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.
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.
