2020 Mini JCW Clubman First Drive Review

2020 Mini John Cooper Works Clubman first drive review: A fast alternative for the crossover-averse.
What on earth is the Mini John Cooper Works Clubman? To some, it's an elongated Mini that offers more cargo space than the standard hatchback, while to others it's a small wagon that offers a refreshing break from the plethora of compact SUVs that litter our roads. The simplest way of describing it is to say it's a weird-shaped Mini, roughly the size of a Golf, that now packs a 306-horsepower engine.
Blink and you might miss the exterior tweaks present on this latest model. The front grille is now deeper than before, with the horizontal gloss black portion having been removed to create the impression of a more aggressive (if slightly more fish-like) front end. The headlights have also been tweaked, with daytime running lights that now travel the full circumference of the housings. The rear lights and rear apron also get some slight mild fiddling, too, but these changes are even harder to notice at first glance
If there's one thing Mini does well, it's interior style. Slide into a John Cooper Works Clubman and it immediately becomes clear there isn't another car on the planet quite like it. The circular infotainment housing is an absolute joy to look at and simple to work with. The new graphics on this version are certainly very pleasant, with fun animations making light of a deep, feature-rich user interface. The LED ring around the circular display is a hoot, too, lighting up incrementally whenever the volume is adjusted or, in Sport mode, when engine revs increase.
Sadly, the material quality in the cabin is disappointing for a premium brand. Cheap materials are in abundant use in the Mini John Cooper Works Clubman, with much of the door cards, mid-to-lower portion of the dashboard and center console littered with scratchy plastics. Cleverly, Mini has attempted to disguise this by fitting a higher quality soft-touch material that quite closely resembles the cheap stuff -- at the top of the dashboard and on the arm rests -- so it's easy to be tricked into thinking more of the cabin is treated to the more premium material. Don't be fooled.
The tech on offer is of a high quality, even if you don't get much of it as standard. Stock kit includes LED headlamps, keyless entry and that 6.5-inch display with the fancy animations. Optional extras you may want to spec include the larger 8.8-inch infotainment display and Connected Navigation. Top models also get Alexa connectivity, which lets you use voice commands -- including for ordering goods directly from Amazon -- although you'll need to pair the system to your phone before making use of this. The John Cooper Works Clubman also has access to a concierge service that lets you ask almost anything you wish from a real person in a call center, including movie times, restaurant recommendations or information about the car itself.
The Mini John Cooper Works Clubman's trump card is, of course, that new 306-horsepower engine, which provides a whopping 75 horsepower more than the old John Cooper Works Clubman. Where the old model felt sluggish, this feels like a more than willing performer. A generous 332 pound-feet of torque means it always feels eager to launch itself at the horizon, and accelerating to 62 miles per hour is dispatched in just 4.9 seconds.
Part of that is due to the All4 all-wheel-drive system, which sends up to 50% of the engine's torque to the rear wheels whenever the car senses the front wheels have begun to lose traction. The car's dynamic stability control system intelligently calculates the ideal power ratio between the front and rear axles, so torque is always sent where you need it, though sadly there's no fancy drift mode that lets you send the majority of the power to the rear.
If you're ever on a track long enough, the John Cooper Works Clubman will reach an electronically governed maximum speed of 155 mph, but you probably won't want to bother all that often. The car is reassuringly stable at high speed, but wind noise above legal speeds can make journeys tiresome.
Though it is quick, the question of whether it's fun is debatable. The John Cooper Works Clubman certainly handles well enough, but the steering lacks the traditional fast Mini 'go kart' feel -- understandably, since the Clubman isn't designed to be as much of a driver's car as the smaller, two-door hatchback. There's also no option for a manual gearbox. Instead we get an eight-speed automatic, so the sense of driver involvement is reduced noticeably.
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[@DavidTapster]

Weird question, for the narration used, what software have you used? It sounds very close to an actual voice!

[@allisterwhitehead]

wow, even Hal had more humanity in his voice.................."my mind is going.....I can feel It".

[@bikebudha01]

Mini almost had my money. 300hp - check. All wheel drive - check. Good looks inside and out - check. Stick... stick... sigh, no stick...

[@majestic9674]

super

[@CarlosOliveira-cj3iz]

Yes...yes... Hum...no!

[@mrgelvis]

I disliked the video just for the audio alone. Gawd!! What is that stupid music!?!? Couldn't even make it all the way through before my ears started bleeding!!

[@terryjennings8922]

You are talking a load of rubbish, get some real knowledge.

[@bho9xx]

Annoyy

[@xariklou]

am i the only one that finds ugly the back of the clubman car? it looks like a funeral car the way it looks and door opens