Mini Cooper, Noreserve!!, 5spd, Bargain,lomiles!!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Next Mini Clubman nearly ready to haul

With the three- and five-door Mini Hardtop models successfully hitting the market and the pending arrival of the hot John Cooper Works model at next week's Detroit Auto Show, Mini can turn its eye toward another important model, in the form of its next-generation Clubman, which our spies have spotted testing on the roads of Germany. Aside from the rear barn doors, the next Clubman looks to have a lot in common with the new five-door Hardtop, which makes sense considering how much the current car has in common with the R56 that it's based upon. That similarity ends quickly once you take a look inside the cabin. The typically open Mini cabin is more dramatically segmented in the new Clubman, with a high transmission tunnel that separates the driver and passenger. In a worrying move for fans of parking lot shenanigans, Mini is moving to an electronic parking brake in its new model, although beyond that, the center stack is similar to the redesign Mini pushed through for this latest generation. As is the case with the current Clubman, the next-gen will likely share its engines and gearboxes with the Hardtop, meaning a base 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbo in the Cooper Clubman and a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder in the Cooper S Clubman. Six-speed transmissions, in both two- and three-pedal varieties, will likely also be offered. Check out our gallery of spy photos of the new Clubman, up at the top of the page.

Next Mini Clubman disguises all six doors

After revealing the new Mini hardtop in various guises, the next new model in the pipeline from the retro British marque is the Clubman. And here it is. Though still wearing some swirly camouflage, this Clubman prototype - previewed by the concept showcased last year - is clearly nearing production readiness. Since it'll have to differentiate itself from the four/five-door version of the new hardtop, the Clubman is expected to be even longer than the model it replaces. And this time, it'll have rear doors on both sides; and from these spy shots, it looks like they'll be conventional, full-size, front-hinged portals, instead of suicide doors. Around back you can also see the taillights peeking through the camo, on split rear portals instead of the one-piece, top-hinged tailgate on the standard-wheelbase model. At this stage, we wouldn't be surprised to see the new Clubman appear for the first time at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Whenever it does bow, it'll serve as the second pillar of the brand's reconfigured product lineup, following the new hardtop and preceding the upcoming next-gen Countryman crossover, Superleggera roadster and Minor city car.

Mini officially reveals Frozen Black Countryman and Paceman

BMW has been offering Frozen editions of its cars for several years now highlighted by matte paint and very limited production, and now Mini is getting in on the game with Frozen Black versions of the Paceman and Countryman. Unlike our report from earlier in the week, these models will not wear the Batman-sounding Black Knight name, but instead, like the BMW models, will be dubbed Frozen Edition. That previous intel also had it that production of the Frozen Edition Minis would be limited to just 60 units. Now official, Mini has not confirmed how many - or few - of these limited edition models it would build.
The Frozen Black paint adds silicates to the lacquer finish creating a "matted impression," which sounds like it should be easier for owners to maintain and wash, although Mini still advises against waxing or polishing. This special paint will be offered on all S, Diesel and John Cooper Works versions of the Paceman and Countryman, though it's not clear as of this writing if any will be offered in the US. Mini's press release for the Frozen Black Paceman and Countryman is posted below.