Mini goes maxi with 5 Door

MINI has revealed the latest model to join its new line-up – the Mini 5 Door – and says it is aiming to have the car on sale in Australia by February 2015.

The 5 Door (as it’s officially called) is the second body shape for the third generation Mini which was launched locally in April this year from $26,650 plus on-road costs.

With an overall length of 3982mm, the 5 Door stretches 161mm further than the three-door and its 2567mm-long wheelbase is 72mm longer than its smaller sibling. The widths of both body shapes are the same at 1727mm but the 5 Door is 11mm taller at 1425mm.

Speaking with GoAuto, BMW Group Australia general manager of corporate communications Lenore Fletcher said the two extra doors and seating for five will offer greater practicality to customers.

“The occupant space of the 5 Door, particularly in the rear seat has increased and you get an extra 67 litres of luggage space as well,” she said.

“I think what we will see is it will just make it that little bit more flexible and that more accessible and more useful in terms of luggage space. So apart from having fantastic driving dynamics like a go-kart it now becomes increasingly flexible as a daily commuter.”

The 5 Door shares the same family styling and design as the new three-door Mini, with the hexagonal grille, chrome-ringed headlights and tail-lights along with a large array of different paint options and customisation packages.

Mini says Australian specifications are yet to be finalised, but the global announcement reveals that four engine variants of the 5 Door will be produced – two petrol and two diesels.

The Mini Cooper S 5 Door will have a 141kW/280Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which the car-maker claims will shoot it from 0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds in the six-speed automatic version with an average fuel consumption of 5.4 litres per 100km.

There will also be a Mini Cooper 5 Door powered by a 100kW/220Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine capable of 0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds and fuel economy of 4.8L/100km when matched with the six-speed manual gearbox.

The two diesel variants of the 5 Door will come in the form of the Cooper S D and Cooper D. The sportier Cooper S D will have a 125kW/360Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel capable of 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds with the auto (7.4 seconds in manual guise), while using just 4.1L/100km during combined regular driving.

The Cooper D will have an 85kW/270Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo diesel with 0-100km/h coming in at 9.5 seconds for the automatic and average fuel consumption of 3.6L/100km for the manual and 3.8L/100km for the self-shifter.

As well as the a six speed manual and a six-speed automatic, Mini will offer an optional six-speed sport automatic transmission.

Optional features include LED headlights, daytime running lights and tail-lights ambient lighting, rain-sensing wipers, sunroof, roof-rails, heated seats, dual-zone air conditioning, bonnet stripes, high-end speakers and various sat-nav options.

There is an optional 8.8-inch colour display for the navigation, phone controls and the Mini Connected in-car infotainment program.

Available safety gear includes reversing camera, parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, collision and pedestrian warnings with braking function, head-up display, high-beam assist and road sign detection.

The Cooper and Cooper D 5 Door feature 15-inch alloy wheels and the S and S D gain 16-inch hops, while 18-inch light-alloys are available as an option.

Pricing is yet to be announced, however, it is likely to carry a premium over the three-door Mini which starts at $26,650 plus on-road costs for the Cooper in manual guise and $29,000 for the auto, while the Cooper S is $36,950 in manual and $39,300 in automatic.

The three-door Cooper D is $31,800 for the manual and $34,150 in auto form.

Sales of the new-generation Mini hatch totaled 116 units in May this year, while the year-to-date total of 472 sales marks a 26.9 per cent decrease over the same period last year.

BMW said supply constraints due to the model’s global popularity has impacted its Australia sales, but the car-maker confirmed that new shipments will arrive in June, July and August to satisfy forward orders.