I'm a car expert and own a used vehicle that 'no rivals can match'

I've been reviewing carsfor just over two years now, giving my opinions on new cars and whether you should buy one. But throughout that time, in fact since 2020, there has been one constant - my beloved MINI Clubman Cooper. When I needed a new car last year, I went on a 12-month expedition to find the best replacement. And what did I find was the best? A used MINI Clubman Cooper S.

Now you might wonder why, after over a year of searching, I had effectively gone for the same thing. It's worth mentioning I'm not alone in adoring the MINI. An expert from AutoTrader recently admitted the Clubman's sister model, the Mini Cooper, can't be matched by any of its rivals when it comes to purchasing used. Granted, my car is an estate and not a hatchback but the two, by virtue of being built by the same company in the same factory, have similar components underneath. So, I'm not entirely barking up the wrong tree. But why did I specifically pick another MINI Clubman and how has it gone for me?

Specifications

Let's start with the specs. The 2017 Cooper S I now drive comes with a 2.0 twin turbo four-cylinder engine producing 189bhp, up from the 134bhp from the turbocharged 1.5 three-cylinder engine in the Cooper.

Torque is up too, from 162 lb ft in the Cooper to 206lbft in the Cooper S. Furthermore, whilst my old Cooper was front wheel drive, the Cooper S comes with MINI's, and therefore BMW's, ALL4 four-wheel drive system and a six-speed manual gearbox.

With more power and more torque going through more wheels the performance box was well and truly ticked. I've always loved driving and I've driven sports cars, but I've never had a car that was actually sporty.

Interior

One of the big reasons behind going 'a level up' was to do with the interior. One of the things I loved about Cooper was how everything was close at hand and one setting was never more than a hand's width away from the other one you needed.

What's more, everything is at the touch of a button on the steering wheel which meant no looking away from the road when you wanted to change from the radio to Spotify.

In the Cooper S there is a touch screen, but it's an optional way of doing things, not the default. What's more, the infotainment system that the screen presents has Apple CarPlay so there's relying on a satnav becoming out of date of phone falling out of a holder.

Furthermore, knowing as I did the capabilities of the Cooper when it came to overall load carrying capacity, I knew that the practicality box was ticked too.

When it comes to pure figures, the Clubman has a 360 litre boot with the rear seats up and 1,250 litres with the seats down with an additional slice of boot space just underneath the boot floor.

Performance

I like driving, so if I'm going to have a car as my own, I want one which handles well. The Cooper, with its short wheelbase, solid stance, and torquey engine was a joy with things got twisty.

Cars are not just about doing the day to day, they're about making you happy, putting a smile on your face, and giving you the opportunity to places to give you a respite from your troubles. They're not just appliances to me, they're good for my mental health too.

After taking a delivery of the Cooper S, I had the opportunity to stretch its legs when reviewing James Martin's Lygon Arms restaurant in the Cotswolds and visiting Castle Combe in Wiltshire before circling back to London.

It was great to have micro-road trip of sorts and it didn't disappoint. The four-wheel drive system gives you a sense of security in wet and dry conditions, it also means you can power out of slower corners and hug sweeping ones better.

With slightly stiffer suspension and lower profile tyres, one has to be a bit more weary of potholes and bumps, but that's a small price to pay for an engine that, when it's in sport mode, sounds like a 1990s Subaru World Rally Car (more on that here).

Cost

I went down the finance route of buying my MINI rather than buying it outright. While I won't talk about exactly how much it costs, it is possible to pick-up such a car as mine of similar age for around £12,000 - £16,000 depending on specification.

Before I took the decision to buy the MINI I did my own research into how it was reviewed with new and compared to some of its rivals such as the Audi A3 Sportback, Mercedes A-Class, BMW 1 Series, VW Golf, and Skoda Fabia.

How it compares to its rivals

One of the major factors in making my decision was how much the MINI cost compared to it's other used car rivals that were sold in the same year. Following a search on Autotrader, where I found my MINI, the price ranges for its rivals are as follows:

• Audi A3 Sportback: £9,999 - £16,800
• Mercedes A-Class: £10,250 - £13,200
• BMW 1 Series: £12,200 - £17,995
• VW Golf: £9,950 - £20,000
• Skoda Fabia: £6,995 - £12,00

In general the MINI's hatchback rivals, the MINI is the only estate, have been seen as either more practical, comfier, cheaper, or a combination of all three. However, where the Clubman has lost out in the practicality and comfort stakes it has gained with less distinctive looks and a more luxurious interior.

How it compares to other cars I've driven

In my short time with the Clubman Cooper S I'll be the first to admit it's less comfortable than other cars I've driven like the BMW i4, BYD Seal, or even a Fiat Panda turned into a coffee machine.

On sheer specs it's obviously not as fast as the likes of the Ford Puma or Audi S5 saloon I drove earlier this year, and despite having a four wheel drive system, not the off road ability of the Ineos Grenadier I drove last year.

It rides a lot more like the Prodrive P25, Alpine A110 S or Rocketeer Mazda MX5, and that's in part why I like it. I didn't choose the MINI because it was the most practical, cheapest, fastest, or most economical.

I chose it because on the test drive it gave me a sense of feel and fun through the corners at normal speeds. That sensation you get through the wheel, that feeling of the car communicating what it was doing, and swimming in that experience.

Choosing a new car wasn't a case of comparing numbers on a piece of paper or asking AI to do it for me. It was a case of going out for myself and finding out not which car was right for this life, but which car was right for me.