Mini even better with five doors
Fun-to-drive 5 Door offers space, utility, exhilarating handling
Mini has taken its own sweet time to bring the 5 Door version of the lovable new original to market, but as they say, some things are worth the wait. While it resembles its smaller sibling, there are some significant changes, which are all for the better.
The biggest change, aside from the addition of two rear doors, is the 72-millimetre stretch in the wheelbase: it now measures 2,567 mm. The increase brings a surprisingly useful back seat. For average-sized adults there’s enough head- and legroom to make it comfortable for more than a jaunt across town.
The two rear doors are narrow, which impedes access slightly, but when compared to clambering into the back seat of a coupe, they are the better option. Aft of that there’s a usable trunk; with rear seats up there’s 278 litres of space, or 941 litres when they are folded flat. However, the combination of the trunk well and rear seatbacks that do not fold flat makes carrying a larger box a teeter-totter proposition.
As for the rest of the interior, well, it is very Mini-esque. The 5 Door comes with all one expects — comfortable, supportive sports seats, toggle switches galore and, in the tester’s case, a full-on infotainment system with navigation. While the system makes the grade, the fact it must be operated via a set of iDrive-like controls rather than a touch-sensitive screen makes it more difficult to use than it needs to be.
The bigger disappointment is the head-up display (part of the Visibility package). The smoked-plastic screen made it appear as though the information were sitting atop the left windshield wiper blade. This rendered it all but redundant, other than for those times when the drive is intense. It was easier to look at the wiper for speed info than it was to glance at the centremounted speedometer.
The other nit is that heated front seats are wrapped up in yet another package (Essentials) with, of all things, a panoramic moonroof and front/rear fog lights. Why?
The base Cooper arrives with a 1.5-litre force-fed three-cylinder engine. While it has ample power, the Cooper S brings a much more rewarding drive. The 2.0-L four-cylinder is equipped with a twin-scroll turbocharger. It brings 189 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque at just 1,250 rpm. The latter means there’s absolutely no turbo lag off the line. It also brings a run to 100 kilometres an hour in 6.9 seconds.
The tester arrived with a slick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox. The gate is clean, the throws suitably short and the clutch bites in the right place. As a result, it can be rowed with the speed required when zipping through a series of switchbacks. It really is a well-sorted gearbox; it does not become as much of a chore in heavy traffic as many manuals do. For the shiftless, there is a six-speed automatic.
The stiff chassis is suspended on front struts and multiple rear links. The balance is just about spot on: it is comfortable on a rougher piece of pavement, yet when the hammer is down and an invitingly twisty road beckons, body roll is basically non-existent and it maintains this flat attitude through the corner. Ditto the steering.
I don’t know what it is about the Mini, but few cars are as impish in the manner in which they drive. You can drive the P195/55R16 tires off the 5 Door and it still comes back for more. It all comes together to put a very large grin on the driver’s face.
The Mini 5 Door has three driving modes. Green minimizes everything. The throttle is very, very soft, so best left for the times when you’re running on fumes. The Mid and Sport modes bring a progressively stronger response. The plus is that when downshifting to set the car up for a corner, both modes automatically rev match, which brings a seamless downshift and it pegs the engine at the perfect revs for when you go back on the gas. The traction and stability control systems can also be tailored to the driver’s taste.
It’s akin to the story of the three bears. The two-door Mini was just a little too small; the Country man was a tad too large for an urbanite. But the new 5 Door is just about perfect. It handles like a true Mini, and offers plenty of space. For a city-dwelling family of four, it is ideal. And it’s sure to leave a lasting smile! Overview: A fun-to-drive car that brightens the day Pros: Go- kart-like handling, perky performance, usable back seat Cons: Head-up display, complicated infotainment system, too many options (including heated front seats) Value for money: Good (based on the fun factor) What I would change: Add a touch-sensitive screen to the infotainment system and eliminate the need for a package to warm my chilly Canadian buns