It's not rocket science, really; people like MINIs, some of them need space, and some of them don't have as much money as they used to for a car. So here's the answer, the MINI One Clubman.
It's as you'd expect, getting the Clubman's quirkily augmented, asymmetrical body, but powered by a 95bhp four-cylinder petrol engine with natural aspiration at a price a little cheaper than the current base model Clubman, the. Fuel consumption is an impressive 52.3mpg and CO
2 is 130g/km, putting it into the £120 per year tax band.
As expected, BMW's EfficientDynamics programme is present and correct, so the One gets start/stop technology and a shift light display for optimally efficient gear changes. Brake energy regeneration is standard too.
The One Clubman is due to be unveiled officially at the
Geneva motor show in March and goes on sale in the UK at the end of the same month starting at £13,290.
Mark Nichol - 16 Jan 2009