MINI 5-door price, release date and specs

Production of the new MINI 5-door has started at the company's factory in Oxford, UK. It’s a bigger and more practical version of the standard MINI hatchback, and should be just as fun to drive. It will go on sale later this year, and is expected to be offered with all the same engines and trim levels.

It is being built on the same platform as the current three-door model, but adds a pair of extra doors and slightly more room between the front and rear wheels. The innovative new strategy increases the flexibility of the manufacturing process and allows MINI to work more efficiently – making more cars in a shorter period of time. With personalisation key to MINI’s appeal, well-organised manufacture is essential to the brand’s success.

New MINI 5-door practicality

For a long while now, MINI has desperately needed a model that combines all the good bits from the standard three-door car, but with improved practicality and more boot space. The outgoing MINI Clubman ticked a few of these boxes but the awkward packaging and single rear door meant it always sat in the shadow of the universally popular hatchback model.

The new MINI 5-door gets the same sporty engines and fun handling, but with a more practical side – aimed at growing families who love the MINI brand.

The 278-litre boot is up 67 litres on the smaller three-door MINI's, and folding the standard-fit 60:40 split rear seats increases that space to 941 litres. It's bigger inside the cabin too, where passengers get 72mm extra legroom, 15mm more headroom, and an additional 61mm of elbowroom. The car is also available with a locking storage area in the boot at extra cost.

To get the extra space, the MINI 5-door's body is significantly bigger than the three-door MINI’s – it has grown in length by 161mm and is 11mm taller.

New MINI 5-door styling

There’s no mistaking the new 5-door model as a MINI. The car looks like a lengthened version of the stanard hatchback, adding a pair of rear doors and a slightly longer boot. The MINI 5-door gets the same hexagonal grille, round headlamps and bulbous rear lights from the current car, while all models will be available with a range of options from funky paint colours, to bigger alloy wheels and bonnet stripes.

New MINI 5-door release date & price

MINI has confirmed that the new MINI 5-door will go on sale in the Autumn, priced from £15,900 for the basic Mini Cooper 5-door Hatch, rising to £20,050 for the range-topping MINI Cooper SD diesel. The fast MINI Cooper S petrol is priced from £19,255, while the economical MINI Cooper D will cost £17,050.

Details on a lower-powered MINI One 5-door and super-quick MINI Cooper S JCW are unconfirmed – but you can expect these to arrive sometime during 2015.

New MINI 5-door engines

The new MINI 5-door launches with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines, both of which are carried over from the smaller car, with fuel economy ranging from 47.9mpg to 78mpg.

Engines kick off with the entry-level 136bhp, three-cylinder MINI Cooper 5-door petrol, with the fastest model coming in the form of the 189bhp MINI Cooper S 5-door. The two diesels are made up of the basic MINI Cooper D 5-door (116bhp) and the quick MINI Cooper SD 5-door (170bhp). Buyers can also choose between a manual gearbox, and two automatics – one of which features a sport mode for faster acceleration and manual controls on the steering wheel. It is available only with the MINI Cooper S and the MINI Cooper SD.

New MINI 5-door specs

The new car comes as standard with a host of electronic gadgets that should make it the most fun-to-drive model in its class. Basic cars get 16-inch alloy wheels, while top-spec MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper SD models get larger 17-inch wheels and stiffer suspension, which can be adjustable at extra cost.

The new 5-door can also be setup to feel sportier, comfier or to return better fuel economy. This is controlled via a dial by the dashboard, in exactly the same way as the three-door model.

Up front the car gets MINI’s new LED display, which provides information for things such as the parking sensors, and a four-line TFT display. Standard-fit equipment includes a USB input and a Bluetooth phone connection, electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, front fog lamps, and an onboard computer. Air-conditioning is available free of charge on all models.

Buyers can also choose to spec a colour screen up to 8.8 inches in size, for operation of the car’s sat-nav, infotainment system, and Bluetooth phone connection. Buyers will able to spec additional luxuries such as a Harman-Kardon premium stereo, and dual-zone climate control.

The car will also be available with a wide range of options including full LED headlights, a Head-Up Display (which can project vital information onto the windscreen, such as speed and sat-nav directions), active cruise control (that automatically keeps a safe distance from the car in front), and self-dipping headlights.

New MINI 5-door safety

MINI expects the car to get a five-star rating from Euro NCAP and it will come fitted with six airbags, a tyre-pressure warning buzzer, and a system for protecting pedestrians in the event of an impact.

The car will also be available with Inteligence Emergency Calling. In the event of an accident, it automatically detects the vehicle’s location and the severity of the crash, before contacting a call centre to initiate fast and effective assistance.

You find out more about the current MINI range – including a video review of the new MINI hatchback – on the Carbuyer MINI reviews page.