Of course, you've all probably read numerous articles and reviews on the new MINI, mine included (at least I hope so), and so it seems a tad obsolete to retell the entire story. Therefore, all I'm going to do, is relate the differences that the Clubman body makes.

This added length to the body comes in part from the extra wheelbase.

For a start, the most obvious, is the added room which you gain. Now we're not talking super stretch here, but those extra few inches (approximately 9 1/2) do actually make a difference!

You can now carry someone slightly larger than a Tasmanian devil in the back seat. In fact, I'm over 6 ft and I fit quite reasonably in the back of the Clubman, and there's still enough room for another 6 footer up front.

This added length to the body comes in part from the extra wheelbase, which seems to make the MINI even more enjoyable on the highway, as it smoothes out the bumps much better than the standard MINI.

Then, of course, we have the luggage area. MINI's, over the years, became famous for their small exterior size, and yet rather spacious interior. In fact, several have tried to enter the Guinness Book of Records by attempting to jam piles of people into them. MINI Canada has just succeeded in getting 20 five year old kids into the new MINI Clubman (However, there was no mention of whether they managed to pry them all out again!).

Lot's of fun, but back to the real world. We all know that the MINI is really a car for a single person, or possibly a young couple with fairly small children. Nobody in his right mind would therefore term it a true family vehicle. However, with the release of the new Clubman, BMW has just succeeded in raising the bar for those young parents. Now, they can enjoy all the fun, and I do mean fun, that the MINI brand has to offer, right up until their kids reach those lanky teenage years.

That's the great thing about the Clubman, it has all the benefits of the mainstream MINI Cooper, plus more. It drives just as well. In fact, I'd say that in some ways, it drives better, not only on the highway, but also, on the twisty back country roads.

Basically, there is no real noticeable change in performance, but the comfort levels certainly shoot up a notch or two. You see, from day one, all MINI models have shared the same familiar design; the wheels are positioned right out on each corner. It's no different with the new Clubman.

All MINI models have shared the same familiar design; the wheels are positioned right out on each corner.