All Cars, All the Time

MINI Clubman










Many good photos of the Clubman have been available to us for awhile, but now Autoweek/Edmunds have dropped official pix for us to view.

I've previously mentioned that I've been a little dismayed with some of the stylistic choices that adorn the new MINI and I would extend that sentiment to the new Clubman as well. I'm okay with the barn doors in the back, but less so with the asymmetrical side door. The side profile of the Clubman also appears"off putting" to me.

Now, I haven't seen the car in person. I will wait to pass final judgment until I can see the car in a real world setting. However, it's certainly not a love at first sight type of situation.









What is love at first sight, however, is the new CTS. Autoweek has a first drive in their latest issue and it's a favorable review. The trouble is of course that save for a few oddities most cars get an easy pass in initial reviews. It's a practice that has long bothered me. I don't know if it's the glow coming off the press junket or just the "new car smell," but it is usually awhile until we get the real dirt on how a car performs. I have few concerns with the new CTS though, it looks fantastic and GM design has really sweated the details with great ambient lighting options and the "light pipe" executions.