2010 Mini Clubman is bigger, more powerful

Ever since the Mini Coopers were introduced more than 50 years ago, they’ve occupied special place in the hearts of many Anglophiles and auto enthusiasts.

There’s a whole culture that has grown around the car that was introduced in the United Kingdom circa 1959 as the gas-saving alternative of the driving public.

The original Mini received plenty of press coverage for its adaptability. It raced in Monte Carlo in the 1960s, helped kick off the advent of the minivan and was even owned by Queen Elizabeth, who was photographed behind its wheel.

Although U.S. emission standards forced the car out of this market between 1968 and 2002, it was never out of the many car lovers’ hearts.

But many auto critics have publicly wondered if the Mini has lost of bit of its style since it was reintroduced. That’s especially true of the Mini Cooper Clubman, a model that occasionally gets “no respect,” as Rodney Dangerfield said years ago.

Or as Scott Burgess of the Detroit News said more recently: “The first rule of the 2010 Mini Cooper Clubman is you don’t talk about the Clubman. The second rule is you still don’t talk about the Clubman.”

Perhaps that’s why the Clubman is also something like the fifth Beatle — always there but pushed aside. It’s a little longer — it measures 8 feet 4.3 inches — than its tiny siblings (for example, the Cooper Hardtop is 8 feet 1.1 inches). It’s a bit less “cute” than some of the other Mini models, because of its length and back doors. But that’s just why car shoppers shouldn’t forget to take a peek at it — because what some see as negatives may actually be positives for others.

The exterior and interior styling are a bit less rounded and a bit more assertive than some of the more shaped styling seen on other models. In addition, the interior of the car is surprisingly roomy, with 9.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up.

The back doors of the Mini Clubman open like a side-by-side refrigerator, which is actually quite handy in several circumstances, including when you’re just looking to slip something quickly inside the go.

The real seller, though, is that the Clubman’s 1.6-liter in-line four-cylinder engine has 172 horsepower. That keeps the car flying around curves and boldly maneuvering through back roads. Although some say it feels faster than it actually travels, I didn’t find that. I found it very easy to gauge the acceleration.

Plus, thanks to the Getrag six-speed manual transmission, there’s none of the hesitation or lag that you feel in some cars — such as the Smart — that have manual automatics. That’s especially welcome when merging into traffic.

We could go on about features in the Clubman, most of which are found in all Mini models, including the large speedometer in the center of the dash, the toggle switches that flip on the front-seat warmer each time you remove a beverage from the driver’s-side cup holder, and the hidden window switches that are strangely positioned.

But the bottom line is that Mini has its own following. You either find the toggle switches and other unique styling enchanting or annoying. You’re either a Mini person or you’re not.