From boy to man

IT may sound like an oxymoron but the new Clubman is a pretty big Mini. So big that it is not only the British marque's roomiest model ever, but it is now large enough to enter the compact premium segment for the first time.

The second-generation Mini Clubman is the longest and widest model in the Mini line-up. The wheelbase has grown a whopping 103 mm to 2,670 mm compared with its predecessor, the first-generation Clubman. Overall length is 4.25 metres (+271 mm) and overall width is 1.8 metres (+73 mm).

At 1.44 metres in height, it is only marginally taller but the most impressive effect to the new dimensions is the way it now looks. The Clubman's new design philosophy has morphed it into Mini's interpretation of a compact shooting brake. The lower front end has a unique bumper and spoiler treatment, while its back end boasts a first - horizontal tail lights. For the first time, the rear of a Mini is not marked by two vertical lamps. They also open with the clamshell doors.