Ok, cue the Elgar, and with the sound of Land of Hope and Glory ringing in my ears, I shall now proudly declare to the world that I'm a proud British subject, and that I absolutely adore the new MINI Clubman.

Never mind the fact that the MINI brand is now owned by BMW, a German company, or the fact that I'm actually a dual Canadian/British citizen nowadays. None of that matters to me, because if I want to wave my automotive team flag, I don't really have much choice.

I'm a proud British subject, and I absolutely adore the new MINI Clubman.

You see, we may build a ton of American and Japanese cars here in Canada, but do we really consider them Canadian vehicles? I don't think so, not in the real sense of the word!

So until such time as some new Canadian car manufacturer emerges and finally produces the "Saskatchewan Screamer", I'm going to don my Union Jack boxer shorts and sing the praises of the British motor car industry, or at least, what's left of it!

Which brings us nicely to this week's test vehicle, the new MINI Clubman?

This vehicle makes so much sense to me. After all, I was brought up in the days of the original MINI, when they produced so many model variations, that it was difficult to count them all.

There was the original little MINI, the MINI Cooper and Cooper S. Then came the MINI Traveler (the Woody Wagon), the MINI Van (not to be confused with the people carrier of later fame), and there was even a MINI Pickup truck.

That was the practicality of a front transverse-mounted engine in a small front wheel drive vehicle. Something, that over the years, many other manufacturers came to realize.

So now we have the launch of the new Clubman, although, in many ways, I think that it should have been called the Traveler after the original MINI station wagon. BMW took a little poetic license with that and named it after the old Clubman model which was, in fact, a disastrous attempt by British Leyland to update the original MINI by fitting an ugly square shaped front end to it. Not a popular decision to say the least, and was therefore soon dropped from the range.

Morris Mini-Traveller

Of course, you've all probably read numerous articles and reviews on the new MINI, mine included (at least I hope so), and so it seems a tad obsolete to retell the entire story. Therefore, all I'm going to do, is relate the differences that the Clubman body makes.

This added length to the body comes in part from the extra wheelbase.

For a start, the most obvious, is the added room which you gain. Now we're not talking super stretch here, but those extra few inches (approximately 9 1/2) do actually make a difference!

You can now carry someone slightly larger than a Tasmanian devil in the back seat. In fact, I'm over 6 ft and I fit quite reasonably in the back of the Clubman, and there's still enough room for another 6 footer up front.

This added length to the body comes in part from the extra wheelbase, which seems to make the MINI even more enjoyable on the highway, as it smoothes out the bumps much better than the standard MINI.

Then, of course, we have the luggage area. MINI's, over the years, became famous for their small exterior size, and yet rather spacious interior. In fact, several have tried to enter the Guinness Book of Records by attempting to jam piles of people into them. MINI Canada has just succeeded in getting 20 five year old kids into the new MINI Clubman (However, there was no mention of whether they managed to pry them all out again!).

Lot's of fun, but back to the real world. We all know that the MINI is really a car for a single person, or possibly a young couple with fairly small children. Nobody in his right mind would therefore term it a true family vehicle. However, with the release of the new Clubman, BMW has just succeeded in raising the bar for those young parents. Now, they can enjoy all the fun, and I do mean fun, that the MINI brand has to offer, right up until their kids reach those lanky teenage years.

That's the great thing about the Clubman, it has all the benefits of the mainstream MINI Cooper, plus more. It drives just as well. In fact, I'd say that in some ways, it drives better, not only on the highway, but also, on the twisty back country roads.

Basically, there is no real noticeable change in performance, but the comfort levels certainly shoot up a notch or two. You see, from day one, all MINI models have shared the same familiar design; the wheels are positioned right out on each corner. It's no different with the new Clubman.

All MINI models have shared the same familiar design; the wheels are positioned right out on each corner.

However, I'm sure that you'll be reading one or two digs from my colleagues about the clam shell door being awkward, or the twin rear doors obstructing rearward vision. All I can say is, yes it is, and yes they are, but if I offered you a free year's rental of a wild pink Audi R8, would you turn it down?

Of course you wouldn't. You'd learn to live with it because it's such a cool car, and with the Clubman, those funky looking doors help make it that!

The Clubman is such a cool car and those funky looking doors help make it that!

I honestly love the new Clubman, and I firmly believe that it is going to set the MINI brand off in a whole new direction. Especially, as it is to be offered in all current versions, including the famous John Cooper Works edition.

Now some of you may feel that a high performance wagon version is unnecessary and will only appeal to a limited market. I, however, tend to think the opposite. I believe that many current MINI owners will move over to the new Clubman, simply because it feels like their old car, yet offers a fair bit more carrying capacity, and that includes the owners of performance models.

I can also see a few current wagon owners wandering from other manufacturers and starting to look towards the MINI brand. After all, there are not many vehicles which can truly compete with the MINI, especially in the looks department, and ok, it may be a tad smaller than they're accustomed to, but think about the fuel economy! Because, trust me, the MINI range offers exceptional mileage figures considering the performance you get.

So there you have it. You can turn the Elgar CD off now, and I'll throw my Union Jack underwear in the washing machine ready for another outing at a later date.

But come on now, be fair, that "Saskatchewan Screamer" was a great idea of mine for a car name, eh!

So, who in Canada is going to build it, because I have a maple leaf thong that I'm just dying to wear!!