Mini Works Clubman

On fleet since: February 2010
Total mileage: 7,200 miles
Official combined mpg: 40.4mpg
Actual mpg: 30.3mpg
Costs: £0 so far
GALLERY: Mini John Cooper Works

Where have we been?

Ash cloud. Unpredictable volcanoes. Strikes. It's enough to put anyone off flying. However, for my recent trip to Northern Ireland I needed little excuse to avoid the little metal tube in the sky. I was taking my Mini Clubman Works long-termer.


And better still I was forgoing the boring motorway route to Scotland by opting for a cross-country blast through Wales. Two and a bit hours from my house to the border, then four hours of winding roads, misty glens, soaring mountains and the occasional sheep.

My destination was Holyhead in Anglesey, where I would pick up the swift and reliable Stena service to Dublin.


From Dublin it's then a couple of hours to the north, dodging the millions of cops hiding in unmarked patrol cars ready to pounce on anyone who strays mildly over the limit. Hard given that this little Mini can flash well past the speed limit in third gear.


What do I like?

Some critics of the Mini accuse it of being deafening, stiff and uncomfortable, but on the A5 through Wales I'll guarantee they would reconsider their views.


The steering is crispier than a bag of Kettle Chips, allowing you to pick out the apex on the jagged roads like you're on a track. The 1.6-litre turbo offers the punch to surge past slower moving traffic as if it's sitting still. And the constant buzz from the exhausts is undeniably intoxicating, not tiring.


On wet roads the front wheels would spin away the power in the first three gears, so a gentle throttle approach was required, but from here on grip was reassuringly abundant. Just make sure both hands are on the wheel or you might make an unscheduled short cut through the hedge when the torque steer kicks in.


What don't I like?

"Oh, it's the Mini estate" I would overhear. However, there's nothing roomy about the boot on this car: two small suitcases wouldn't fit lengthways without the rear seats being folded.


It's not that the boot is useless - it offers about the same room as a Ford Fiesta - but it's the awkward shape that prevents it being more useful. The extra length on the wheelbase doesn't give it much more rear legroom either.


Other foibles? Even on a motorway run sticking at 70mph, the average fuel economy rarely lifted its nose above the 30mpg mark though it was just about possible to get from our house to Holyhead on one tank.
And while I love the retro switches for the electric windows sitting low on the centre console, I often flick the fog lights on by mistake.


What next for the Mini?

Two months to D-day - the Works is due to go back soon. So in the meantime I'm trying to cram as much in as possible including the slight possibility of a trip to the Nurburgring. 150mph on the Autobahn, here we come... (maybe).
Mini Works Clubman: month three
Mini Works Clubman: month two
Arrival: Mini John Cooper Works Clubman
All our long-term test cars
Thanks to Stena for the travel arrangements

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