Since September 2023 we have only been privy to the 3-door version of the massively acclaimed Mini Cooper Hatchback. However, recently spy shots of the 5-door Mini Cooper were revealed which also give an answer to whether the Mini Cooper is electric-powered or not.

Mini has previously claimed that they would try to change their entire lineup to electric cars by the end of the decade. This raised quite a bit of trepidation when the 2025 Mini Cooper Hatchback was launched leading people to believe that the electric revolution would start with this very hatchback. 

Fortunately, the upcoming range of Mini Cooper will be provided with gas engines. However, in September we only saw the 3-door hatchback and were told a 5-door version would be coming as well. Finally, we got some spy shots of the 5-door prototype being tested.

 

2025 Mini Cooper 5-Door Hatchback Spotted, Comes With Combustion Engine

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First Glance

First Glance

With the year coming to an end, many prototype vehicles are starting to get rid of their camouflage as we also saw with the 2025 Audi A5 Wagon. The same is soon to happen to the 2025 Mini Cooper 5-door prototype. Since we have already seen the 3-door version of it, it is not a secret what the car is going to look like, just with 2 extra doors. The exterior design remains unmistakably within the confines of being a Mini and obviously looks exactly like the 3-door hatchback, in other words like a typical Mini Cooper.

The interior of the 5-door Mini Cooper, however, seems to be very different from the 3-door version. The new electric Minis get a new dashboard that is much more simplified and has done away with the instrument cluster. The absence of the driver’s display from the spy shots suggest that the 5-door Mini Cooper may come with the new dashboard as well. In the center, the usual round OLED circular display still continues. Most of the functions will be accessed through this display. However, just because the Mini Cooper comes with a new dashboard does not mean it is an EV.

The Engine

First Glance

The BMW-owned Mini has, in the past, made claims about making all their cars electric by 2030. Judging by the visible exhaust tip we saw in the pictures, the 2025 Mini Cooper is not going to be electric-powered. In fact, Mini is putting the last generation of combustion engines in the Mini Cooper. The single exhaust head also means that it is the base variant that is being tested and is not the Mini Cooper S, and definitely not the John Cooper Works edition. So, we can expect two performance variants of the Mini Cooper to be out soon as well. 

The engine remains the same for the 3-door variant as well as the 5-door variant, but only the 3-door versions get the option of a fully electric drivetrain

Final Thoughts

The Mini Cooper 5-door prototype should be seen without any camouflage soon. Although we do not know when the hatchback will go on sale, it should be sometime around mid to end of 2024. However, that has not been confirmed yet. It is also important to note that this will be the last generation of gasoline-powered hatchbacks that will be made before the BMW-owned Mini shifts entirely to the production of electric powertrains. 

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