy power good for sub-five-second zero-to-60 sprints and a delightfully rorty, hooligan exhaust note. The chassis tuning means very sharp reflexes not unlike the smaller JCW hardtop, but the Clubman JCW also rides just as harshly as that car, losing the ride advantage of the S.

Clubmans, which only drink premium, get so-so gas mileage by small-car standards. The base automatic Clubman S returns 25 mpg city, 35 highway and 29 mpg combined. That isn’t bad, but manual transmission, AWD and JCW versions lose 2 to 3 mpg in each measure, which is slightly shy of most alternatives.

At 168.3 inches long, the Clubman is 17 inches longer than the two-door Mini Hardtop and 10 inches longer than the four-door. It also has four extra inches of wheelbase over the four-door, and this space is put to good use inside. There’s appreciably more rear legroom and a little more head room than in the four-door hardtop, and the Clubman’s cargo volumes are essentially equal to the even bigger Countryman. There are 17.5 cubic-feet of space behind the rear seats and 47.5 with them folded. 

The hatches from Mazda and Volkswagen, and BMW’s X2, offer a little more rear legroom and a little more cargo room, though the Mazda is a slightly larger car. Lexus’ UX is more confining in back and has less space overall.

The Clubman’s seats are firm, like the other Minis, and its interior an array of circles and retro toggle switches. Mini’s infotainment systems are based on parent company BMW’s iDrive7 system, and easy to use. A standard 6.5-inch center screen is standard but an 8.8-inch unit is optional. Navigation and wireless charging and Apple CarPlay are optional, but Android Auto isn’t.

While the Clubman S’ base price is attractive, the “trims” on the S are actually packages, and they cost a fair bit. The $3,600 Signature trim comes with navigation, a panoramic sunroof, premium audio, an impressive digital instrument display, Apple CarPlay and dynamic suspension damping. The Iconic trim adds those items plus the larger infotainment display, power seats and folding mirrors, and a variety of cosmetic and personalization upgrades, but it also adds $8,000 to the bill. There’s also an upholstery package ($1,000) and a driver assistance package ($1,250). 

That last package is required if you want adaptive cruise control, but the Clubman comes up short on a variety of active-safety features. There’s no blind spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert system. The Signature and Iconic packages cost marginally less on the JCW, but on cars this expensive these systems should be included.

Active Safety features aren’t the only thing that’s lacking. The Clubman has been around since 2014, but has never been tested by either IIHS or NHTSA. The smaller Cooper Hardtop and the BMW X2 both share the same platform as the Clubman and get mostly Good scores from IIHS. Clubmans also earn four stars overall from the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) which performs similar tests, but some alternatives have better safety bona fides.