The new MINI Cooper 5-Door tries to maintain the cheerful character of its predecessor. The “F65” offers joyful colors like this Sunny Side Yellow in a sea of white, black, or grey cars. It’s a non-metallic finish combined with a white look for the mirror caps and roof. Alternatively, the secondary color can be black, or you can just stick to the body color. There’s also a Multitone option with a gradient effect to make the chic hatchback stand out even more.

You realize MINIs are no longer that mini when 18-inch wheels don’t seem overkill. These two-tone Slide Spoke alloys cost extra and make the Cooper 5-Door look more substantial. A subtle “S” red badge on the front and rear indicates we’re dealing with the more potent version. It skips the base “C” model’s 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine in favor of a larger 2.0-liter four-pot.

MINI COOPER S SUNNY SIDE YELLOW 03

It may be diminutive compared to most other vehicles on sale today, but it offers decent practicality. One of the images shows the “F65” with the rear seats folded, unlocking a cargo capacity of 925 liters. Keep the 60:40-split rear bench up, and the luggage area drops to 275 liters. Even with the rear seat up, you can still add a couple of suitcases, with room to spare.

Although its size has increased over the years, the MINI Cooper 5-Door is still the smallest car with rear doors sold by the BMW Group. It’s only 4036 mm long, making it 325 mm shorter than the latest 1 Series “F70.” It’s only a smidge longer than the defunct BMW i3 hatchback. There will probably come a time when BMW will have another entry-level car. There are reports of an i1 or i2 coming out closer to the end of the decade.

Speaking of EVs, MINI doesn’t sell a fully electric version of this car, but the Aceman subcompact crossover is a solid alternative. If you’d rather stick to combustion engines, the Cooper 5-Door only has gas engines. The last remaining diesel is offered on the bigger Countryman crossover and only in certain markets.