2012 MINI Cooper Clubman Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Mini Cooper Clubman review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Cooper Clubman, and includes Mini Cooper Clubman safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The Mini Cooper Clubman is a more useful Mini Cooper Hardtop, and is therefore a more rational and practical purchase. Think of it as a Cooper station wagon…whoops, we just killed its appeal right there, didn’t we?

Finally, what seemed so obviously necessary when the Clubman first debuted is available for the first time in 2012. Nope, not another rear door on the driver’s side. Nuh-uh, not a traditional rear hatchback. We’re talking about body-color lower C-pillar trim. No longer must it appear as though the roof has melted down the rear corners of the car and onto the back bumper. Other changes for 2012 include a new standard 15-inch wheel design, an available compass display embedded into the rearview mirror, and expanded availability of leather color and material combinations. The new Mini Yours program is also offered to Clubman buyers, providing upscale options like a two-tone leather-covered interior, special “Soda” pattern surfaces and materials, a unique 17-inch alloy wheel design, and more.

Mini offers the 2012 Cooper Clubman in three different models, each differentiated primarily by hardware upgrades rather than feature availability.

Anchoring the bottom of the lineup is the standard Cooper Clubman, equipped with air conditioning, power windows with one-touch operation, power side mirrors, power door locks with remote keyless entry, cruise control, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, a push-button ignition system, and leatherette upholstery. The standard audio system features HD Radio, an auxiliary audio input jack, and one free year of satellite radio service, all piped into the car through six speakers. It also plays CDs, if you’re into that sort of thing. The cabin is jazzed up with ambient interior and LED waterfall lighting, the driver gets a manual seat height adjuster, there’s a Sport button that recalibrates throttle and steering response for more a more engaging driving experience, and a trip computer tracks vital statistics during the drive.

Of course, we cannot forget what makes the Cooper Clubman a Clubman in the first place: a stretched wheelbase, more rear seat room, greater cargo carrying capacity, a “Club” door on the right side, and split dual doors in the back.

For greater performance and handling, and we think you’ll definitely want more performance, the Cooper Clubman S is equipped with a more powerful turbocharged engine fed by an air intake scoop on the hood, 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped in performance run-flat tires, a chrome fuel door, brake cooling ducts, and the signifier of all things sporty, fog lights. Inside, sport seats do a better job of holding occupants in place and aluminum foot pedals provide a dash of flash.

For the fastest and most nimble Cooper Clubman, there’s the John Cooper Works model. In addition to a more powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a stouter manual transmission, and larger brakes clamped by Brembo calipers, the JCW features lightweight 17-inch alloy wheels, bigger exhaust outlets, and a 160-mph speedometer. Mini also includes Dynamic Stability and Traction Control and an Electronic Differential Lock Control, replaces the leatherette seats with fabric, and installs stainless steel foot pedals.

So many options are available to customize a Cooper Clubman that we think it’s best to consult the authority on such things: the Mini website. When you get there, you’ll discover features like cloth or leather seats, metal or wood interior trim, flat or metallic paint (with or without “bonnet” stripes), automatic climate control, Bluetooth connectivity, and Mini Connected smartphone integration technology. Other upgrades include a panoramic sunroof, a navigation system, a Harmon/Kardon premium sound system, Comfort Access keyless locks and ignition, and Park Distance Control. Add to this list items such as rain-sensing wipers, heated front seats and side mirrors, adaptive Xenon headlights, and more.

One of three engines is installed in the Mini Cooper Clubman, and we don’t recommend getting the one without a turbocharger. Base Clubmans have a 121-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional six-speed automatic transmission. Mini optimistically claims the Cooper Clubman accelerates to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds with the standard stick shift, and that’s if you wind it out in every gear. Saddle this car with the optional automatic transmission, as most buyers will, and 60 mph takes 10.2 seconds to achieve. Add some passengers, or cargo, and you’ll extend that estimate. The best thing about this engine? It’s covered by Mini’s free maintenance program, which covers scheduled dealer visits for the first three years or 36,000 miles. But then, other Clubmans get the same deal.

