The MINI Cooper is a British icon, known to be funky, retro and available with 3-doors only. However, for the first time in history, the BMW owned car maker has resorted to making a more practical version of the hatchback, by adding two additional doors at the back; and voila! This is the 2015 MINI Cooper 5-Door hatchback for you. Appropriately named the MINI 5 door, the new hatchback will be available across Europe by the end of this year and seems like the ideal car for India.
Based on the third generation MINI 3-door model that was unveiled last year, the MINI 5-door has been extended by 161 mm in length and is taller by 11 mm. The wheelbase has also expanded by 72 mm, improving the interior space over the 3-door Cooper. The external appearance of the car does not change drastically; the front fascia continues with the retro theme, same as the 3-door model, but it is the side profile that shows the real change. The extra doors at the rear seem to fit in, but one can’t help but notice that they are smaller than the front doors.
The interior has been carried over from the 3-door model as well. We were pretty impressed to see the new gen MINI’s cabin to be more practical over its predecessor and the 5-door model only takes it forward. The hatchback is wider, has additional headroom and offers more leg space. The luggage compartment has also grown by 67-litres to a total of 278-litres and you get additional storage capacity courtesy of the 60:40 rear split seats. The car is available with an array of connectivity options, and also gets the retro toggle switches.
In terms of powertrain, the engine and trim range have been carried over from the 3-door model and is available with petrol and diesel engine options. The standard MINI Cooper 5-door is powered by a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine with MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology that produces 136 HP of power and 220 Nm of torque; while the MINI Cooper S 5-door is powered by a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 192 HP of power and 280 Nm of torque and has a claimed top speed of 232 km/hr.
There are diesel versions also on offer on the MINI Cooper D 5-door that is powered by a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder motor with TwinPower Turbo Technology that produces 116 HP and 270 Nm of torque. The power packed MINI Cooper SD 5-door on the other hand gets a 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 170 HP and 360 Nm of torque and has a top speed of 225 km/hr. All engines are mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, while a 6-speed automatic is available as optional across the range. As for the Indian launch, BMW is most likely to get the 2015 MINI to the country later this year, fully imported as a CBU.
