MINI have just unveiled a 5-Door Hatch to join the line-up this Autumn priced from £15,900 OTR. It comes as no surprise that it is not actually ‘mini’ but they had to do something to increase rear leg room.
It is of course, unmistakeably a MINI with the trademark short front and rear overhangs, circular headlights, rear light clusters and side indicator lens surrounds.
Like all S models, the 5-Door Hatch features; a honey-comb grille, anthracite bumper trim, bonnet scoop, and a separate rear apron with the exhaust pipes centrally located.
An extensive list of paint options is available; two solid and nine metallic colours, including Electric Blue (pictured). The roof and door mirrors can be finished in black or white as a no cost option.
There are four engines to choose from. The two petrol engines are; a 3 cylinder petrol engine in the regular 5-Door Hatch spec, producing 136 hp, and a 4 cylinder petrol engine in the S model, producing 192 hp. Lastly, the two diesel engines; the regular Cooper D 5-Door is a 116 hp 3 cylinder, whilst the new 5-Door SD features a 2 litre, 4 cylinder unit producing 170 hp. The latter hits 62 mph from rest in 7.4 seconds, with a claimed economy of 68.9 mpg.
A six speed manual gearbox, with rev matching downshifts is standard, with a six speed automatic gearbox available as an option.
Just like the new (3-Door) Cooper Hatch, which I tested a few months ago, the 5-Door Hatch is claimed to retain the go-kart feel thanks to model-specific, refined suspension technology. Variable Damper Control and MINI driving modes are available as options. These modes include; SPORT, MID, and GREEN. These are pretty self explanatory, with MID being the standard set-up, SPORT revising throttle mapping and damper stiffness, and GREEN focused on delivering the best possible economy.
Depending on which driving mode you select, the ambient lighting in the cockpit changes to suit the character of the car’s set-up. The same high quality materials and craftsmanship are found inside the 5-Door Hatch as the 3-Door model.
Interior options include; two-zone automatic air conditioning, heated front seats, panoramic glass roof, windscreen heating, automatic rain sensing windscreen wipers and light control. Also available is a premium Harman-Kardon speaker system and sports leather multi-function steering wheel. Parking sensors, electrically heated and folding door mirrors, and anti-dazzle interior and exterior mirrors can be found on the options list, too.
I can see the MINI 5-Door Hatch being a seller. Although its the first ever Cooper to have 5 doors, the rear leg room has always been desired…
Hmmmmm