5-Door Mini to Bow for Real This Time

TURIN – It’s been shown in various concept forms at auto shows in Frankfurt, Tokyo, Geneva and Detroit.

And next month, attendees at the latest exhibition in Frankfurt will get a look at the real thing, as BMW AG pulls back the covers on its new 5-door Mini Clubman.

The new model is 9.4 ins. (24.0 cm) longer than the current 2-door Mini, with a 31.4-in. (8.0-cm) longer wheelbase that leads to more legroom in the rear for up to three passengers (the Clubman bases as a 4-passenger car, but offers optional seating for five).

More doors are what differentiate the Clubman from the base Mini and from nearly all the other cars on the road.

On the right side of this “city wagon” is what Mini calls the “Clubdoor,” a suicide-type rear access door that opens against the direction of travel and allows easy access to the backseat from the car’s passenger side. The design is borrowed from BMW’s Roll-Royce Phantom.

The other two additional doors can be found at the back of the Clubman, offering a wide-open approach to the cargo area, which ranges 9.1-32.8 cu.-ft. (260-930L) depending on whether the rear seat is folded flat.

Counting the split rear, Clubman boasts five doors.

The Mini Clubman will be offered with the new-generation 4-cyl. engines that debuted on the revamped Mini 2-door earlier this year and come from BMW’s collaboration with PSA Peugeot Citroen. A 4-cyl. diesel with common-rail fuel injection also will be available.

To maximize fuel economy, all powertrains will be available with Auto Start-Stop, brake-energy regeneration and upshift indicators.

The car goes on sale in Germany Nov. 10 and will be offered in three trim levels.