The Mini Cooper Clubman is touted as a “sophisticated sports hatchback.” With plentiful cargo space, stylish design, and a comfortable interior, it certainly lives up to the description. Opting for an all-wheel-drive trim will allow you to handle less than ideal road conditions with ease—but what about when there are no roads at all?
2017 Mini Cooper Clubman ground clearance
Minis are known for offering a variety of ways to customize your vehicle, but this is an area where there’s just one flavor. The Mini Clubman has been in production since 2007, and all years and trims have a ground clearance of 5.6 inches. Easy as that.
What is ground clearance—and why does it matter?
So, what exactly is a vehicle’s ground clearance, anyway—and why does it matter? Ground clearance is the measurement of the distance between the lowest point of a vehicle’s chassis and the ground. Simply put, it represents the space between your car and the ground, and it’s a key consideration for people who take their vehicles off-road.
The higher the ground clearance, the easier it will be to drive over rough and uneven terrain without running the risk of damaging your vehicle’s undercarriage. That scraping sound that sets your teeth on edge when you accidentally drive over a too-steep curb? You can attribute that to your vehicle lacking ground clearance.
Most experts advise having a minimum ground clearance of 8.5 inches if you want to take a vehicle off-road, which is almost three inches more than what the Clubman offers.
Is the Mini Cooper Clubman a good off-road vehicle?
To be blunt, no. With a ground clearance that’s several inches short of what’s recommended, the Clubman is not a great choice for off-road driving. That being said, if you get an all-wheel-drive trim, you’ll be more than capable of handling any kind of weather conditions with confidence.
Don’t get us wrong—the Clubman is a great car and offers a nice mixture of comfort and performance. And if you opt for the John Cooper Works All4 trim, you’ll get increased horsepower, performance suspension, and all-wheel-drive.
These features will come in handy if you are dealing with road conditions that are less than ideal (think rain, snow, gravel, etc.), but the Clubman just isn’t intended for true off-road driving. At the end of the day, the Clubman is more of a station wagon than an SUV. It’s a sporty, sophisticated station wagon, but a station wagon nonetheless.
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