Mini Clubvan Concept Takes Clubman to Cargo Town [Geneva Auto Show]

Mini's lineup is more expansive than you might think. The basic Cooper three-door hatch currently shares showroom space with the four-place convertible, the extended-length Clubman, the high-riding Countryman, and the two-seater Roadster and Coupe. Mini will debut yet another (potential) derivative next month at the Geneva auto show, the Clubman-based Clubvan commercial van concept. (The Paceman, a three-door Countryman, is on the way, too.) The Clubvan's transformation to micro cargo hauler is pretty simple, as it's essentially a Clubman with no rear seats. It uses the same body as the Clubman—which is a longer-wheelbase Mini Cooper with split rear barn doors and a third door on the passenger's side—and gets opaque rear side window coverings and heavily tinted rear-door glass. Mini didn't just rip the back seats out, tint the windows, and call it a day, though. The aft space is made more cargo-friendly through a completely flat and cloth-upholstered load floor, six tie-down hooks, and a fixed partition between the front seats and the rear stowage area. The partition is a particularly trick-looking piece; the top features stainless-steel grating, while the bottom is finished in solid aluminum. Our only gripe, we suppose, is that the partition appears to intrude into the opening created by the third side door, limiting its usefulness. As for its intended market, Mini seems content leaving truly dirty commercial work to lowlier, more plebeian rides. The Clubvan is aimed at more hoity-toity businesses, such as fashion designers, art galleries, photography studios, and catering companies. That last one has us scratching our heads a bit; while the Clubman upon which this thing is based is one of the better-riding Minis, it's by no means soft. Unless the Clubvan concept's suspension uses memory-foam bushings and marshmallow springs, it might only be suitable for catering businesses that specialize in casseroles—and could you imagine one of these delivering cakes? It's not all bad: We think the Clubvan could be the perfect martini-delivery vehicle for James Bond. The Clubvan certainly would be easy to produce, and with fuel prices threatening to rise again soon, smaller commercial vehicles are sure to gain even more appeal. The segment is heating up in the U.S.—relatively—with Nissan recently pitching the NV200 into battle with Ford's Transit Connect, although we're not sure how a "premium" contender such as this Mini would fly outside of its European home market. Here's an idea: It won't be as perfectly finished, but let's get Mini to offer the partition and body-color decals for the rear side windows as accessories and let Clubman owners remove the rear seats themselves. That would, after all, allow for the creation of a John Cooper Works Clubvan—and all the "expedited delivery" jokes you can stand. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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