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Bigger and more practical than its predecessor, the new Mini Clubman is now available with four-wheel drive, something that is proving particularly popular with business users thanks to its sub-100g/km CO2 figure.
"The initial feedback has been good, but fleet has longer change cycles and we've got to get the message out there. We had the Clubman previously, but that was really a different car," Mini UK's head of product Nicolas Griebner told BusinessCar. "The best way to increase awareness is to get the cars on the road and that takes time. Now there is a Mini that also has comfort features and is on a par in terms of practical benefits to the car that defines the segment - the Golf."
Griebner said that the 99g/km Clubman One D All4 model has come about through demand from the corporate sector, with retail customers more likely to make the £1000 jump to the Cooper D model, which offers another 35hp for another 19g/km.
Griebner said Mini was keen to avoid the One D being seen as a poor relation of the rest of the range, so standard kit includes satnav and climate control.
According to Mini's product boss, the four-wheel drive All4 model is opening new doors, by making it onto shortlists that the front-wheel drive model wouldn't have done. "Some customers make decisions before they choose a car and you are only considered if you have four-wheel drive," he said, revealing that 10% of Clubmans are currently being ordered with the All4 system that costs £1300 more than the regular model and comes only in top-spec Cooper S and Cooper SD form. \
"It's got to 10% in a very short period of time, but I do see that only going in one direction," said Griebner. "We're still working on awareness of the Clubman and I think it brings an additional layer with the AWD system."
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