The Mini Hatch Gets A Little Less Miniature With This Five-Door Version

Despite all the weird and wonderful - and at times slightly unnecessary - variations, the Mini range has always been lacking something it could actually do with: a regular five-door hatch. The only thing close to that has been the ungainly Countryman SUV, but that’s all changed, as the Mini hatch has finally grown an extra pair of doors.

The first thing you’ll notice is it’s a lot longer than its three-door sibling. Unlike most five door superminis, this new Mini has a significantly longer wheelbase than the three-door version - 72mm - and has grown overall by a huge 161mm. It gives the five-door Mini an odd look on first glance, but the trade off is a 72mm increase in leg room in the back, which should help even the gangliest of human beings slot in. Boot space is also up by 67 litres to 278 litres.

It’s those sort of space advantages that result in five-door hatchbacks massively outselling three-doors in the UK, so while it’s nothing particularly revolutionary, this latest Mini is set to become a huge money spinner for the BMW-owned brand.

The five door will initially be available as the Cooper for £15,900, the Cooper D for £17,050, Cooper S for £19,255, and Cooper SD for £20,050. Mini is known for offering some ludicrously expensive options, but refreshingly, opting for a five door will only cost you £600 more than the equivalent three.

The SD is a new derivative which we’re finding rather intriguing. Its 2.0-litre four-pot diesel churns out 170bhp, enough for a swift 0-62mph time of 7.4 while still returning a combined 68.9mpg. It’ll be joining the three door range also later in the year. The petrol Cooper S meanwhile manages the benchmark 0-62mph sprint in 6.9sec, just 0.1sec down on the three-door version, which is possible thanks to the relatively modest 60kg increase in weight across the range.

The five-door Mini will go on sale in the UK this Autumn.