2008 MINI Clubman
Mini's new Clubman has room for dogs
Sun, Aug 17th 2008
| VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| type | 5 door, hatchback, 2wd |
| msrp | $20,600 |
| trans | automatic |
| gas mi. | 28mpg/37mpg |
| rating |  |
The Mini Cooper, in both the coupe and convertible edition, has never been anyone's idea of a DogCar. But with the introduction of the Clubman, dog-lovers can now enjoy the sporty little retro-styled darling, too.
The Clubman wagon isn't all that much bigger than the regular Mini – about three inches wider and six inches longer. The non-existent rear-seat leg room – plus the contortionist-required way of gaining access -- almost guarantees its use as a two-seater where two-legged passengers are involved.
But we're all about the dogs, so how does the Clubman rate for the four-leggers? It's about as good as it gets in the small car category.
With the rear seats dropped flat, the tiny Clubman is amazingly spacious – 33 cubic feet of cargo space, nice and square to accommodate dogs and gear. Headroom and legroom for the front seat passengers is so generous it appears to be a magic act, a mind-blowing presto-chango from the tiny exterior to the comfortable interior.
As part of the week's test, I took the Clubman on a trip from Northern to Southern California.
The car had no problem keeping up on the North-South Autobahn, although with so many SUVs and minivans on the road you sometimes feel as if you're driving in a high-walled canyon if you stay in the middle lane.
Minis are mini, make no mistake.
In city driving, the Mini's sharp handling will get you to the dog park with delight, and as for the parking … if there's even a tiny space near the vet's, it's yours.
The Clubman, like all Minis, is built low, and that means even an older dog should have no problem getting in once you open the novel "barn doors" on the back. Crates won't be an option the largest dogs -- not enough room -- but ample anchor points make safety harnesses easy to use.
Price for entry-level Clubman starts around $21,000, with fuel-efficiency rated at 28 city/37 highway for the manual version, 26/34 for the automatic.
- Gina Spadafori
CARGUY COMMENTS: The 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman is a new model for 2008 and available in two styles: the Clubman and the sportier, more powerful Clubman "S" (MSRP $24,100). The Cooper Clubman benefits from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 120 horsepower, while the "S" version roars with twin-scroll turbocharger that produces 175 hp.
-- Keith Turner, The Family Car
Just call it the Mini Cooper Club Canine
Barking Lot Banter: Featuring a low price, high mileage and plenty of low-rise open space for pups, the new Mini Cooper Clubman is a dog-lover's delight.
Comments
We love the car! It`s space enough for me, my husbond, our son(9.years old) and our Great Dane :-)
2009-11-27 06:44:40
I have a MINI. Absolutely love it! (This is actually my second one.) I have to Border Collies and they enjoy motoring too. :)
I have had no problems with the car and get 41MPG.
I would like to get a Clubman next go round.
2009-11-24 14:27:15
MINI has a poor service/repair system in place. You will be limited in where the dealership is to provide your warrantee work and then its not a given they will be able to fix this english/german engineered car
my lab doesn’t enjoy driving corners and curves that my mini demands, (went its running) its a vomit mobile for dogs
2009-08-23 20:19:55
I have 2 large (100 and 120lb) Ridgebacks. I love the car, they love the car.There is a wonderful flat csrgo area when the back seats are folded down.
They need to lie down when driving for rear visibility, and are good about that most of the time.
I would like to find a pet barrier for saftey reasons and haven’t found a good one yet.
2009-02-20 20:51:11
I actually took my pop up shade tent down to the dealer to see if it would fit…it did! I go to agility trials and rarely go to one outside of the winter where I don’t use it.
I currently own a regular mini cooper S and an Acura RDX. I was hoping to condense down to one car, but then I got dog number 4 and it’s just not practical. Me and the 4 dogs don’t all fit in my RDX very well and they are all under 20 pounds (Mini Schnauzer and 3 JRTs).
I REFUSE to buy a mini-van. So I’ll be looking at the pilot or highlander hybrid as possible options…if I can convince myself to give up my luxurious RDX that is!
2009-01-03 05:52:17
I bought one of these recently, and I love it—and so does my dog. The one problem we had was finding a dog barrier that works in it; our dog rides in the hatch area, not the backseat.
