The new Mini Clubman has nothing to do with Britain's most famous fictional secret service agent; instead, it is named after one of London's most exclusive shopping streets.
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Billed as "the world’s first premium compact delivery van", the seventh addition to Mini's lineup is based on the longer Clubman but does away with the rear seat bench and boot floor to gain a continuous loading area.
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The first solution goes by the name "Cowley caravan" and offers everything one needs for a luxurious camp out including two sleeping berths, a twin-burner gas-stove, a water tank with pump and dish-washing facility, a solar module to charge the on-board battery and a 230-volt power connection to supply the refrigerator, TV/DVD and hi-fi stereo system.
The retro-styled trailer is only 120mm (less than five inches) wider than a MINI Clubman from mirror to mirror and tips the scales at just under 300 kg (661 lb).
If you don't like carrying around a trailer at the back, the German colonizers of MINI have designed a second solution called the "Swindon" roof-top tent, which can be fitted on all three models.
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There's nothing really innovative or interesting, for that matter, about the Clubvan as the conversion from passenger model to van is pretty straightforward with Mini simply eliminating the rear seat bench and boot floor to create a continuous loading area.
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This one is called the Clubvan (though Breadvan may have been a more appropriate name in this case...) and as you probably have guessed by now, it's based on the Clubman. However, unlike the latter, the Clubvan study will do away with the rear seats and side windows offering a continuous loading bay stretching to the front passenger seats.
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The company said that the circuit board might malfunction and overheat which could result in a vehicle fire adding, however, that there have been no reports of any injuries or accidents related to the glitch.
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And no, the highlight of the hot hatch is not the blonde model seen in the pictures but the extreme audio system found in the heavily modified interior, which was customized by Mac Audio's own Professional Installation Team headed by Nic König.
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Once the job was finished, they created an interactive app on the local Mini website that allows visitors to combine the different sounds from the Mini Carmonica's adventures and create their own compositions. Creative marketing or the result of boredom? Who knows, but one thing's for sure; many of you will definitely turn off the sound after the first seconds of the video below…
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The JCW pack option for the Cooper and Cooper S Hardtop and Convertible vehicles is due to be available from the second quarter of 2011 as a factory option. It includes an aero kit with front and rear aprons, plus side skirts, as well as 17-inch weight-optimized aluminum alloy wheels.
The interior is upgraded with a new leather steering wheel with red stitching, gearshift knob with red shift pattern lettering, plus a leather handbrake boot featuring -what else- red stitching.
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All variants of the MINI sport a new from bumper design engineered to improve pedestrian protection courtesy of larger deformation zones, new light elements in the headlamps, revised side indicators that sit in the redesigned side gill housings, restyled rear bumper and standard LED tail lights on all models. The five new paint colors and fresh alloy wheel designs complete the exterior upgrades.
Beginning from March 2010, all First, One, Cooper and Cooper S models in the Hatch, Convertible and Clubman ranges will be equipped with a new and improved version of MINI's petrol engine.
In particular, the MINI First and One models will now be fitted with a 1.6 liter engine, replacing the 1.4-liter unit. The new engine conforms to both European EU5 and U.S. ULEV 11 emissions standards
In the entry-level MINI First, the 1.6-liter unit produces the same output as the 1.4L engine at 75HP, but torque is up by almost 17 per cent at 140 Nm.
As a result fuel consumption in the EU cycle is 5.4 lt/100km (52.3 UK mpg or 43.5 mpg US) and CO2 emissions 127 g/km. Top speed of the MINI First is 175km/h or 109 mph while the 0-62 mph (100km/h) acceleration takes 13.2 seconds.
The same unit delivers an output of 98HP and 153Nm of torque (+3HP and +9% torque from before) in the MINI One that returns 5.4 lt/100km (52.3 UK mpg or 43.5 mpg US - same as the 75HP unit) on the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 127 g/km.
With this engine, the One's top speed rises to 186km/h or 116 mph and zero to 62 mph (100km/h) acceleration takes 10.5 seconds, a 0.4 second improvement over the previous model.
The MINI One Clubman also benefits from the same powertrain improvements and offers 0-62 mph in 11.1 seconds and a top speed of 185km/h or 115 mph. EU cycle fuel consumption falls to 5.5 lt/100km (51.4 mpg UK or 42.8 mpg US) and emissions to 129 g/km.
MINI's best selling model, the Cooper receives a small power hike to 122HP (+3 hp) and peak torque of 160 Nm at 4,250 rpm helping the hatch to reach 100km/h (62 mph) in 9.1 seconds and a top speed of 204km.h or 127 mph.
Always according to MINI, the 2010 Cooper achieves 5.4 lt/100km (52.3 UK mpg or 43.5 mpg US) and emits 127 g/km of CO2.
Finally, the 2010 Cooper S' 1.6-liter twin-scroll turbocharged engine has been tweaked and now produces 9 hp more peak power at 184HP while peak torque is 240 Nm, delivered from as low as 1,600 rpm through to 5,000 rpm (260Nm with the overboost function).
The Cooper S Hatch sprints from 0 to 100km/h (62 mph) in exactly 7 seconds and can go up to a top speed of 228 km/h or 142 mph. MINI says that the Cooper S' combined fuel consumption of 48.7 UK mpg (5.8lt/100km or 40.5 mpg US) is lower by 3.1 mpg, while CO2 emissions are now 13 g/km lower at 136 g/km.
In addition, the 2010 Cooper S manual models will be fitted with a new self-adjusting clutch with carbon coated linings that is said to reduce service costs and improve pedal feel and gear synchronisation.
Also new for 2010 is the introduction of the entry-level MINI ONE Convertible that is powered a 98HP version of the 1.6-liter petrol engine. The four-seater drop top accelerates from 0-100km/h (62 mph) in 11.3 seconds and goes on to a top speed of 180km/h or 112 mph while recording an average fuel consumption of 5.7 lt/100km (41.3 mpg US or 49.6 mpg UK).
Finishing up with the changes/updates for 2010 MINI, the British firm has also announced the availability of the Clubman Graphite Special Edition model that features the same Dark Silver paintwork and special equipment of the hatch model, as well as three new Rainbow paint options for all models.
Available in One, Cooper, Cooper D and Cooper S forms, the Soho is offered with a choice of five exterior colors including Horizon Blue, Midnight Black, Pepper White, Dark Silver and for the first time on the Clubman, White Silver, contrasted by the black finish on the roof and exterior mirror caps.
Bi-xenon headlights with smoked lenses, a chrome kit and two-tone 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 195/55 or 205/45 tires respectively (depending on the model) are also part of the package.
Inside, MINI ups the luxury ante with a three-spoke, multifunction, leather steering wheel, sport seats upholstered in cloth and leather, brushed aluminum trim and upgraded standard equipment that includes air conditioning on all models.
The 2010 Clubman Soho will go on sale in Italy in the beggining of January with prices ranging from €19,900 (US$27,100) for the One model to €28,900 (about US$41,500) for the Cooper S version.
