10 Oct 07
The average house price in Blackburn is around £120,000, while in Edinburgh it's £208,000. Tourism in the Lancashire mill town - or rather former mill town - is minimal to non-existent. Surely if there were going to be doubters - people who don't buy into the fancy-dan image, the pre-packaged wackiness - they'd be found around these parts.
Er, no. Or if there were, they were too polite to say anything about it. All we got was thumbs-ups, smiles, waves and - ooh, look at the doors. The black and white colour scheme was a winner, too.
Nobody, it seems, has a problem with the Clubman. If they don't enjoy its cuteness, they smile at its ridiculousness. And, meanwhile, we're basking in its dynamic pleasures - precisely half way between a Lotus Elise and a Range Rover, if you're prepared to agree that that's a compliment.
Edinburgh liked it. Blackburn liked it. And nothing it did on the long journey back down south stopped us enjoying it. Dead on 38.0mpg from a hard-worked petrol engine isn't bad, either, so even my wallet liked it.
Retrospective: Mini Clubman - first time round
Review: Mini Clubman (2007-)
