Mini’s new Clubman All4 is perfect for winter. Perhaps

After an unseasonably mild December, the biting cold - well, something very slightly south of zero degrees Celsius - has Britain in its grasp.
 
This means two things: manufacturers are jumping on a marketing opportunity for their four-wheel-driven cars, and driving institutes are publishing friendly, helpful and occasionally condescending tips.
 
Meet the new Mini Clubman All4, and a sterling example of the former. Mini has even whisked it off to some particularly snowy climes for some lovely pictures. Top notch PR, but it’s no doubt to the chagrin of Brake, who have been trotting out the latter. “Never set off when it’s snowing or forecast to,” the safety-conscious organisation tells us. Oops.
 
But with the Mini’s stability control system monitoring grip and apportioning power between its axles accordingly, countering understeer or oversteer, the AWD Clubman should help you avoid trouble if you decide to give Brake’s advice as wide a berth as they recommend you give the car in front.
 
The All4 tech has filtered down from the Countryman, though it’s a new generation version with sharper dynamics in mind. Perfect for making sure you “point the front wheels in the direction you want them to go,” the very sage advice originating from the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Now we know where we’ve been going wrong.

Top Gear’s winter driving tips are here