The new Mini Clubman will be on sale from 10 November in three guises . . .Cooper D, Cooper and Cooper S. It will be 24cm longer than the current hatchback and this will translate into muchneeded extra legroom for rear passengers, and a larger boot. The makers also reckon they can now call it a five-seater.

Like the legendary Morris Mini Traveller of the '60s, the new Clubman will feature split rear doors. Unlike the old models, there will be an extra door on the passenger side to facilitate entry to the back. They're calling this the 'Clubdoor'.

It will be hinged at the back and can only be opened when the front door on the same side is opened.

Visual cues include rearlight clusters which are exclusive to the Clubman.

From the B pillar forward, though, the car is identical to its hatchback siblings.

The Cooper and Cooper S derivatives are powered by the familiar 1.6-litre petrol engine introduced with the second generation of new Mini last year, the former naturally aspirated and offering a 9.8 seconds sprint to 100 km/h, the latter turbocharged and doing the same run in a punchier 7.6 seconds.

There's also the 1.6 litre diesel-powered D, and all Clubman versions will get the fuel-saving technology just introduced to the rest of the range.

Irish prices will range from 27,150- 32,400.