So I measured the back and bought three that seemed like they would fit, and I’m putting my reviews here for everyone to see.
1. Kurgo Backseat Pet Barrier for Small Cars and SUVs.
Does it fit: Yes. You have to take the shelf out of the back to attach it, but you can put the shelf back on with no problems, leaving the barrier in place.
Does it work: Not for us. The top of the barrier only covers the space between the rear headrests; our dog can wriggle between the headrests and the window. If she was larger, it would be fine. (She’s about 40 lbs.)
2. Heininger Automotive 4050 CommuteMate Pet Partition
Does it fit:. Yes. It comes with two sections of horizontal bars; you only can fit one in the Clubman. But you only NEED one.
Does it work: So far. The package I got had two identical bar sections; it was supposed to have a top section that didn’t have the locking button. I called the manufacturer and they said to remove the button and I’d be able to use the section just fine. That seems to be the case, though I haven’t tested extensively. It does keep the dog from climbing between the window and the headrest, and has a nice solid construction.
3. GMI PetShield Standard Mesh Travel Barrier
Does it fit: No. Technically, the car is about 34” wide and so is the barrier. Actually, the 34” section of the barrier is too tall to fit in the part of the car that’s 34” wide, by several inches.
Hope this is useful to some folks!
2008-10-30 13:54:17
As the man with the lab said, if you have a large dog, such as a golden retriever, and the dog tends to stand up in the Mini Clubman, you can’t see out of the back window. You will be driving without rear vision. This is why we decided not to buy the Mini Clubman, which otherwise was our first choice. But the sales staff was very nice in letting us put one of the goldens in the rear of the car!
2008-09-06 14:05:47
I thought it was eight inches longer? Maybe those are British inches.
Also, I think there’s plenty of room in the back seat for two adults—my friend had no trouble fitting four adults in hers. Again, those are British adults, so your mileage may vary.
And the back seats do fold perfectly flat, and there’s a little flap that covers the gap that opens up. Brilliant.
2008-08-21 15:25:22
Interesting – did some reading, and the flat floor is an option in Canada (and some other markets) but standard in the US.
The flat loading floor option gives you a storage box in the “trunk” area that raises the level to match that of the folded down seats.
2008-08-21 12:22:00
I just took receipt of my Clubman S. With the seats folded down (and a snazzy PoochStyle dog mat), my Jack Russell and Aussie Cattle Dog (with anchored harnesses) enjoy the motoring.
I didn’t notice an excessive “bump” when the seats are folded flat.
Rear visibility is an issue, esp. with pups in the back. So, you must get better at relying on the side view mirrors. An easy skill to learn, but harder to master.
All and all, I bought the Clubman for a small, fuel efficient, dog-friendly vehicle. I’m very happy with the Clubman.
2008-08-19 09:46:44
I had no problem with the seat not folding flats, so maybe that was changed from the concept car.
The rear visibility IS a problem, and that has been mentioned in almost every review of the Clubman I’ve seen. Those cute “barn doors” are a problem with rear visibility.
However, I can’t say I had a problem with it at all, because the side mirrors were large and well-placed, and because it was easy to “know” where the edges of the vehicle were. ... Gina
2008-08-18 16:49:56
I’m going to have to give this car another look. I saw it at the Montreal Auto Show and wrote it off as not a viable option – and I’m looking for a dog-friendly small hatchback.
The two things that stuck out at the time were:
1) The back seats didn’t fold flat. There was a big bump between the “trunk” area and the back of the rear seats. If that’s changed, it’d go a long way.
2) Terrible rear visibility. Those two tiny back windows with wide frames made for really bad visibility out the back when driving. Add in a big labrador head, and I’d have no idea what’s going on behind me.
I really wanted to like this car, so I’ll give it another look and see if they’ve changed things now that they’re in production…
2008-08-18 07:13:39
I have had a new 2009 Clubman S for about 4 months. It is a deliriously fun car and a complete designer’s turn-on. I got it for business and to hold my 54lb dog.
I just haven’t been able to find a cargo cover that covers the sides, and works for just the cargo area, and with one or both seats down. I would like to give her more room with one seat down, but keep the other up for my biz goods. My jerry-rigged wrap job is looking pretty ratty!2010-03-19 16:05:01