A welcome addition to the Mini family
Well I can tell you now that there are more Mini variants than there are rabbits in Barleycove. A strain of myxomatosis introduced mysteriously to the area last summer killed the lot of them. The Mini range, on the other hand, still appears to be reproducing on an industrial scale like, well, rabbits.
We’ve had the Hatch, the Convertible, the Countryman, the Coupe, the Roadster and the Paceman, all of which have had varying levels of impact on the buying public, but it is probably safe to say the Hatch is the version which has been the most successful for the brand. And now it has a new string to its bow.
Last summer we travelled briefly to the storied environs of Henley-on-Thames to see for the first time the five door version of the car and came away not only impressed with the machine itself, but also the continuing vision the BMW-owned company has displayed in its’ ability to stretch the evolution template for this remarkable brand.
Ok, so stretching the concept from a three-door to five-door is not the greatest intellectual leap you will ever come across, but it has taken the people over at Mini quite a while to finally make that jump and to try and produce what is an honest stab at making the Hatch a reasonable choice for family buyers.
Admittedly, these people would want to have small — and young — families to make the five door Mini work for them, but there is no doubt there is such a market out there and with this car Mini will attract a fair number of them.
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The addition of the two extra doors makes for many fresh possibilities for both Mini and its’ potential clientele and with a myriad of sub-options on the engine front and various performance categories in the shape of the One, the Cooper, the Cooper S and the Cooper SD, there are plenty of choices for people to make here.
We recently drove the Cooper SD version and, clad as it was in an electric blue colourscheme (with the obligatory white bonnet stripes, ‘floating’ white roof and colour coded mirrors), the car looked fantastic.
I have come across some criticism of the allegedly gawky look of the five door, but I must say I cannot agree with this assertion as I think it looks very well indeed and what with such as the 17” ‘Roulette’ alloys, the John Cooper Works roof spoiler, the engine air scoop and the bee-sting aerial. The combination of these things gave this Mini a sense of purpose and intent in terms of its overall look — a sense that’s matched by the performance.
Now it may be that hardcore fans will prefer the petrol options available here, but I can tell you that the SD engine — a two litre turbocharged diesel — lacks little in the get-up-and-go stakes. This is quite the smooth operator and with an output of 125 kW (170 bhp) and some 320 Nm of torque between 1,500 and 2,750 rpm, it provides plenty of grunt for those of us who like that sort of thing.
Indeed, while the car does not have the nakedly ‘tuned’ feel of the petrol car, it does feel very purposeful indeed. That’s underlined by the top speed of 223 kph and the 0-100 kph capability of 7.3 seconds and it is worth noting that those figures are not terribly shy of what the Cooper version delivers.
The real upside for many people though will be the economy figures which show the Cooper SD returning a figure of 4.1 l/100 km (that’s a fairly impressive 68.9 mpg in old money), so if you’re doing a lot of mileage, this thing is going to please you no end. Throw in a 107 g/km figure, which results in an annual tax bill of €190 and the thrifty buyer will be further impressed.
On the road the car feels taught and well sorted. It will dispatch huge chunks of motorway miles with distain and when you get to the back-road stuff, the now legendary go-kart handling really comes to the fore. It’s not quite as sharp a drive as the petrol Cooper, but it is not that far behind either and enthusiastic drivers will certainly not feel short-changed.
The revised interior of the regular hatch is featured here too and I’m glad the designers have got rid of the large clunky central speedo and replaced it with an excellently designed and easy to use infotainment system which includes everything from the (optional) sat nav, parking assist features and climate control and infotainment features.
Mini has now sited the speedo and rev counter on smaller dials in front of the driver, which is altogether more useful, while items like the large red starter button provides an amusing racy vibe. Worth noting too is that the window switches are now sited on the doors, rather than the central console.
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The addition of the two extra doors certainly eases the access/egress angle for back seat passengers and the slightly stretched wheelbase means there’s a lot more legroom than you might credit. I’m not saying that it’s like an S-Class back there, but it is not bad and two adults will not find much to quibble about on lengthy journeys.
From a family point of view, there is also added boot space by comparison with the Hatch and with the rear seats folded down, a decent amount of cargo area too.
It was, I suppose, inevitable that a five door version of the hatch ultimately came along and while I cannot admit to having been breathless with anticipation waiting for it, the car is nevertheless a welcome addition to the Mini canon. It has obvious market share-stretching possibilities for the manufacturer and will appeal to a considerable number of new punters.
If that transpires to be the situation, then it will be a case of a job very well done indeed. And not surprisingly either as it is a very good job.
From €29,104 (€40,337 as tested) which is a touch ridiculous and an indication of the high cost of added specification.
A revised, smooth and potent version of the two litre turbodiesel.
Decent levels of standard kit, but you’ll have to flex the chequebook for any fancy-dan stuff.
Excellent addition to the Mini catalogue.
