Whilst the new MINI Clubman goes on sale in Germany from 10 November, the Australian market will have to wait until 2008 before seeing it out in the wild.

The Clubman offers a unique five door concept, and is said to feature more legroom than other MINI variants. On road, the MINI Clubman looks like a muscle building Oompa Loompa.

The MINI Cooper S Clubman is the pick of the range, featuring a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct petrol injection producing a maximum output of 128kW at 5,500 rpm, and 240 Nm of torque between 1,600-5,000 rpm (260 Nm with Overboost).The Clubman is also blessed with a range of top grade safety features to go hand in hand with its 5 star EuroNCAP safety rating (for the hardtop variant). The MINI Clubman features Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Cornering Brake Control (CBC) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) including hill start-off assistance as standard across the range. A new feature on the Clubman is the Brake Assistant. Brake Assistant recognises emergency application of the brakes and immediately builds up maximum brake pressure whenever required to keep stopping distances as short as possible. Very handy in an emergency. The active safety features are compliments by an array of six airbags.

Whilst the Clubman is no doubt feature packed, it is let down somewhat in the looks department. Then again, much of the MINIs appeal comes from its distinctive look.The MINI Clubman looks as though it will be a good package, if you are able to look past the exterior. Then again, if you find the thought of a muscle bound Oompa Loompa appealing, the Clubman might be the MINI for you.

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