Mini joins trend for five-door popularity

The five-door Mini has just been launched in Europe and arrives in NZ November 1. Photos / Supplied

It’s a more practical car but retains that ‘Mini feel’

Just a few months after the market launch of the all-new third generation Mini, the British premium brand has expanded its model range to include a five-door version.

Although there is a five-door Countryman compact SUV in the Mini line-up, this is the first time the BMW-owned brand has a five-door model in the small-car segment.

The new Mini five-door has had its wheelbase expanded by 72mm compared with the Mini that was launched earlier this year. It also has 15mm more headroom and 61mm more interior space than the three-door model.

The luggage compartment space is now 278 litres, which is 67 litres more than in the three-door model.

It will be launched in New Zealand on November 1, with prices to be confirmed closer to the date, BMW Group NZ's corporate communications manager Edward Finn told Driven.

The car has already won praise in Britain, with motoring publication Auto Express giving it five stars out of five and suggesting it could be a Car of the Year contender.

"The Mini five-door ... adds surprising practicality to the fabulously fun package of the three-door car. The Mini is better than ever to drive, easier than ever to live with and cooler than ever to look at, plus has an array of advanced tech, too," Auto Express said. "The five-door hatch market is twice as large as that for three-doors."

The magazine said the five-door was "new from the windscreen backwards, but from the front seat it feels identical to the three-door car".

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