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When I first strapped myself on to the driver’s seat in the MINI Cooper Clubman, I thought I was about to take off. To Timbuktu and never to return, or something. You can’t blame me, when the interior looks like this.

First introduced in 2008 as a new member in the MINI family, the MINI Cooper Clubman, in the words of Edmunds, “Keeps all the goodness of the original Cooper formula and throws in a liberal dash of practicality.” This baby expands on everything we love about the MINI Cooper, literally. I’m particularly fond of the stretched wheelbase that prevents physically well-endowed individuals from suffering from leg cramps. In my visit to Irene Ang’s home for Chinese New Year, the MINI Cooper Clubman managed to house Fly Entertainment artiste Bobby Tonelli in the backseat quite comfortably. Trust me, that fella’s big.

While I have heard from fellow MINI drivers that the MINI Cooper Clubman is most definitely a smoother ride than the signature go-kart handling the MINI Cooper offers, my virginal experience with the MINI left me feeling as though I was driving a go-kart on turbo. I was burning rubber, feeling the throttle, and cutting every sharp corner I could find like the former go-kart driver Lewis Hamilton on steroids. I don’t quite get the cruise control option included as a result. Why the hell would you want to go auto-pilot with a badass like that? I mean, it’s not a Honda Jazz.

The clubdoor is sexy, no? It opens on the right-hand side against the direction of travel, for a striking profile and easy access to the rear seats.

I really love her ass. I really do.

How she opens up from the back.

You’d smile too, if you were me.

The MINI Cooper Clubman and I went from one end of Singapore to another, housing my mum and relatives during the Chinese New Year mandatory house visits. The fun from driving the MINI Cooper Clubman has made the house visits a lot less painful, although I wish I hadn’t played chauffeur to my mum. She’s since been suffering from the same degree of withdrawal since I’ve returned the MINI Cooper Clubman. She likes the fact that she could snooze from Pasir Ris to Yishun on a ride that feels like a Thai massage.

Last day with the MINI Cooper Clubman.

For a compact wagon, the MINI Cooper Clubman wins hands down in terms of fun-ability (sue me for coining that word) and coolness. That said, it is also probably one of the more expensive cars in the class. The truth is, if you’re looking for a wagon that can house eight family members from your mother to your mother-in-law, 2 maids, a baby trolley, a golf bag and 10 bags of rice, the MINI Cooper Clubman isn’t for you. There are certainly more practical choices out in the marketplace. But being a MINI Cooper Clubman owner is telling. With a price tag at about SGD119,000 (the last time I’ve checked), and aesthetically not as ostentatious as half the cars out there with that similar price tag, a MINI Cooper Clubman owner is one who knows how to have fun, but isn’t insecure in such that he/ she needs to show it off.

The MINI Cooper Clubman. The car with character. Excuse me now while I go mourn over my loss.