- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.6i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
90kW, 160Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 7.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Mini Cooper 5-Door new car review
Just when you thought Mini had exhausted every option for a variant of the iconic British brick, it has recently cemented another to the mix – a five-door version of the basic hatchback.
Slotting in between the regular three-door and high-riding, five-door Countryman SUV, the Mini 5-Door (as the BMW-owned brand simply calls it) builds on the stylish city car with a bit more space and versatility for fashionable young families.
What do you get?
At the moment, the five-door mirrors the regular Mini with a three-model line-up that starts with the base-model Cooper we're testing here and rising through the diesel-powered Cooper D to the current flagship Cooper S hot hatch.
All three have identical levels of equipment and specification to the hatch, with all five-door models commanding a $1000 price premium – meaning, prior to any on-road costs, the range starts at $27,500 and tops out at $38,050 for the Cooper S with the Cooper D slotting in the middle at $32,900.
Each comes equipped with the same fundamental safety package of six airbags, a suite of electronic systems and rear-parking sensors to provide a five-star crash test rating.
The Cooper is fitted with a fairly basic level of standard equipment that includes air conditioning, cruise control, automatic wipers, cloth trim, push button start and a basic display screen and audio system with Bluetooth connectivity.
There is however a lengthy list of expensive options to customise it and bring more creature comforts into the cabin or dress-up its exterior.
The Cooper D adds a few extra goodies for its $5k-odd premium, including a larger multi-function screen with Bluetooth audio streaming and the iDrive controller, dual-zone climate control and front fog lights, while the Cooper S builds on that with leather-accented sports seats and sat nav as standard.
What's inside?
The biggest difference, obviously, with the five-door Mini is the added practicality of its extra doors and slightly larger cabin.
The overall body has been stretched by 161mm in length, it sits 11mm taller and the wheelbase is 72mm longer, all of which helps liberate 72mm more rear leg room, 15mm of additional headroom and 61mm of extra width across the back seat.
While the back doors are on the small side, and the rear seats are best suited to young kids, it does get a bigger boot (up by 67L in capacity to 278L) and a 60/40 split fold rear bench, making it easier to live with a Mini if you're regularly carrying more than one passenger.
From the front seats, it's all pretty familiar Mini-fare with its retro-styled dashboard dominated by the centre-mounted display and toggle switch gear and lit-up by its funky multi-coloured ambient lighting.
Like the rest of the Mini range, there is good vision by city-car standards, plenty of headroom for tall adults in the front, reasonable support from the seats and a decent array of hidey holes for small-item storage.
Under the bonnet
In previous-generation Minis, the base model Cooper never had a thrilling engine to match its dynamics or character – motley because they were lacklustre borrowed engines from Chrysler (in the first generation) and the French parent company of Peugeot and Citroen (in the predecessor).
For anything with a bit of spice you had to step up to the Cooper S hot hatch and beyond.
But the latest Mini, including the 5-door, brings a new modular family of BMW-developed powerplants, including the 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo that powers the Cooper.
While it is smaller in capacity – and loses a cylinder – than before, the Cooper's triple is now one of the highlights of the latest Mini, not only bringing with it a reduction in fuel consumption but more pulling power and, most importantly, the kind of character the Mini always needed.
Its maximum output of 100kW may seem a little meek, but it is a pretty handy figure from such a small engine, putting it above most of the direct rivals and helping it accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 8.2 seconds.
But it is the broad spread of useable torque it generates – an above average 220Nm from as low as 1250rpm – that makes it both effortless to drive at cruising speeds and spritely away from the lights and between the bends. It also produces a charming three-cylinder thrum under acceleration.
Mini claims it will drink an average of 4.9L of premium unleaded for every 100kms, which is achievable in ideal conditions. We saw it hover around the high fives in mostly urban conditions though.
On the road
Despite the slight increase in size and weight (the five-door adds around 50kg), the five-door hatch has much the same cheeky character as the regular Mini.
What that equates to is a combination of sharp steering and tight suspension tuning that always makes it fun to drive, whether it's negotiating the suburbs or carving through the bends where it sits relatively flat for a city car with minimal body roll and decent overall grip even from its 15-inch tyres.
It does mean it is hardly a relaxing experience though, as it is pretty busy over the bumps with most road irregularities transferred into the cabin and mid-corner hiccups are relayed through the steering wheel.
It also isn't the quietest in its class, particularly on rough surfaces, but does feel well planted and secure at highway speeds.
Verdict
Even though its awkward looks somewhat spoil the Mini's characterful exterior design, the five-door doesn't alter the character in the way it drives. Instead, it offers a little more practicality for those that regularly cart more than one passenger or need a slightly bigger boot – if that's a priority.
But then there's the Countryman, which, albeit more expensive and not as frugal, also has the same unique Mini-ness in the driving experience and yet comes with more space and the higher-seating position preferred by young families.
Mini Cooper five-door pricing and specifications
Price: $27,750 plus on-road costs
Country of origin: Great Britain
Engine: 1.5-litre three cylinder turbo
Power: 100kW at 4500-6000rpm
Torque: 220Nm at 1250rpm
Fuel use: 4.9L/100km
CO2 emissions: 114g/km
Transmission: 6-spd automatic, front-wheel drive
Weight: 1175kg
Safety: 6 airbags; stability control