Used buyer's guide: MINI clubman

Which one?

• Air-con wasn’t standard across range until January 2009. Don’t buy a Clubman without it.• Boot is small, despite added practicality - it's 260 litres, or 930 with the rear seats folded• The central join for the two rear doors means visibility isn't as good as it could be

The only engine to avoid is the 1.4-litre petrol, offered for a short time in the One Clubman, but these are very rare anyway. While the Cooper S is great fun, it doesn’t handle as well as the regular MINI Cooper S hatch. The Cooper is quick enough, but the diesels are better overall – they’re punchy, yet easily return 55mpg.

Keep a close eye on the spec of any potential buy; most Minis are personalised with various options. A Cooper D Clubman with the well equipped Chili pack is the one to have.

Recalls

The original Mini got off to a shaky start with five recalls in only 15 months, but by the time the Clubman appeared, build quality had been improved substantially. As a result, it’s only been called back once so far.

This came in January 2012 and affected only Cooper S editions produced up to January 2011. The fault centred on an electrically powered water pump used to cool the turbocharger; it could short out, causing the plug connections to melt and potentially leading to a fire.

Driver power

Our viewNo MINI made the top 100 in our Driver Power 2013 satisfaction survey; the Clubman finished 136th. Owners told us they didn’t rate the comfort, ride, build quality, reliability or practicality, although they scored the car’s handling highly.

Your viewMark Meredith from Barrow-upon-Soar, Leics, owns the Cooper S Clubman in our pictures. “I love the performance and handling, plus it’s practical,” he says. “The ride is crashy, but aside from a timing chain issue the car has been reliable.”