Tag: F54

The new MINI Clubman is due for its official launch in the next 24 hours but a French MINI dealer has pulled le trigger a little early and the result is this selection of leaked photographs.

As is MINI’s style there’s not a lot of change externally from what we saw in the 2014 concept model. And to our eyes, that’s no bad thing.

Some people will struggle with the new Clubman, we understand that. It’s not really a MINI as we used to know the brand. In fact, this car is pretty damn big, for a MINI. But if it’s not clear to you now that BMW is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to milk every last drop out of its MINI brand it never will be.

If nothing else the barn-style rear doors are pretty cool!

[Source: MotoringFile]

MINI has released details for this new Clubman Concept prior to its launch at the Geneva Motor Show. Larger than the first-gen model and with four-proper doors, at last, the Clubman starts to make some real sense.

How the F54 Clubman will sit alongside the Countryman we’re not too sure—will it be too similar in size and role? The dimensions from the original Clubman have grown by 260mm in length and around 170mm in width; this will be one big MINI.

The Clubman Concept keeps the barn-style rear doors and while that’s quite cool it clearly presented the designers with an awkward moment when trying to work out where to put the MINI badge. The answer they’ve reached to this point is very cumbersome.

The outside of the concept looks as though it should make it down the production line without too many changes. Inside, though, it’s a bit pie in the sky, albeit quite nice to look at. Expect the finished model to resemble the F56 interior a bit more closely.

It’s worth noting the air curtains, first seen on the BMW 1M, have made an appearance on the Clubman Concept. Their task is to improve air flow around the front wheels and is another example of the increasing closeness between MINI and BMW.

We like this concept and will watch its development with interest.