New Mini Cooper five-door revealed but with no sign of electric power

There’s a new addition to the Mini hatchback line-up with the announcement of the Cooper 5 Door. However, while it’s being introduced to the range at the same time as an new three-door version, it’s built around the underpinnings and configuration of its predecessor.

In that, it has something in common with the new combustion-engined Mini Cooper three-door, being an evolution of the previous-generation model. The new 5 Door differs, though, in that if you want the extra practicality of the rear doors then you won’t be able to buy one with a pure-electric powertrain; Mini is producing an electric version of the three-door, based on an all-new platform.

Previous-gen hidden underneath

Externally, the biggest clue to the Cooper 5 Door’s roots is the doors themselves, which are the same shape and feature the same handles as the previous car’s. Also present is the main identifier between the combustion-engined Cooper three-door and the electric version: the clamshell opening bonnet line towards the rear of the front wheelarches, which the new three-door EV doesn’t feature.

Another giveaway is that the new model’s wheelbase (the distance between the centre of the front and rear wheels) is 72mm longer than the Cooper three-door’s. That’s the same difference between three and five-door versions of the Mk3 hatch, while overall the new 5 Door is 4,036mm long, which is 172mm longer than the Cooper.

Easier access to rear seats

That creates space for the second set of doors to access the rear seats, while the extra length creates a boot that has a capacity of 275 litres. That’s 65 litres up on the three-door model, but still less than you’ll get in many other superminis. Fold the 60:40 split rear bench and there’s a maximum capacity of 925 litres, which is 125 litres more than what’s available in the three-door Cooper.

Externally, the Cooper 5 Door shares its styling cues with the three-door. That means a clean front end with octagonal grille opening that’s either colour co-ordinated with the rest of the car or in a contrast finish, depending on the specification.

A few styling flourishes

The sides of the car are simplified for a clean look, although Mini is offering a graduated roof colour as an option. The car in the pictures features a roof that fades from the blue body colour to white, while separate contrast roof options will also be available as before.

At the rear, the simplified design has a stylised version of the Union Flag rear lights that were used on the previous generation model, with a symmetrical triangular shape that means the same lamp design can be used in all countries — the Union Flag design previously wasn’t available in some sales territories.

Inside, the new Mini Cooper 5 Door features the same dashboard layout as the new three-door, with a large circular display in the centre and the bare minimum of physical controls. The touchscreen features Oled tech for a high-resolution display, and the system is packed with features including voice control and online connectivity.

And as with the other new Minis, there are seven “Experiences” on offer that change the cabin lighting and some drive settings in certain modes. Go Kart, for example, alters the throttle response and steering to deliver a sportier drive.

Petrol-only line-up

Speaking of sporty drives, the new 5 Door comes in Cooper C and Cooper S guises at first, just like the already launched three-door hatch. The Cooper C is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that makes up to 154bhp. This model can sprint from 0-62mph in 8.0 seconds, while fuel economy is quoted at 47.1mpg.

The Cooper S uses a 2-litre four-cylinder engine producing up to 201bhp. It has a 0-62mph time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 150mph, while there’s an official fuel economy figure of 44.8mpg. Both versions come with front-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox. It’s highly likely there will be a sporty John Cooper Works model in time.

As mentioned at the top, though, one thing that’s missing from the Cooper 5 Door line-up is an electric version. It uses the same underpinnings as the previous five-door model, which was never modified to accommodate electric drive; since the new electric Cooper is built on a different platform, that means there’s no EV for the 5 Door range.

Prices for the new Mini Cooper 5 Door will be revealed when it hits showrooms later this year. As with the last car, expect a price premium of around £700 over the three-door model, which starts at £23,150.

Related articles

• If you found news on the new five-door Mini Cooper interesting, you may want to read our review of the new electric Mini Cooper SE
• You may like to check out the new Mini Countryman JCW
• Or read more about Mini’s built-in video gaming system

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