Mini Cooper 3 door vs Mini Cooper 5 door: Which one to buy?

The innominate question has risen again. Should one buy the Mini Cooper 3 door or the 5 door? Come on. Buy any Mini and you’re guaranteed a lifetime of smiles every time you step on the gas.

However, peer closely and you will notice that a few changes, like the pair of extra doors, that makes a bit of difference. Something like ingress/egress or carrying that extra bag and more. So, this isn’t your regular head over heart story but is more of a mind vs head story.

Which Mini Cooper should you buy and why? Will it be the 3-door or the 5-door? We will help you make an informed buying decision.

From the front, both the Mini Coopers look the same. There is no discerning factor between the two. However, if you actually look from the sides, the Cooper 5 door looks longish. That is because it indeed is longer to accommodate those rear doors. In terms of dimensions, the Mini Cooper 3-door measures 3,850 mm in length, 1,727 mm in width and 1,414 mm in height. Whereas the Mini Cooper 5-door measures 4,005 mm in length, 1,727 mm in width and 1,425 mm in height. The wheelbase of both the cars are 2,495 mm and 2,567 mm respectively. So if your parking spot is a tad smaller than usual, the Cooper 3 door makes sense as it takes up less space when parked.

Cabins are similar as well, at least from the front. There is that head-up display, aircraft like toggle switches and the push button start. One also gets three driving modes - Green, Mid and Sport. The seats are also comfortable enough. With the 5-door, one doesn’t have to push the front seats ahead for someone to clamber into the back. It is quite ungainful and a hurried entry or exit isn’t possible. There is a dearth of headroom as well as legroom in the 3 door. Whereas the 5 door isn’t any better, but offers slightly more head as well as knee room. The boot space though is bigger in the 5 door at 278 litres compared to the 211 litres in the 3 door. Flip the rear seats ahead and the Mini Cooper 5 door will give you 941 litres of luggage carrying capacity, while the 3 door will offer only 731 litres. The 5 door Cooper weighs more at 1,315 kgs for the top spec engine, whereas the 3 door weighs only 1,250 kgs. The choice here is clear then. The Mini Cooper 5 door is better inside and by a good margin.

There is no difference in the engines of the Mini Coopers and one can opt for a 1.5-litre, 3 cylinder motor or the 2.0-litre turbo petrol. However, there is a difference in the way both of them reach the 100 kmph speed. Before that, let’s get the vital numbers out of the way. The 3-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine makes 136 PS of power and 220 Nm of torque. It is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The 2.0-litre turbo petrol makes significantly higher power at 192 PS and 280 Nm of torque.

For the 0-100 kmph, the Mini Cooper S 3-door takes only 6.7 seconds and the top speed is 233 kmph. For the 5 door, the 0-100 kmph takes 0.1 seconds more and the top speed is lower by 3 kmph as well. For the standard Mini Cooper, the 3 door will do the same run in 7.8 seconds, whereas the 5 door does it at 8.1 seconds. The smaller Cooper thus is faster and has a better top speed as well. However, if you notice, the difference is minor.

In terms of efficiency, the smaller Mini Cooper 3 door gives 20.40 kmpl and thus a range of 815 kms. The same number decreases a bit with the Cooper S 3 door and it stands at 18.18 kmpl with the range being 800 kilometres.

As far as the 5 door trims go, the efficiency is 20 kmpl for the Cooper, with a range of 800 km. For the Cooper S, it is 18.18 kmpl and the range remains the same as above thanks to an increased fuel tank capacity.

In terms of acceleration and the economy, the 3 door is better thanks to the lesser weight it has to lug around. There is no difference in the way these Minis handle the rough or even the race track. The 5 door has a perceptible and slightly absorbing ride quality than the 3 door.

It all comes down to the price then. RM 188,888 is the price for the 3 door Cooper whereas the Cooper S is priced at RM 229,888. If you check the Mini Cooper 5 door then the price is RM 187,646 and RM 236,888 for the S. Ohh and you can only order the delectable Cooper S JCW in 3-door guise only.

The choice here is clear. If you are someone who is going to be a bachelor for a long time, the Cooper S especially the JCW makes a lot of sense for you. If you are the family man who wanted to fulfil his dreams of buying a Mini Cooper but also has to take the wife and kids along on drives, the 5 door is waiting for you. A secret tip. Mini will be happy to offer the JCW kit on the 5 door trims too. Just ask them nicely!