MINI Clubvan revealed

23 Jun, 2012 (All day) Luke Madden Comments

First official pictures of the new MINI Clubvan have been released, and it will start from £11,000

MINI has revealed the Clubvan – the first commercial vehicle produced by the brand under BMW, and a successor to the original Morris Mini Van.

Simply put, MINI has taken a Clubman and blocked out the rear side windows with body-coloured panels, plus tinted the glass in the back windows to help keep cargo out of sight. The driver’s side Clubdoor continues to provide access as on the Clubman.

Inside, there’s 860 litres of space and a flat load area that measures 115cm long by 102cm wide.

One, Cooper and Cooper D versions are available. The One features a 97bhp 1.6-litre petrol, while the Cooper gets a 120bhp version of the same engine. The Cooper D has a 110bhp 1.6 diesel. MINI says the Cooper D Clubvan is capable of 72.4mpg.

Electric windows, a DAB digital radio, air-con, 15-inch alloys and black cloth trim are all standard.

Buyers using the Clubvan as a commercial vehicle can claim VAT back, meaning prices for the One start at £11,175 and reach £14,510 for the Cooper D automatic.

Disqus - noscript

Submitted by skorob2010 on Sat, 2012-06-23 17:04.

Oh God help us, yet another Mini Monstrosity.

Submitted by PedroConejo on Sat, 2012-06-23 18:20.

^ What he said ^

Submitted by tgw123 on Sat, 2012-06-23 18:34.

Anyone else think BMW should give the Mini a rest for a decade or two now? There are too many attempted variations, some unsuccessful, in my view anyway. I've been in a cabriolet and it rattled like hell. Also I wasn't impressed with the (lack of) space and the dash was cheap and plasticky.

So why buy a Mini Van? Don't! If you need extra space in a fairly compact vehicle get a Ford B-Max or whatever it's called, a Renault Scenic, or any equivalent. If your council is like mine you will not be allowed to enter their recycling sites in a 'van', eg, with no rear windows. Moreover there will be as much if not more space in them and 5 seats to boot.
If you need a small commercial van you will get far, far more space in one of the little Ford Transits or equivalents by Peugot, Renalut, Fiat, etc, and they will probably cost less to ensure too.
Conclusion :err, this is a thoroughly pointless vehicle.

Submitted by gofasterstripes on Sun, 2012-06-24 18:52.

You could look at this and ask 'is there no end to the MINI's talents?' Or you could just be cynical and say 'is there no end to BMW's exploitation of this brand?'

Submitted by action_dave on Mon, 2012-06-25 00:19.

I kind of like the look of it and it's not as hideously over priced as i thought it would be.....probably be good for advertising if nothing else. Nowhere near as tragic as the countryman in my opinion

Submitted by RobMcSorleyonCARS on Mon, 2012-06-25 17:35.

When will they stop with the killing of the MINI brand.......?

www.RobMcSorleyonCARS.com
....home of quality news and reviews

Submitted by gramps427 on Tue, 2012-06-26 13:57.

I used to drive the old mini van for my job; a great little vehicle, cheap to run and perfect for small parcels, documents and the like. This is a yuppie car for the self employed with no kids; why else have a Cooper version.

Submitted by snappyuk on Tue, 2012-06-26 15:17.

All the MINIs sell on the fact that they're a bit left-field, with a huge range of personalisation options. Yes, they're expensive and they're not everyone's cup of tea, but certain small businesses would consider the Clubvan as it fits with their image.
I doubt it's aimed at hairy-ar$ed plumbers and the like, there are properly capacious and cheaper vans for that. The Clubvan exists for the designer bakery brigade and, who knows, it could even be a dog van for HM Plod.

Submitted by originalgoth on Tue, 2012-06-26 20:27.

Like most of the comments on here, I really do think that the MINI is being milked for all it's worth in BMW's eyes.
It seems that they're releasing a "New" version every week, the showroom brochures must be as thick as a Kays catalogue at this rate as to how many variations they're trying to sell.

This is getting beyond a joke.
They're even calling doors "Clubdoors" now, what next, a ClubCupHolder, ClubRadio"?????

What I would like to know is with all of these variations & "Ltd Editions" being released week in, week out, how does it affect resale value?
At the end of the day, a MINI is a MINI is a MINI and it's not even a Mini !!!!!!
I really do think they should give it a break for a while.

Submitted by Richardcr on Tue, 2012-06-26 20:47.

Overkill. Back to the days of the fist Ford - you can have any colour you like, as long as it's black. Now, you can any car you want, as long as it is a Mini.
The spice, novelty, fun, excitement and desirability has been milked dry.
Move on BMW, find another ex small car with a following, and try it again.
Let us have some peace for a week or so, at least.

Submitted by petegeoff on Tue, 2012-06-26 21:16.

snappyuk is probably right in saying this van version will appeal to trendy type companies. It has an image that will impress many people. As for doing the Mini brand to death it's just a shame we never had a company in this country that could have come anywhere near what BMW has done. On another note altogether.
I remember going around in a minivan back in the 60's picking up young ladies and having great fun in the back which I couldn't possibly talk about on a website such as this. On the other hand if you want to talk about that type of thing call me on. Perhaps not!!!!