Mini Clubman Gets A Facelift; Could Come To India Soon

• Mini Clubman gets a mid-life facelift after four years.

• Most changes limited to the front end of the car.

• India could get Clubman S petrol variant as before.

• Current India-spec model is priced at Rs 41.2 lakh.

The Mini Clubman, which has been around for four years now, has finally received a mid-life facelift. Although the changes are mild in nature and largely limited to the aesthetics, they do lend the “perfect MINI for everyday use” a breath of fresh air.

The front end gets the most prominent change, with the grille losing the black bar that bisected it into two halves. And Mini has increased the width of the grille, just like what parent company BMW has been doing to its cars. The overall effect is more pleasing than what BMW has done to the legendary kidney grilles. While regular variants get chrome slats, the Clubman S gets a black mesh grille with a single horizontal strip. It can be specified in chrome too if you fancy the shiny material. Meanwhile, the LED headlamps with the optional adaptive Matrix lights as well as the lower air intake have been redesigned. The side and rear profile remains virtually unchanged. But some of you will be happy to note that Mini has retained the barn-style tailgate while adding Union Jack tail lamp graphics. Mini is also offering a Sports suspension setup this time around, which reduces the ride height by 10mm.

While three variants are available currently in the UK and other international markets, a more hardcore John Cooper Works Clubman is expected to join the lineup later. The standard Clubman is equipped with a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol motor with around 130PS of power. The Clubman S, the pre-facelift version of which is sold in India, retains the 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbo-petrol that puts out 190PS of power. The Clubman D diesel variant gets a similarly sized diesel engine that puts out 148PS of power. However, it is unlikely to be sold in India. While all models get a 6-speed manual as standard, a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic can be had as well. The current Clubman S sold in India is only offered with an 8-speed steptronic gearbox.

But what about the insides? Well, fans of modern Minis will be happy to note that the company hasn’t messed around with the funky cabin. The only additions that have been made are MINI Navigation, Apple CarPlay and automatic headlight activation. It retains its ambient lighting package and while a 6.5-inch central touchscreen is standard, you can also opt for a larger 8.8-inch display. A premium-sounding Harmon Kardon sound system and a heads-up display can also be optioned.

Mini hopes that the refreshed Clubman will find more takers in international markets. Last year, the Clubman accounted for just 11 per cent of Mini sales in the UK. The average worldwide share stood at 14 per cent. While Mini India hasn’t released a model-wise breakdown of their sales figures, we expect the five-door hatchback and the Countryman crossover to have outperformed the “perfect MINI for everyday use.” Mini India is yet to announce a launch date for the refreshed Clubman S, but we expect it to happen within the second half of this year or early next year. It is likely to be priced at a slight premium over the current model, which retails for Rs 41.2 lakh (ex-showroom). Meanwhile, we are gearing up to attend the launch of the 3-door 2019 Mini Jonh Cooper Works, which is set to take place on May 9.

Source: zigwheels.com