The 2019 MINI Clubman FACELIFT – can you spot the changes?

The MINI Clubman – MINI’s estate – gets a facelift for 2019 and debuts at the Shanghai Motor Show. But the updates are tough to spot.

We’re not entirely sure you can call the tiny tweaks MINI has wrought to the 2019 Clubman Estate a facelift – they’re more of a lunchtime non-surgical tweak than anything properly substantial.

Probably the one thing you might notice if you walk round the back is the Union Jack tail lights. Yes, MINI has  decided in our world of Brexit woe to add the Union Flag tail lights from the Hatch to the Clubman. Although they won’t fit them for every market. France, perhaps?

As the front there’s a new grille, honest, which is a bit wider, and the air vents at the front are slightly different and available with chrome slats if you spec Exclusive trim. And if you decide the Clubman you want is the Cooper S then you’ll get a hexagonal pattern on the grille. 

Along with the ‘extensive’ cosmetic titivations, the 2019 Clubman also gets a selection of new paint jobs – Indian Summer Red, Enigmatic Black and British Racing Green metallic (the default option, no doubt, if you want the Union Jack tail lights) –  and the standard 16″ or 17″ alloys can be upgraded to 18″ and 19″. Oh, and there are new leather options too.

As far as we can tell, the only mechanical changes are a sport suspension option which lowers the ride height by 10mm and (optional) two setting adaptive dampers. 

The 2019 MINI Clubman, complete with ‘Facelift’, is now available to order from MINI’s UK dealers with prices starting from £21,200.