Running the Cooper Clubman hard, which appears to be a necessity in this case, means you won’t hit the fuel economy ratings, a bit problematic given the premium fuel requirement for this engine. Official ratings for 2012 were not finalized as this review was written, but last year this version of the Clubman was expected to get 28 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway with the manual transmission and 27-city/36-highway with the automatic.

There’s almost no fuel economy penalty for choosing the far more powerful Cooper Clubman S, which is equipped with a turbocharged, 181-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. With a steady stream of 177 pound-feet of torque between 1,600 and 5,000 rpm, the Cooper Clubman S is great fun to drive, and reaches 60 mph in a satisfying 6.8 seconds with the six-speed manual gearbox or 7.2 seconds with the optional six-speed automatic, which is equipped with paddle shifters. Not fast, but certainly fun. Last year, this model was rated to get 27-city/35-highway when rowing your own gears or 26-city/34-highway with the paddle-shifted automatic. Premium fuel is required.

If the Cooper Clubman S just doesn’t cut it, Mini offers the John Cooper Works model with a direct-injected, turbocharged, 208-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder. Peak torque measures 192 lb-ft between 1,850 and 5,600 rpm, and the JCW races to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and tops out at 147 mph. If that sounds good, you’d better be able to operate a clutch pedal, because the JCW is sold only with a strengthened six-speed manual gearbox. Last year’s fuel economy ratings for this model were 25 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway, operating on premium fuel.

Every Mini Cooper Clubman includes traction and stability control, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and Cornering Brake Control, and six airbags. Clubmans also have a Crash Sensor feature that activates the hazard flashers, unlocks the doors, and automatically stops the flow of fuel to the engine if the airbags deploy.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not performed crash tests on the Cooper Clubman S, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) does not appear to distinguish between the Cooper Hardtop it pummeled into submission and the Cooper Clubman model. The Hardtop gets the best rating of Good in the offset frontal-impact test and the rear-impact injury prevention test, with an Acceptable rating assigned for the side-impact test and roof crush strength test.

If there’s a possible reason to discount the Mini Cooper Clubman, aside from its price tag and woeful base engine, it’s the car’s reputation for quality. Reliability predictions from Consumer Reports indicate that the Cooper Clubman will prove to rate below average in this regard. J.D. Power and Associates hasn’t made any dependability predictions for this model since 2010, when it believed reliability would be slightly below average.

The Cooper Clubman can hold life-size adults in its back seat, but everyone needs to load in from the right side of the car, where the clamshell-style “Club” door is located. The door arrangement at the rear is offbeat, too. Barn-style doors swing out to the sides, and when closed there’s a vertical obstruction to rear visibility. In addition to these oddities, the Clubman is equipped with three front sun visors and a standard climate controlled glove box.

While providing more room for passengers is one reason for the Cooper Clubman’s existence, the other is to offer more cargo space. To that end, the Clubman provides 9.2 cubic-feet of trunk space behind the rear seat, which is significantly more than other Cooper models (except the Countryman) but remains on the paltry side of practical. Fold the rear seats down, however, and the Clubman can swallow 32.8 cu-ft of stuff (exactly the same as a VW Jetta SportWagen with the rear seat raised – food for thought).

Here’s another interesting little factoid. The John Cooper Works model features an Overboost function that allows it to make extra torque for short periods of time, bumping twist from 192 lb-ft to 207 lb-ft to make speedy getaways even speedier.

Call this the practical Mini Cooper. The Clubman’s extra rear seat room and cargo space go a long way toward turning a Cooper into a functional daily driver, and it even works well with kids. For the time being, this is our favorite Mini model, as it blends classic Cooper styling with decent interior space and without dampening its blast-to-drive character.

By Christian Wardlaw