UK safety experts worry the Mini Clubman's 'suicide' door is too dangerous
The redesigned Mini Clubman that was unveiled in Frankfurt this week is raising eyebrows in the UK. As you can see in the picture above (taken by our friends at Autoblog), the Mini Clubman has a suicide door on the (in most of Europe and America) passenger side. In the UK, though, where the car will go on sale in November, the suicide door is on the driver side. Not good, as it means other vehicles could hit the door and do terrible things to someone exiting the vehicle. BMW says that passengers can always exit on the passenger side for increased safety. In either case, the diesel Clubman's got a low 109 g/km C02 output. Just be careful if your friend gets one and asks you to ride in the rear.
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[Source: Daily Telegraph]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bill 6:40PM (9/13/2007)
So, I know they don't have FJ Cruisers on that side of the pond, but don't they have Mazda RX-8's and Honda Elements?
--Bill
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Whoa! 8:24PM (9/13/2007)
I think this door would be much safer if it had a different name.
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mike 8:53PM (9/13/2007)
Do we get the diesel?
If no, why does the U.S. not get the high mileage models?
I'd like to save $15,000 over 10 years, I think a lot of people would.
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Matthew Zacherle 2:56AM (9/14/2007)
I agree. Its a shame that we dont get the high mileage diesel here: like the diesel BMW's, Minis, etc.
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Mirko 3:33AM (9/14/2007)
We do get RX-8s, but Elements and FJ Cruisers are only available through independent importers.
Those have suicide doors of both sides though.
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Chris M 3:26AM (9/14/2007)
Rear hinged "suicide" doors are not a greater hazard than front hinged doors from passing vehicles. They are both equally likely to be struck.
The hazard of rear hinged doors is that if a rear hinged door comes loose ad high speeds, the air flow catches it, pulls it open and makes it almost impossible to close. A front hinged door, on the other hand, tends to get pushed closed under those conditions.
One way around that potential hazard is to design it so the front hinged door must be opene first before the rear hinged door can be opened.
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ThwartedEfforts 8:12AM (9/14/2007)
The point of this article is NOT that suicide doors are inherently dangerous, but that the suicide doors in question open into oncoming traffic only. Actually I don't think this is a massive big a deal, it's just sad that something so distinctively British (and indeed British-made) has been designed more for the overseas markets than home, and I'd wager that's really what the newspapers here were wasting space on.
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RJN 8:13AM (9/14/2007)
It is utter nonsense that the rear hinged door would pose any greater denger to a passenger especially in a Mini or RX-8 where reardoor is significantly narrower than the front door. Nobody has mentioned this about R-R Phantom that has rear hinged door that have three times the reach on both sides...I live in the UK and danger to the passengers exiting vehicles is not the hinges of the doors but the poor judgment on where you park and other idiots on the road!
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Tio 8:51AM (9/14/2007)
You have to remember where this worry is coming from. The UK. Look at all there other motoring laws and you can see how any little thing will cause concern. This is a country that thinks making geriatric drivers wear a fluorescent orange vest while behind the wheel will make them safer drivers. I love England, but not their road laws.
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Calebe 9:00AM (9/14/2007)
Correct me if i am wrong, but if you are exiting a car and as you step out, a car side swipes the one your getting out of, it doesnt matter which way the door opens, your pretty much toast. Whats the difference between being killed by the rear door crushing you or being killed by the front of the offending car smashing you agianst the front door as it is ripped off? same out come.
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Matt 6:27PM (9/14/2007)
I think you guys are missing the point here.
If you are sitting in the back of the car and you want to get out, are you going to try and squeeze through the front door on the left (it really is a squeeze in the mini!), or exit on the right where its easier to get out because of the larger door?
Obviously you'd go for the easier option.
In the UK, its very common for people to park at the side of the road, and people tend to park on their left if there is a space (as we drive on the left). This means that the door on the right opens into the road.
So this means a rear passenger - who will have traffic approaching from behind them - will exit onto the road.
Roads in the UK tend to be busy and narrow (due to the parked cars!) so this is a genuine concern, and is nothing to do with random "senseless" motoring laws. Health and Safety laws are there specifically to stop people getting hurt, not just for shits and giggles.
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MikeW 10:28PM (9/14/2007)
Those are NOT suicide doors. Those are clamshell doors.
Suicide doors are rear hinged, and can open independently of the front doors.
The Rollys Royce Phantom is the only car I can think of right now.
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Nicholas 7:45AM (11/09/2007)
That Matt guy (comment 11) seems to have got the point, would just like to add maybe anybody dumb enough to buy a Clubman in the UK deserves all they get.
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Josh 9:28PM (9/23/2007)
If someone is in the Mini's cramped rear seat, then presumably someone else is riding in the passenger seat. And that person will have been required to exit the car on the "traffic" side already, unless he feels like clambering over the gearshift to get out. So if the existing passenger seat and passenger door is acceptably safe, what's the issue with adding another one?
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MINIMatt 6:38AM (11/25/2007)
I sell the MINI's in the UK, and the "suicide door" is just an extra access door!! some dim witts that comment on the car have never sat in one!!,.. If the Clubdoor was on the passenger side, the driver would still have to get out onto the moving traffic to open the rear door!!!... also, on the passenger side, once the front seat is pushed forward at the touch on a handle, there is ample speace to easily get in and out of the car. simple answer is dont use the clubdoor unless you need to use it for extra load access.!! the fact that i have sold 3 clubmans in the last week, people are obviously NOT put off by the door.
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