Honey, I stretched the Mini!

The Mini Clubman will arrive in Australia next year, but it has been revealed that the long wheelbase Mini boasts four doors, unique side 'suicide doors', and split rear doors. It is the latest member of the new Mini family and is like no other. Open the driver's door, then open the rear-hinged Club door, to enter a new world of MINI accommodation, boasting greater legroom and headroom for rear occupants. Behind this remarkable rear seating comfort lies a significantly increased and very flexible load space that caters to diverse needs. Viewed from the rear, the Clubman has a striking look, defined by the vertically split doors complete with chromed handles and equipped with a wiper apiece to ensure rearward visibility in all weather. The wide opening doors ensure easy rear entry loading. The upper section of the C pillar cover is swathed in a shield of contrasting trim, to further amplify the heritage link, while vertically stacked tail lights offer another authentic nod to past glories.

The Clubman is 240mm longer than traditional Minis, with an 80mm greater wheelbase, all of it dedicated to enhancing rear passenger accommodation. It is instantly recognisable by its more muscular roof line and its rear vertically-split doors. The Club door turns the Clubman from a four-door to a five-door. There is no external handle to interrupt the smooth flow of the coachwork. Both front doors remain exactly as they are in the Hard-top 2 door, with the Clubman identical to its stablemate as far as the B-pillar. On the driver's side, access to the rear is supplemented by an additional rear-hinged door, the Club door. For safety reasons, this can only be opened by the internally mounted handle, when the driver's door is opened. The Clubman goes on sale in Germany in November and will be powered by the same engines offered in the R56 Mini Hardtop. Equipped with a twin turbo-charger and direct petrol injection producing a maximum output of 128kW at 5500rpm, and 240Nm of torque between 1,600-5,000rpm (260 Nm with Over boost), the Mini Cooper S Clubman is the most powerful. The Mini Cooper S Clubman offers not only impressive performance, but also an exceptionally good balance of driving pleasure and economy.

The Cooper Clubman features fully variable valve control developed from BMW Group's Valvetronic technology, for spirited performance and amazing economy under all engine loads. Its naturally aspirated engine produces 88kW at 6,000rpm and maximum torque of 160Nm at 4,250rpm. As with all Mini vehicles, engine power reaches the road via the front wheels. All Clubman models feature a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional six-speed automatic transmission. The automatic transmission has a manual mode whereby the driver may select gears via steering wheel mounted paddle shifts. Clubman introduces Brake Assistant, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with hill start-up assistance standard on all models, six airbags and a limited slip differential is optional for the Cooper S Clubman.

Full Australian specifications will be announced closer to its local launch.