Mini Clubman Cooper Black Pack first drive

Mini buyers take a favourable view on customisation. Every eight in 10 Mini Clubmans are specced with the optional Chili Pack added – highlights of which include 17in alloys and interior mood lighting – and the success of that optional package has lead to the creation of the Black Pack.

Initially only available in the Clubman estate, it can be ticked on the options list of the entry-level Cooper and Cooper D models. It adds black 17in wheels, black bonnet stripes and a piano black trim inside.

Those options have been available before, but opting for them as part of the new pack costs £700 rather than £900. That brings the price up to £21,430 in total for this Clubman, which gets sat-nav, cruise control, air conditioning and a turbocharged 1.5-litre engine with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. Mini’s stance is to sell as many as is demanded – it expects one in every 10 Clubmans to be chosen with the Black Pack.

Apart from the slight air of exclusivity that the mild cosmetic flourishes add, the Black Pack-equipped Clubman is no different from the standard model.

That means it remains one of the better family cars to drive, with nicely weighted steering that is crisp and accurate, and a positive six-speed manual gearbox that we favour over the automatic. The Mini Clubman is more agile than you’d guess from its faux-estate looks, and while it is more docile than smaller Minis, it can still easily be considered fun when judged with the family car barometer.

It does suffer from a firm ride though. Much has been done to improve the overall ride quality over the previous-generation model, with a longer wheelbase and slightly more supple springing, but it still feels brittle over rough surfaces. While the trade-off for a fun drive will be good enough for many, high-mileage Clubman drivers could find it tiresome.