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Oh well.
They are already selling the Mini Cooper/Clubman D (Diesel) in Europe and I bet the Mini will beat VW to the North American Diesel market.
We selected the convenience group option and the silver bonnet stripes.
If we drive conservatively we can get 35-40 MPG on the highway.
The s has plenty of power for us and the sport button is very nice when you want to play. An optional chrome air intake accessory is on back order.
I've had my Clubman S since 4/3/08 and now have 5500 troublefree miles on it. I had the center armrest installed to help with storage and just simply for comfort. I have the 6 spd manual and love it. I avg about 29 mpgs around town and 34 on the hwy. I drive pretty aggressively, so I'm sure you could probably do better.
Pros: pickup, handling, cargo space with the rear seats down, ability to carry both of my young boys (5 & 3 yr olds) in the back and the ability to easily load them with the "clubdoor," looks/style, smooth 6 speed tranny, the optional ipod hookup is sweet, sport button.
Cons: tire noise, ride is pretty firm (but I did opt for the sport package with the run flats), weak premium MINI hifi radio, TPMS has gone off twice for just the slightest change in tire pressure (which I guess is a good safety feature, but annoying nonetheless), the radio and HVAC controls look pretty cool to me (which I know is subjective), but they are very poorly laid out (especially the temp control dials and the volume/tuning knobs being in different areas of the center console), low availability (you usually end up ordering one and paying MSRP).
I would certainly recommend this car. Its fun to drive, gets great gas mileage and looks great....just know what you're getting into when you buy a MINI. You can find cheaper, more roomy rides, but they just don't match the "MINI experience" or cache.
Good luck deciding.
I'm not sure what you mean by "weak," but I can say that the clutch/stick combo in this car is excellent and I've had zero problems with it. Its not quite as slick as the one in the new Civic Si, mainly b/c the throws are a little longer, but the MINI's is near perfect. If you mean long term durability of the clutch, I can't answer that since I've only owned the car 5 months.
Regarding various previous posts:
Re: Dealer markups - closest one to me is Cincinnati Mini, and there it is strictly MSRP only. Build it on the website, and that's what you'll pay.
Re: Harsh ride - there are numerous articles concerning this. I don't know what folks are driving, but I'm moving into the Clubman S from a Tacoma 4WD pickup with off-road suspension...... so when I test-drove, I said "what harsh ride?". I'm 55 yr old, but I can go 10+ hrs banging around on the Tacoma, so no problem with the Clubman S.
Re: Difficult AC controls - I dunno. I have a Highlander Hybrid climate control, so the MINI was very similar and it took me all of 10 sec to figure it out. It's more versatile than the Toyota version which got high marks from journalists. So I don't understand the mud thrown at the MINI AC controls.
Re: Bad stereo - oh yeah, you must get the optional "Hi Fi" system. Even then, it is only acceptable. Barely. This low quality was a shock to us.
Anyway, one visit took care of the big concerns of bad ride, bad controls, etc (except for the marginal stereo for $500 extra!!), so we are plunking down our money. Really bad interior styling? Yes, but I can't do anything about that! Fortunately, I look OUT the windshield when I'm driving.......