Cute is an unavoidable term when discussing a MINI Cooper. It has these bold headlights and curvaceous shape that proclaim fun. But inside, its retro flair compromises functionality.
In light of a 'MINI Hatch', there's a three-door Cooper and a five-door Cooper. If you're here wondering if the three-door version is fit for your family, I'll save you the read and let you know it's not practical for a growing a family and you should consider other options. If you're considering the five-door variant, you can continue reading and decide for yourself whether it's suitable or not.
Size
As for the five-door Cooper, in addition to the gain of two rear doors, this hatchback received a 72mm extension on its wheelbase, 161mm extra in length and the roof height was raised by 11mm over its three-door version. But despite these extensions, do not be fooled into thinking the MINI Cooper is now a family car.
Normal-sized adults may still have to squeeze into the rear, forget having to squish a tall passenger in. And while the tall person may fit, they will without a doubt, fit uncomfortably and have their knees jammed up against the front seat. Any rear passengers in the three-door Cooper will feel uncomfortable in the back but will at least have breathing space in the five-door Cooper.
Fitting booster seats
If you're going to be putting kids in the back seat, then they should have no problem fitting in the five-door. The five-door variant allows you easy entry/access/exit to rear-seat passengers and you can fit a baby/booster seat in the rear without breaking your back, as parents of a two-door car will know exactly what I mean. Even though the three-door has four seats, the rear seats are small and hard to access. In the three-door, parents have reported that their kids in booster seats had no legroom with the driver’s seat in a comfortable position.
Boot space
The five-door Cooper offers 67 litres more than the three-door Cooper in way of boot capacity, having a total capacity of 278 litres. Still not sufficient for luggage for a family trip, unless you're all extremely light packers, but will be good for a shopping trip and regular day-to-day use.
A family of four reported having easily fit one child's pram in and another child's scooter in the boot on a weekly trip to the supermarket but when returning back home, some of the shopping had to sit in the rear footwell. Now imagine if you were to do a monthly grocery trip, as many South African families do, do you think your groceries would all fit into the car?
Verdict
The MINI Cooper is well put together and fun to drive but it goes with a 'mini' lifestyle. Despite the extra two doors and boot space in the five-door, it's still no family hauler, and in my opinion, the Cooper is better suited to a single person or a young couple. If you're still after something in the MINI family, I'd rather suggest you take a look at the MINI Countryman.
Next, read MINI Hatch vs Ford Fiesta vs Nissan Micra: which one has the lowest running costs?