What's all this about?

MINI has added ALL4 four-wheel drive technology to a few of its snazzy new Clubman models.

Oh yes? Which ones get the treatment, then?

The big boys at the top of the range. The Cooper S and Cooper SD Clubman ALL4s feature the four-cylinder, 2.0-litre turbocharged engines, the petrol S churning out 192hp and 280Nm (300Nm on time-limited overboost) with the diesel offering 190hp and 400Nm. You can have the Cooper S Clubman ALL4 with either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional eight-speed Steptronic auto, while the Cooper SD Clubman ALL4 comes with the self-shifter only.

What does the all-wheel grip do to performance and economy?

Improves one to the detriment of the other. The ALL4 technology comprises a power take-off bevel gear on the front axle, a dual-section propshaft and a 'Hang-On' multidisc clutch in the rear axle differential. It nominally runs as a front-driver, only sending torque rearwards when it absolutely needs to. However, this system still provides the car with more off-the-line traction than its existing siblings, so the 0-62mph times improve over comparable front-drive Clubmans: on the Cooper S variant, the sprint takes 6.9 seconds for the auto and 7.0 seconds for the manual (for reference, the manual front-wheel drive Clubman requires 7.2 seconds to hit the same speed from rest), while the Cooper SD Clubman ALL4 does 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds. Top speeds are slightly lower, at 140mph for either petrol (143mph for the front-wheel drive Clubman) and 138mph on the SD. But the economy and emissions are worse than the front-drive models.

Ah, by how much?

Not a huge amount, but enough to alter road tax bandings in some instances. The Cooper S ALL4 manual returns 40.9mpg and 159g/km CO₂ at best (some way off the equivalent front-wheel drive Clubman's numbers of 45.6mpg and 144g/km), while the auto is cleaner at 44.8mpg and 146g/km. The Cooper SD Clubman ALL4 has stats of 58.8mpg and 126g/km CO₂.

Are these ALL4 models easy to spot?

Not if the owner decides to prise those 'ALL4' badges at the bottoms of the front doors off, because in all other respects the four-wheel drive Clubmans look exactly like the two-wheel drive Clubmans, inside and out. There is a new colour, called Digital Blue, introduced with ALL4 that's available across the range, while the ALL4 models get sports front seats and a sports leather steering wheel as standard. Boot space on the four-wheel drive versions is unchanged at 360- to 1,250 litres rear seats up/down.

How much will the ALL4 Clubmans cost?

Pricing starts at £24,305 on-the-road for the MINI Cooper S ALL4 Clubman with a manual gearbox, which is £1,550 more than the front-wheel drive car. Add £1,680 to that for the automatic version. Topping the range is the £27,410 Cooper SD ALL4 Auto Clubman.