Roomier, vroomier Cooper SD Clubman is Mini maxed

Performance estate cars are fairly commonplace at the moment, presenting motorists with the option of taking an Ikea coffee table for a hot lap of Knockhill or getting those bags of grass clippings to the municipal dump before the mower’s blades have stopped turning.

The dual qualities of thrilling pace and mundane practicality that such vehicles offer can seem somewhat at odds with each other but at the same time, there’s something slightly naughty about a family load-lugger that can literally pull a fast one away from the lights. Mini first got in on the act with its Cooper S Clubman which did the pace-with-practicality thing very nicely. But I reckon it’s trumped by its 2.0-litre diesel sibling, the SD, which combines even punchier roll-on acceleration with jaw-slackening economy and a saintly emissions liability.

The first thing to appreciate about the 143bhp 2.0-litre engine borrowed from BMW’s 118d is that the 41bhp it gives away to the petrol Cooper S isn’t really apparent on the road. Key to this is the 305 Nm of torque the engine serves up at just 1,750rpm – that’s more than you get in the Porsche Cayman and at lower revs. It bestows the kind of roll-on performance and overtaking ability even a Cooper S would find hard to live with.

The 0-60mph time of 8.6s (a misleadingly modest 1.5s quicker than a conventional Cooper D) doesn’t begin to suggest how beefy this engine is. Nor does the 134mph top speed. Only the extra weight of the Clubman can in any way dent this engine’s enthusiasm, adding 0.4s to the 0-60mph time of the 75kg lighter SD hatchback. It has minimal effect on the handling, though. Turn-in is instant, grip tenacious, body control excellent and the brakes well up to the task. The steering isn’t as meaty as on the first-generation Mini Cooper S hatch and all-round visibility can be an issue, but agility and entertainment value are still of a very high order.

The Clubman is a five-door car, but the doors aren’t exactly where you’d expect them to be. It’s business as usual at the front but access to the rear seating is through a single “suicide” door on the right-hand side. Hinged on its rearmost edge so that it opens in the opposite direction to the front doors, it’s positioned on the right-hand side of the Clubman and there’s no equivalent on the left.

It means that rear-seat passengers in right-hand drive markets like the UK are forced to exit into the road. Mini recognises the problem but explains that shifting the rear door to the left would mean relocating the fuel filler cap, the costs of which would be “prohibitive”. At the back, the Clubman employs a pair of side-hinged doors reminiscent of the old Mini Traveller. They feature cut-outs for the rear light clusters that mirror those in the bonnet.

With an 8cm longer wheelbase and around 2cm of extra roof height plus identical components as far back as the B-pillars, there doesn’t seem to be much scope for the Clubman to dramatically exceed the interior space of the Mini. Crucially though, it’s 24cm longer overall thanks to the extended rear overhang and that has helped BMW squeeze in 8cm of extra rear legroom while upping the boot capacity from a paltry 160 litres to a respectable 260. The rear seats take the form of a three-seater bench in the standard car but the standard MINI’s two-person pods can be reinstated as a no cost option if you don’t need the middle berth.

Chrome handles, distinctive letterbox-style bonnet scoop, sports bumpers, twin chrome exhaust and 16” alloy wheels hint at the car’s extra potency. Inside, there’s a three-spoke leather steering wheel and sports seats that do a fine job of holding you in place.

All Clubman models have a detailed safety specification with six airbags including curtain airbags integrated into the roof lining that protect rear seat occupants, ABS brakes, brakeforce distribution and cornering brake control. There’s also the MINI Dynamic Stability Control system that incorporates traction control, stability control and hill start assist.

Fuel consumption of 64.2mpg and CO2 emissions of 115 g/km for the manual model mean that, from launch, buyers escape having to pay road tax and company car users have a benefit-in-kind rate to pay of just 13 per cent.

This efficiency comes courtesy of the rather corny-sounding MINIMALISM features that include brake energy regeneration and auto start-stop that switches the engine off when the clutch is released and the gearbox is in neutral. Finally, the Gearshift Point Indicator shows the driver when to change up or down for optimum efficiency.

Maybe it’s best to view the Cooper SD Clubman as a slightly more practical hot hatchback rather than a proper performance estate car. It’s plenty quick enough but there isn’t a lot of extra practicality over the hatchback and the aggressive feel of the car means it doesn’t naturally lend itself to family outings or weekend trips to the DIY centre. Not that we’re complaining.