2009 MINI PRESS KIT: THE 2009 MINI CLUBMAN - THE OTHER MINI

Contents: More Room, More Utility, More Fun in the Latest "True" MINI 2 Typically MINI, Uniquely New Design 8 The Interior - Sporting Cockpit, Lounge Ambience at the Rear 12 High-Tech Power Units for Greater Driving Performance 16 Manual and Automatic Transmission - Precise, Spontaneous 21 Chassis and Suspension - A New Dimension of Go-Kart Feeling 22 Safety Engineered Throughout the MINI Clubman Design 25 Premium Features and Equipment in the Compact Class 27 Unique Features to Further Personalize the MINI Clubman 30 Tradition and Quality, Made in England 32 A Continuance of MINI Split Barn Door Heritage 35 MINI in The United States 37

More Room, More Utility, More Fun in the Latest "True" MINI:

Stretching the wheelbase nine and a half inches in comparison to the MINI
Hardtop does virtually nothing to diminish the go-kart-like driving
characteristics of the 2009 MINI Cooper Clubman and MINI Cooper S Clubman. But
the added length significantly enhances interior room and utility as well as
driver/passenger comfort and convenience for those who want more of this iconic
British brand. And - in true MINI fashion - mixing the traditional with the
modern results in both the car's unique, but unmistakably MINI appearance and
unique ways to access this interior: The tailgate carries forward the twin,
outwardly hinged "Split Rear Barn Doors" found on the Clubman's ancestors,
while rear-seat passengers ingress and egress is eased through the rear-hinged
"Clubdoor" incorporated in the car's right side.

The 2009 MINI Cooper Clubman, an expansion to modern MINI lineup, mirrors the
latest MINI Cooper hardtop - both inside and out, in terms of equipment - from
the radiator grill to the B pillars. This means the new variants share the
172-horsepower turbocharged engine of the MINI Cooper S and the 118-hp,
naturally aspirated four-cylinder powerplant of the MINI Cooper, both driving
the front wheels. Inside, the dashboard, seats (with the exception of some
upholstery colors and materials as well as interior trim colors), comfort and
convenience features and switch gear that have already been made familiar .
And they share the chassis components, as well as the soul, which have earned
the MINI accolades on its fun-to-drive, go-kart-like handling characteristics.

Not shared between the MINI Clubman and MINI hardtop is the area behind the
front seats and the number of doors providing access to the interior.
Stretching the Clubman 9.4 inches and the wheelbase 3.2 inches results in a
very different environment for passengers and all of life's precious cargo.
Virtually the entire extra wheelbase is translated into additional leg room for
rear passengers and the revised body work provides a bit more shoulder room for
them as well. The most dramatic transformation comes in terms of luggage space:
the Clubman offers 61 percent more space (9.18 versus 5.7 cubic feet) with the
rear seats up or 37 percent more (32.8 versus 24 cubic feet) with both seats
folded. And the Clubman offers an optional flat-luggage-floor system which also
brings a covered storage bin between the Split Rear Barn Doors and the
seatbacks.

Those rear split-doors offer the most striking visual differentiator for the
Clubman from the hardtop. In keeping with the marque's heritage, the 2009 MINI
Clubman's rear look is modeled along the design of the rear doors found in the
Austin Mini Countryman, Morris Minor Traveller and the Mini Clubman Estate from
the 1960s. The new MINI Clubman eschews the more common hatch for a pair of
Split Rear Barn Doors hinged on the outer edge of the C-pillars, thus providing
a wide, open access to the luggage area. Opening/closing operation of the
doors is very specific: the left, or main, door must be opened prior to the
right one (and closed in reverse order) and the doors effortlessly glide open
with the aid of a pair of gas struts.

A similar sequential operation allows for the opening/closing of the Clubdoor
which provides a more convenient means for rear passengers to enter or leave
the MINI Clubman cabin. Hinged at the rear on the right side, the Clubdoor can
be opened with as soon as the front-passenger door is opened. Integrated into
the leading edge of the Clubdoor is the right-side B-pillar, including the
front-passenger three-point seatbelt. Compared to the MINI hardtop, with the
Clubdoor open, passengers have four times the space to enter the rear seats of
the Clubman (when the front seat is in the easy-entry position).

Once inside, all of the four possible occupants have their own three-point
seatbelts and are further protected by six standard airbags. Strong, stable
body construction provides the MINI Clubman with a platform for a high level of
crash protection. In the event of a collision, optimized load paths within the
body structure serve to effectively divert forces acting on the car, despite
the short overhangs front and rear.

Active safety is enhanced in critical driving situations by the standard
anti-lock brakes (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBFD), Corner
Brake Control (CBC) and All Season Traction (ASC+T) as well as Dynamic
Stability Control (DSC), standard on both Clubman models. Additionally, new
for 2009 and offered for the first .time on a MINI product is Dynamic Traction
Control (DTC), which is a sportier mode of DSC, optional on both models
starting production in December 2009.

The Brake Assist on both models detects emergency operation of the brakes and
builds up maximum brake pressure very quickly. MINI's Hill Assist start-off
assistance is featured in conjunction with DSC. The system continues to hold
the brakes for a maximum of three seconds after letting off the brake pedal and
before the clutch is engaged. This feature is beneficial when setting off on
an uphill gradient to prevent the car from rolling back.