What's the news?

MINI has revealed the '5 door' and you don't need us to tell you that it's a five-door version of the regular Hatch. Don't confuse it with the Clubman or Countryman though, as they'll soldier on and are due for replacement at some stage. Instead, this car ostensibly competes with the likes of the Volkswagen Golf, making it the most practical regular MINI hatchback yet.

Exterior

The MINI 5 door is 161mm longer than its equivalent three-door 'F56' Hatch model, at 3,982mm for the non-S launch versions and 4,005mm for the two S variants. It is the same width as the Hatch, but 11mm taller, with a 72mm longer wheelbase - these latter two measurements should address the rear leg- and headroom issues of the Hatch. So spacious is it back there as a result that MINI claims there are a genuine three seats in the rear. The boot is also more sizeable at 278 litres, an increase of 67 litres on the three-door; fold the 60:40 split rear bench away and that figure rises to 941 litres.

Outside, it borrows a lot of detailing from the regular MINI Hatch, such as a hexagonal radiator grille, the headlamps, large rear lights and the black body bordering. Alloys range from 15- to 18 inches in diameter. There are additional exterior paint finishes for the 5 door, while personalisation will be the name of the game as ever - the roof and door mirror caps being available in contrasting colours one example of that ethos. People will say this historic nameplate should have been revived a few years ago for the modern MINI, given its physical size increases, but is it just us that can see more than a hint of Austin Maxi to the new car's side view?

Interior

The 'premium' bomb is dropped pretty quickly in the bumf and, judging by the quality of the regular car's cabin, we're not about to argue. Expect a lot of the upmarket kit seen in the Hatch so far, including driver assistance systems, MINI Connected services and plenty of snazzy displays. Like the Hatch, the 5 door will have as an option the MINI Driving Modes rotary switch at the base of the gear lever, with Green, Mid and Sport modes to adjust the throttle response, steering rate and shift speed (on auto models).

There's a whole wealth of active and passive safety systems and engineering, while the LED ring in the dash carries over and TFT screens up to 8.8 inches in size will be offered. Further options include Head-up Display, Parking Assistant, a rear-view camera, LED headlamps and rear lights, Comfort Access, active cruise control and a Harman/Kardon hi-fi speaker system, among many, many other boxes to tick on the order form.

Mechanicals

There will be four models available from launch - three of which have been seen already in the Hatch, the Cooper, Cooper S and Cooper D. Joining them is a higher-powered diesel variant, using familiar Cooper SD badging. This features a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 170hp at 4,000rpm and 360Nm of torque from 1,500- to 2,750rpm. In manual form, this will do 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds and run on to 140mph, making it a pretty tasty all-rounder.

Elsewhere, it's as you were in the Hatch, with power ranging from 116- to 192hp, CO₂ anything from 95g/km up to 136g/km and combined fuel economy of 47.9- to 78.5mpg. The 5 door has its own specific suspension settings to account for the longer wheelbase and extra weight (model for model, the 5 door is about 55kg heavier than the Hatch), while three six-speed transmissions are on offer - a manual as standard, with Steptronic auto and a sports version of the same as options.

Anything else?

Set to arrive in autumn the 5 door MINI will start from £15,900 for the Cooper model - a £600 premium over a comparable three-door. The high-powered Cooper S will be available from £19,255 while on the diesel front the Cooper D will come in at £17,050 with the Cooper SD commanding a £20,050 price tag.