The British premium brand, MINI, known for its flagship luxury hatchback has launched the second body variant of the third generation MINI. For the first time ever the brand has introduced a MINI 5-door version of its standard hatchback model. In its endeavour to continue the expansion of the model, MINI is doing more to it than just squeezing in an extra pair of doors, with the new model boasting a longer wheelbase, more headroom and a bigger boot. Extensive range of standard features and high-end options to enhance comfort, safety, premium characteristics and individual style has been the prime focus for the auto-maker.
The MINI 5 door will be launched in the market with four model variants with two petrol and two diesel engines of the new generation MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology.
- MINI Cooper 5 door with 136 BHP 3-cylinder, 1,499 cc petrol engine,
- MINI Cooper S 5 door with 192 BHP 4-cylinder,1,998 cc petrol engine
- MINI Cooper D 5 door with 116 BHP 3-cylinder, 1,496 cc diesel engine
- MINI Cooper SD 5 door featuring new 4-cylinder, 1,995 cc diesel engine presented for the first time with an output of 170 BHP
The wheelbase which was expanded by 72 mm (to 2,567 mm) over the new MINI has created a plethora of comfort and expansion which includes:
- Space for three seats in the rear
- 72 mm more foot space and legroom
- 15 mm more headroom
- 61 mm more interior width at elbow height
- Luggage compartment space boosted to 278 liters which is 67 liters more than in the 3 door model
- Rear backrest with 60:40 split
- Optional storage package including luggage compartment floor which can be locked into place at varying points
Designers have tried to keep the MINI three-door’s recognizable looks intact but it’s difficult to hide the fact that this larger model just looks a little giant, rather a scaled down Countryman.
The engine line-up is borrowed from the standard hatch but there’s a brand new Cooper SD variant, which is seen for the very first time in the five-door before becoming available in the three-door later this year. It’s a 2.0-litre turbodiesel producing 170 BHP, which is 29 BHP up on the old 2.0-litre unit. With that extra power, the sprint from 0-100 kph takes 7.4 seconds (7.3 with an auto gearbox), which is half-a-second quicker than the old three-door SD. Fuel economy is as high as 30 KMPL, with emissions as low as 107 g/km.
The engines mentioned above has a combined fuel consumption of 17 – 28 KMPL and combined CO2 emissions of 136 – 95 g/km. Also a 6-speed manual transmission as standard or 6-speed Steptronic transmission or Steptronic sports transmission comes as an optional extra. Extensive MINIMALISM technology including auto start/stop function and optional GREEN mode are some of the offerings by MINI.
MINI also provides a wide range of innovative driver assistance systems viz.
- MINI Head-Up-Display
- Parking Assistant with a rear view camera
- Driving Assistant including camera-based active cruise control
- Collision and pedestrian warning with initial brake function
- High beam assistant and road sign detection.
MINI hasn’t released any information on pricing for the new five-door model but insiders have told us to expect an increase of about £1,000 over the standard hatch. It’s just the next step in boosting the MINI range, with this car helping to boost sales in markets like the US. Following the release of the five-door, MINI will release a Clubman and a Convertible.
We will keep you posted with further developments on this, until then do let us know what you think of the new MINI 5-door!
