Nope, your eyes are not kidding. Just months after launching the new MINI Hatch, MINI has expanded its model range with the addition of an entirely new body variant: the MINI 5-door Hatch.

Photos courtesy of MINI UK

It’s the first time in the history of the brand that the Hatch has been offered with two rear doors, and the new model features enhanced interior comfort and practicality thanks to the extended wheelbase. Rear passengers now have 72 millimetres more legroom than the 3-door Hatch, while the increased space also provides room for a third seat in the back row. The two rear doors make access to the enhanced rear seating more comfortable.

This new model offers an additional 15 millimetres of headroom as well. The boot has a volume of 278 litres, up by 67 litres (or around 30 percent) compared to the 3-door Hatch. The rear backrest with a 60:40 split can be folded down. This enables the load volume to be increased in stages as required, from 278 litres to as much as 941 litres. A storage package is also available as an option, and includes a double dual-section load compartment floor, additional lashing eyes and floor net for the luggage compartment, seats which can be angled more steeply so as to create more luggage space and map pouches for the backrests of the front seats.

The body of the new Cooper 5-door Hatch and Cooper D 5-door Hatch is 3,982 mm long, 1,727 mm wide and 1,425 mm tall. This makes the 5-door Hatch 161 mm longer and 11 mm taller than the 3-door Hatch. The width and track, however, remains unchanged.

The Cooper S 5-door Hatch and Cooper SD 5-door Hatch models emphasis their sporty flair with a honeycomb radiator grille, an anthracite bumper trim, bonnet scoop, brake air ducts integrated in the lower air inlets and a separate rear apron with exhaust pipes located at the centre. These model variants also bear a red ‘S’ logo with a chrome border, not only on the side scuttle elements but also on the chrome bar of the radiator grille. There is a palette of two solid and nine metallic exterior colours for the new 5-door Hatch, including the return of customer favourite ‘Electric Blue’ (as seen here). In all models, the roof and exterior mirror caps can be finished in a contrasting colour, white or black.

There are four engines with MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology to choose from: A 3-cylinder petrol engine with a peak output of 136 bhp powers the Cooper 5-door Hatch. The output of the 4-cylinder petrol engine in the Cooper S 5-door Hatch is 192 bhp. The new Cooper D 5-door Hatch is powered by a 116 bhp 3-cylinder diesel engine.

With the introduction of the new model, the Cooper SD 5-door Hatch is presented for the first time with a new 2.0-litre 4-cylinder diesel power unit that has an output of 170 bhp. This new engine promises a 0-100 km/h time of 7.4 seconds and a frugal economy of 3.4 L/100 km.

A six-speed manual transmission comes standard, featuring rev matching on downward shifts. A six-speed automatic transmission is available as an option on each engine. Both transmission systems were newly developed for the new generation MINI 3-door Hatch. The automatic features an engine start/stop function, preventing unnecessary fuel consumption. When used in conjunction with the MINI Navigation System, it’s able to take account of the selected route profile and control gear shifts. Based on navigation data, the appropriate drive position is selected to match the road ahead, preventing unnecessary upshifts.

On the Cooper S and Cooper SD, a six-speed sports automatic transmission is available which enables even shorter shift times on the Cooper S 5-door Hatch and Cooper SD 5-door Hatch, featuring rev matching on downward shifts and can be operated in manual mode using shift paddles behind the steering wheel.

The 5-door Hatch will be launched in the UK this September. Expect this model to reach Singapore by the end of this year or the early part of 2015. While there has been no indication of local prices, we reckon it would be priced between S$140,000 to S$190,000 with COE for the four different engine variants.