A startrescue.co.uk story...

At long last, lovers of the Mini will soon be able to get their hands on a five door version of the not-so-diminutive car.

Some may wonder why it has taken so long for Mini to produce a 5 Door version – especially when you consider the revamped supermini began life way back in 2001.

The Mini 5 Door Cooper SD will cost from £14,350 and will deliver 70.6mpg and emissions of 109g/km. It has a top speed of 138mph.

This SD’s diesel engine has been praised for its smoothness, boasting a very sporty feel for a non-petrol unit, according to many reviews.

The SD can reach 62mph from standstill in 7.4sec, but for those who want yet more high-octane fun, the Cooper S petrol version could be ideal – able to go from 0 to 62mph in 6.9sec, with 192bhp behind it.

The new 5 Door features the same drivetrain as found in the BMW 2-Series – helping to further underpin its 'racing' character.

Critics have noted the decent level of space for backseat passengers, but that boot space is rather more wanting – it's still bigger than that of a three-door Mini, but might not make the carriage of pushchairs and huge monthly shops terribly easy.

But issues with space are unlikely to put people off this new five-door Mini – many of our breakdown cover customers among them – since the allure of this most unique of superminis shows no sign of abating. After selling three million cars in 13 years, there’s no reason to suspect Mini won’t sell at least as many over the next 13.