Stylish Mini Cooper Clubman actually affordable

The Mini Cooper Clubman is fun to drive, and the gas mileage was good — 32 mpg combined city and highway. BMW Like a cool breeze on a muggy, 90-degree day, the Mini Cooper Clubman is welcome — a breath of fresh air.

Many of the small cars on the market today are nice enough, but they lack personality.

Not the Clubman.

It is sort of wagon-ish, which provides it some versatility and some neat touches.

Such as the rear doors, which are side by side and open swing-out style, rather than in typical hatchback fashion.

Also, the passenger side has a clamshell door that opens to allow easier access to the backseat.

That backseat isn't huge, but an average size adult can fit there fairly comfortably.

Front seating room is way more than adequate.

The interior is neatly arranged, with our favorite feature being the large, round, wall-clock-sized speedometer in the center of the dashboard that also includes the fuel gauge.

The automatic window and lock buttons are also on the center dash, which takes a bit of getting used to at first.

Perhaps the biggest surprise we got was how much fun the Clubman was to drive. This car is truly zippy and has sporty handling traits, perhaps because Mini is owned by BMW.

The Clubman comes in a base trim level and the S level. The base model comes with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 118 horsepower and 114 pounds-feet of torque.

With the S, the engine is turbocharged, resulting in a boost to 172 ponies and 177 pounds-feet.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard; the tester had the optional six-speed automatic with manual shift control.

Gas mileage was terrific. EPA numbers are 26 miles per gallon city and 34 highway, and we got about 32 in a mix of stop and go and highway driving.

Another pleasant surprise was the price. The tester was nicely equipped and marked at $24,450.

We haven't always appreciated the Mini brand, seeing it as something driven by wannabe hipsters who are aspiring for some level of Euro-cool.

Now, though, we've seen the light. Mini is mighty.