MINI 5 Door

With two more doors come extra setting space, right? But looks can be deceiving. The rear doors are not the biggest in the business. They do open extra wide to allow better entry. The exit will need some contorting of legs and considerable discomfort. The interior is indeed is bigger than the one in the three-door. There is 81 mm of extra elbow room and 15 mm of extra headroom. But the rear seats are still a tight fit. This is largely due to the huge transmission tunnel that runs through the middle of the car. This makes the Mini 5 door best suited for 4 people on short journeys. People occupying the front row are going to have a much better time. The Cooper S gets leather cross punch carbon black seats with a chrome lined black checkered interior, anthracite headliner, and a JCW leather steering wheel with gear pedals. The Cooper gets a hazy grey interior with black lining and carbon black fabric seats. Both variants get dual-zone automatic air conditioning, cruise control with braking, keyless entry, push-button start and ambient lighting. Infotainment is handled by Mini’s Radio MINI Visual Boost with 6.5-inch LCD display with a 5-key controller. Cargo space is also well thought out. 278-litre of boot space is 67-litre larger than the in the Mini 3 door. This increases to 941-litre when the 60:40 split back seats are folded down flat.

First, we need to tackle the name. This car is not exactly small or mini. The 5 door is 215 mm longer than the standard 3 door Mini. The wheelbase is also longer by 72 mm. It is 4005 mm long, 1727 mm wide, 1425 mm high and the wheelbase is 2567 mm. The Cooper gets 16-inch wheels and the Cooper S gets 17-inch wheels. So, the car is obviously longer than the standard Mini but no taller. You can still differentiate the 5 door from the Countryman without looking at the badge. But it does look fatter than the standard Mini. Despite this, the car is instantly recognizable. The front, rear, and even the silhouette are unmistakable for anyone with the least bit of knowledge about cars. Everyone else will be left mesmerized and curious. There are subtle differences between the Cooper and the Cooper S. The Cooper S is sportier with an air scoop on the bonnet, an S badge on the black honeycomb grille and side scuttles, air ducts for the break below it, roulette spoke wheels, centrally located dual exhausts and of course the racing stripes. The Cooper gets a flush hood and loop spoke light alloy wheels. Both get that dynamic roof, LED lighting, and 205/45 run flat tires. There are also 11 body colors to choose from. While elements of the design like the missing frameless windows and the gaudy roulette wheels may not appeal to everyone, the car has an immense presence on the road for its diminutive size. This classic design only gets better with time.

As you will find out there are a lot of driver aids present in this car. These enhance the cornering abilities of the cars bringing them closer to the original Mini without becoming too obtrusive. The electronic steering is not the quickest but the increased length has made the car more confident especially the Cooper S which gets sports suspension. There is nearly no body roll and the short car is a pleasure to drive around town. You may get some complaints about the ride quality but this is a compromise that comes with one of the best-performing cars in its range.

Minis are known for being dynamic handlers with racing pedigree. This 5 door version is no different despite what the extra doors may suggest. The Cooper S is powered by 2 L 4 cylinder turbo charged engine making 192 hp at 6000 rpm and 280 Nm of torque at 4600 rpm. It gets up to 100 kmph in just 6.8 seconds and up to a top speed of 230 kmph. The fuel efficiency is also clocked at an encouraging 18 kmpl, largely thanks to the stop-start system. The Cooper gets a similar but smaller TwinPower turbo charged engine that produces 136 hp at 6000 rpm and 220 Nm of torque at 4300 rpm. 0-100 time goes up to 8.1 seconds and top speed comes down to 207 kmph. The fuel economy climbs to 20 kmpl. Transmission on both is a 6 speed automatic with front wheel drive. Both cars also get driving modes that control the amount of power being left at your disposal. The engine is lively with farts and pops announcing your arrival. Power delivery is smooth as are the gear shifts. The electronic steering is not the quickest but the increased length has made the car more confident especially on the Cooper S which gets sport suspension. There is nary any body roll and the short car is a pleasure to drive around town.   

Safety is given top priority as it should be for a car at this price range. Both cars get front and side airbags for driver and front passenger and head airbags for all 4 outer seats. Dynamic stability control, automatic stability, and Control+Traction, ABS and pull-away assistant, dynamic traction control including electronic differential lock control round out the hefty electronics package. There is also rear park distance control, crash sensor, and flat tire indicator. The Cooper S also gets an attentive assist for the driver.

The Mini 5 Door then is a lot of car for the money. It is also a valuable icon that does not diminish in value as much as some other comparable cars. The reason behind this is not hard to guess.