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Mini added another member to its Indian line-up – the Clubman. Launched in the Cooper S variant, the Clubman is going to offer the Mini lovers something practical to brag about. It is a large car for a Mini and this translates to a lot of space and practicality, which counts every bit in a country like ours. The Clubman being a niche product needed another niche product to compare with, so we brought it together with the Scandinavian – the Volvo V40 Cross Country, and this is how they fare in the spec comparison.
Exterior:
Neither of the cars will be discrete on the Indian roads that is for sure. The Volvo is the bigger of the two and is curvier in its design than the brutish approach of the Mini. Both the cars wear their family face and instantly stand out in the crowd with unconventional size and shape in our country.
Both cars are closely matched in terms of the standard dimensions but the Clubman comes with unique rear barn doors. They open up to reveal a boot capacity of 360 litres which increases considerably when the rear seats are folded flat.
Interior:
The inside of both the vehicles follows a very different theme. The Clubman’s cabin looks fairly flamboyant, flashy and got a lot of flair. The V40, on the other hand, gets a sophisticated, subtle and secure interiors. The preference of either of the approach is subjective to personal choice since both the cars come laden in terms of features and comfort. They both also have all the bells and whistle as far as infotainment and safety are concerned.
In the Mini, the 8.8-inch infotainment screen, the dials, the switches, knobs and everything else is in the centre console. It gets automatic climate control, rear AC vents, cruise control, smartphone connectivity, steering mounted audio controls and other creature comforts befitting a premium car. Being a Volvo, the V40 scores very high on safety as it has seven airbags in the cabin, more than any of its rivals, pedestrian airbags and also a City Safe function for assisted braking in the city.
Engine:
The Mini Clubman is offered in a single variant in India. Powering the new Clubman is a 192bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine that churns out 280Nm of torque and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Cross Country, on the other hand, comes with two engine options – a 1.5-litre petrol unit producing 180bhp and 240Nm of torque and a 2.0-litre diesel engine putting out 150bhp and a whopping 340Nm of max torque. Both the engine are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission in the Volvo. Both the Mini and Volvo are front wheel driven.
Price:
This is the biggest difference that set both these vehicles apart. The Mini Clubman is launched in the Cooper S variant, which cost Rs 37.90 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The Volvo V40 Cross Country costs Rs 27.80 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 34 lakh for the diesel one. Both these cars are taking the CBU route to India.
source”cnbc”