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2008 Mini Cooper Clubman Test Drive
Review Photos |
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Quick Facts :-
| Price: |
RM225,000 (Personal
Registration without insurance ) |
| Engine: |
1.6 litre, 4 cylinder
gasoline / 16V |
| Drivetrain: |
Six-speed Automatic with
paddle shift |
| Power : |
120 hp at 6,000 rpm |
The Quest for the Mini Traveller
An uncle of mine used to own a Mini Traveller. Now, don't give me that
look. Even as a kid, it was definitely not one of those cars I would drool
over every time I see it, even if you stuck one of those transformable
Transformers logo to the car (you know, the one on their toys that change
color when you rub it?). If you can't even impress a kid, you can't
impress anyone else, is what my marketing lecturer used to say. In the
company of the Mini Cooper Clubman however, the story swings in a
different direction altogether, thanks to its unique split rear doors, and
the ubiquitous club door aka suicide door alone are guaranteed to generate
a lot of "oohhhs" and "aahhs" (even from my marketing lecturer) and of
course, looks of envy from passer-bys and your own family members.
It has been more than a decade since I last time saw my uncle's Traveller
and the car is now safely in the hands of its new owner. As a refresher, I
decided to go on a pilgrimage to re-enlighten myself of the Mini Traveller,
and find out if the Traveller has the commanding presence on par with the
'Other Mini' – The Clubman. Read the full story and review below.
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Driving
Experience
Our quest for the mini Traveller kick starts in the town of Semenyih,
thanks to a few head-ups from friends claiming to have seen one (yes, as
in 1) Mini Traveller around that town. The ride from Bangi to Semenyih
through the Silk Highway was a pleasant one as the naturally aspirated 1.6
16-valve unit powering the Mini Coooper Clubman struggled to keep itself
below the legal speed limit. The suspension does not show its true colors
around the highway but once the Jalan Semenyih exit is due, we were
instantly reminded of the Civic Type-R suspension we tested just 2 weeks
prior to getting the Clubman.
A few kilometers from the exit, a workshop with a lot of Minis lying
around was spotted. We stopped to ask if they have a Mini Traveller but
disappointment made its presence known when we were told there were none
and so, we left the workshop with less spirit than what we started out
with.
We then made our way to Yamatake Enterprise in Seremban, a well known Mini
Specialist in Negeri Sembilan. Along the way, we noticed how the engine
(co-developed with Renault) performs, delivering an output of 120hp at
6000rpm with max torque of 160Nm at 4,250rpm. The torque steer which
plagues the Cooper S Clubman was not there and the century run was
achieved at 10.9 second mark, roughly 3 seconds slower than the Cooper S
Clubman's although we could have sworn it was certainly much faster than
that, evidently because of the torque which is jam-packed across the rev.
Upon arriving at Yamatake Enterprise, we were disappointed once more as
there were no Mini Travellers around for the day but Haji Razali, the
owner, was kind of enough to give us a few quick lessons on the difference
between JDM and the British Bred Mini, also telling us how the new Mini
has literally grown under its Teutonic owner.
I've always been a fan of poetry at school level, and Robert Frost's 'The
Road Not Taken' provided an alternative for heading back home with its
evergreen "I took the one less traveled by" - The Mantin back road to
Bangi. And like poetry in motion, this Mini seams through with the precise
go kart handling, without much interference from the DSC maneuvering this
is where the Mini showing us its true colors.
The Guessing Game, our favorite braking game was one game we could not
play with this car due to the presence of the 280mm ventilated disc up
front and 259mm at the rear coupled with ABS + ASC + T (Automatic
Stability Control + Traction).
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Interior
We found the cloth leather combination seats comfortable for our bodies,
unlike the S Clubman's full leathered seats. Get inside the car and two
'dinner-sized plates' will be served for your fine-driving experience: one
showing the speedometer that can reach the 195 km/h mark; and the other, a
tachometer that goes up to 7000rpm. The dash is adorned with a piano black
interior, which is nice to see and hold, even without the black and white
keys.
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Exterior
Staring this Mini in the eye shows you that the xenon light and the
headlamp lens cleaner were not present.
The floating roof on the unit we drove was in black, although we'd prefer
a white sunroof match to the hot chocolate body panel. On the four corners
you have 17 inch, 5-star pace spoke light alloy wrapped in 17 inch
Continental RFTs. Best served hot.
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Conclusion
Even though we failed in our quest to locate the Mini Traveller, we did
find out that at RM225,000, the Mini Cooper Clubman delivers all the fun
and a bit more, with an extra touch of practicality. Plus, at a time of
uncertain gas prices such as these, the Mini consumes a combined 7L/100km
(0.189 cents per KM). But if you're certain into getting to the Mini
lifestyle, just remember to also test drive the Mini Cooper S Clubman
before closing the deal, because to us, just as Frost put it – it has made
all the difference.
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more pictures >> |
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