Mini, like most automakers, has an ambitious plan to become a purely electric brand one day. The transition won’t happen overnight, but the automaker is revamping its lineup, which includes a Mini Cooper Hardtop five-door variant that might see some form of electrification when it debuts. The next-generation model will likely borrow styling cues from the new Cooper Hardtop three-door variant.
Our spy photographers have captured the first Cooper Hardtop five-door prototypes out testing in recent weeks, with the three-door model expected to launch sometime next year; however, nothing is official. Our renderings peel away the camouflage to preview what it could look like when it breaks cover.
The spy shots make it seem like the new five-door will borrow bits from the three-door verson. The larger offering should arrive with a new grille shape, larger circular LED headlights, and other visual upgrades, looking quite similar to its smaller sibling. It should be about six to eight inches longer than its three-door companion, which will bring additional legroom to backseat passengers and more cargo space, making it more useful.
It’s unclear what Mini plans to do with the powertrain lineup, but we expect the brand to use the same options as the three-door, including the electric ones. However, the company hasn’t confirmed that the five-door would feature any electrification – it seems inevitable, though.
The new Cooper Hardtop five-door model could feature the 184-horsepower Cooper E trim and the more potent 218-hp Cooper SE, with 40.7- and 54.2-kilowatt-hour batteries providing 124 to 136 and 248 miles of range, respectively. Batteries and an electric motor won’t be the model’s only propulsion system.
Mini should also offer a 48-volt mild-hybrid variant, but details about this powertrain are scarce. It’d also be nice to see the brand offer a John Cooper Works version, a first for the five-door offering. It’d be a nice performance addition that could broaden the model’s appeal.
In addition to the new Cooper Hardtop, Mini is also developing the next-generation Countryman, which will reportedly feature a John Cooper Works version. The new Countryman will share its platform with the BMW iX1 and should be available with a 188-hp single-motor setup or a more potent 308-hp dual-motor one. Mini is also developing the Aceman, an electric crossover that will sit below the Countryman in the lineup.
