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Mini Clubman Cooper S

It's a car that looks cool even with your underwear drying in the back. It's the Mini that won't have your friends whining over long distances. It's the Mini that's a little too long and should maybe be called the Medium.

The most noteworthy thing about the Clubman is the rear doors, which open like a cupboard, weird enough to draw stares from passers-by when you're loading.

Then there's the extra legroom in the rear, and the fact that the seats are designed to disperse your body weight more comfortably, making long drives easier.

In every other aspect, though, the Clubman is very much a Cooper S.

It handles sensationally, brakes hard enough to pop your eyes out of their sockets and gets up to 220kph. With its oversized speedometer prominently displayed, everyone knows when you've got too much adrenaline pumping through your right foot.

The "S" badge is a warning to leave this Mini alone if you meet it on the road. It comes packed with 175bhp screaming out of a 1.6-litre turbo-charged engine. At no speed does the Clubman lack in oomph, but on bad roads you can expect your back-seat passengers to complain about cracked spines.

So is the Clubman worth the eye-popping Bt3.1-million price? Well, if this is just another weekend car for you, don't bother - just go for the standard Cooper S.

The reality of the matter, though, is that no Clubman buyer would be fazed by issues of mere versatility. Why bother with logic when passion is on your side?  Clock-beating, comfortable and the coolest of Minis, this Cooper may well be worth the price.