MINI’s latest Clubman, shown as a concept at the Geneva show and likely a year away from showrooms, solves the biggest complaint about the previous version of the brand’s stretched model – its lop-sided doors.

The first Clubman had only one door to the rear seats, and for right-hand-drive markets, such as the UK, that door opened onto the centre of the road – not the best idea when dropping the offspring off at school.

MINI was unable to fit a second left-hand door to the original Clubman because the fuel-fuller cap was in the way. But now the new car has fixed that with four conventional doors for the driver and passengers,  and the signature barn doors at the very back for the luggage space.

Speaking at the Geneva show, MINI exterior design chief Christopher Weil said that the rear barn doors had to be retained in the new model as they are a Clubman essential, while sorting the side doors has made the new car the longest MINI ever at 4224mm – just a tad more than the current Countryman SUV.

“We wanted to see how far we could stretch the Clubman and offer more excitement and functionality while making sure it was still a true MINI,” Weil said.