The Mini Clubman's 2,860-Pound Hitch is Rated R

Mark Stevenson
by Mark Stevenson

Mini, the British brand built atop the idea of British fashionability, has been incredibly style conscious ever since BMW brought it back from the depths of English oppression. Its iconic Cooper still wears a silhouette that harkens back to the original, but offers modern safety equipment and enough room for life-sized humans. You can order the Union Jack placed on virtually any body panel. And those center-mounted speedometers — as much as they put Flava Flav on notice — were a charming touch, if completely useless.

Yet, posh Britons are a fairly easy bunch to embarrass. For example, flatulence is met with mortified exclamations of “My word!” before said flatulator escapes to another room to make tea.

So, with that in mind, how the hell did the Clubman’s tow hitch make it past the censors?

Yup … there it is. Introducing the Clubman: the new compact from Mini that’s incredibly excited to tow your next load. Truck Nutz not included.

This image was pulled directly off the Mini press site. I’m sure from any other angle it looks just peachy. But, what is seen cannot be unseen.

[Image: Mini]

Mark Stevenson
Mark Stevenson

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  • Maserchist Maserchist on May 22, 2016

    Certainly will cause ankle/shin angst among the "unaware" crowd.

  • Spamvw Spamvw on May 23, 2016

    Bosal Hitch, VW even puts a spot to store it in my tool kit. To keep the theme, "Excuse me while I whip this out!"

  • Ravenuer My 2023 CRV EX, 6 mo old, 4800 miles: $0.
  • TheEndlessEnigma My '16 FiST: Oil changes, tires, valve cover gasket (at 112k miles), coolant flush, brakes.....and that's itMy '19 Grand Caravan: Oil changes, coolant flush
  • John Clyne I own a 1997 GMC Suburban that I bought second hand. It was never smoked in but had lost the new car smell when I got it four years after it was sold new. I own a 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche & that still has the new car smell. I like the smell. I could never afford a new car until the Avalanche. It might be my last new car? Why do they build cars with fire retardant materials in them. Smoking rates are falling & if someone continues to smoke in this day & age is a fool especially with all the information out there.
  • Theflyersfan Non-performance models, probably the Civic based on the fact the interior feels and looks better in the Honda. Both of them are going to drive like adequate appliances with small engines and CVTs and get decent mileage, so this is based on where my butt will rest and things my hands and fingers will touch.Toyota doesn't have an answer to the Civic Si so the Honda wins by default.CTR vs GR Corolla. One dealer by me is still tacking on $10,000 markups for the CTR and good luck with the GR Corolla and the "allocation" system. There's that one dealer in Missouri that I pasted their ad a while back wanting $125,000 for a mid-level GR. Nope. But cars.com is still showing markups. Both of these cars will have little depreciation for a while, so the markups equal instant loss. It looks like Cincinnati-area dealers are done with CTR markups. So this is a tough choice. I don't like the Corolla interior. It looks and feels inexpensive. I'm glad Honda toned down the exterior but the excessive wing still looks immature for such an expensive car that 20-somethings likely cannot afford. FWD vs AWD. With price being an object, and long-term maintenance a thing, I'd go with the Honda with a side eye at the Golf R as a mature choice. All with stick shifts.
  • ChristianWimmer Great first car for someone’s teenage daughter.
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