MINI Clubman estate - Practicality & boot space

Practicality wasn’t a strong point of the original MINI Clubman estate, which had a single rear-hinged door to access the back seats and a fairly cramped interior in general. This Clubman is a much stronger rival for conventional small estates and large hatchbacks, with more room for both passengers and luggage inside.

MINI Clubman interior space & storage

Space for both front and rear-seat occupants has been improved compared to the old Clubman. This model is also bigger inside than the current five-door MINI hatchback, with a longer wheelbase giving passengers more space to stretch out.

As regards to storage, this is still a strong area for the Clubman, with lots of cubbies on offer. The centre console has a storage compartment and two cup-holders in front of the gearstick, along with an armrest with an optional integrated phone compartment. The glovebox and door compartments can all hold one-litre drinks bottles.

Boot space

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One element carried over from the previous MINI Clubman is the twin ‘barn doors’ used to access the boot. It’s certainly different to a conventional tailgate, but can be annoying if you're used to a conventional hatchback. You can specify a system to open the doors automatically when you wave your foot under the rear bumper – handy if you’ve got armfuls of shopping.

With all three rear seats in place, the MINI Clubman boot can hold 360 litres of luggage. If you need to carry a bulkier load, folding down the 60:40 split rear seat liberates up to 1,250 litres. This is roughly on par with the Volkswagen Golf, one of the car's chief rivals. For extra versatility, a 40:20:40 splitting seat is available as an option, including a rear armrest with two integrated cup-holders.

Another useful option is the storage package, which adds a variable boot floor and extra storage, along with lashing eyes, attachment nets and a cargo positioning feature that allows you to carry items of many shapes and sizes easily and securely.

Towing

Maximum towing capacity across the MINI Clubman range is 1,300kg, which is just enough to tow a medium-sized caravan or trailer.