Mini’s first five-door hatch is being billed as the brand’s big opportunity to grow in the fleet market.

It means it no longer has to rely solely on the Countryman to make it on to the choice lists of companies that have a five-door only fleet policy.

Mini is predicting its fleet sales (excluding Motability) will rise from around 6,500 to 10,000 next year.

“That growth is only really going to come from the five-door,” says James Morrison, corporate development manager at Mini. “It’s the most exciting (fleet) launch Mini has had for a long time.”

Orders have already been placed by existing BMW and Mini customers but the brand wants to grow across all fleet channels and is using its relationship with BMW and Alphabet to attract new customers. The latter will be using the five-door hatch as a lead-in vehicle for company car drivers waiting for their next car.

Although rental will feature “where it stacks up”, according to Morrison, the priority is “sustainable business”.

The five-door hatch is not simply a three-door product with two additional doors. The wheelbase is 72 millimetres longer than the three-door hatch, creating more cabin space.

It has more front and rear headroom than rivals the Audi A1, Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta.

Bootspace is 278 litres (67 litres more than the three-door). That’s slightly bigger than the A1 (780 litres) but two litres less than the Polo (270 litres) and 12 litres less than the Fiesta (290 litres).

A 60:40 split folding rear seat increases luggage space in the Mini to 941 litres and an adjustable flat load floor can be specified as part of a storage package, allowing the boot to be configured for additional space.

Fleet operators and company car drivers requiring a bigger boot and more interior space should look to the Countryman which is 13cm longer and 12cm higher than the five-door hatch and has a 350-litre boot.

The five-door hatch is available in six model variants (One, One D, Cooper, Cooper D, Cooper S and Cooper SD) with three petrol and three diesel engines, which meet Euro6 regulations, and manual and automatic transmissions. It is the same engine range introduced to the new three-door hatch earlier this year.

Prices start at £14,350 for the Mini One and rise to £15,490 for the One D, £17,050 for the Cooper D (which Mini expects to be the biggest fleet seller) and £20,050 for the range topping Cooper SD.

This means the car costs £600 more than the equivalent Mini three-door hatch across the range.

In the small car market five-door models typically have a surcharge of about £450 to £900.

CO2 emissions are sub-100g/km for both the One D (92g/km) and the Cooper D (95g/km) and fuel economy on the combined cycle is 80.7mpg for the One D and 78.5 mpg for the Cooper D manual thanks to standard Minimalism technology, which includes start-stop, gear shift indicator and brake energy recuperation.

An optimised pre-heating process achieves a 50% reduction in the energy required to start the diesel engines.

Fleet News tested the 1.5-litre Cooper D and Cooper and while the latter was more lively to drive, the Cooper D still retains Mini’s sense of fun.

Unlike most of the cars in this segment, which have five-speed transmission, Mini has gone for six-speed across the range.

There are three driving modes to choose from: ‘mid’ (the default setting), ‘sport’ and ‘green’.

Sport mode promises ‘go-kart fun’ with firmer steering and sharper throttle response while the green mode activates features such as the gear shift indicator.

Switching between the modes sees the LED lights around the circular instrument glow different colours.

The speedometer has been moved to the instrument cluster, which is a welcome change.

Mini’s infotainment system Mini Connected and Connected XL are available for smartphone users with apps such as JustPark, which allows drivers to find a parking space, book it and navigate to it.

Mini Connected XL includes the journey mate function for real time traffic information.

A number of safety aids can be specified such as the Mini head-up display, a rear view camera, park assist, driving assistant – a camera-based cruise control and distance control function which automatically maintains a predetermined distance from the vehicle in front, and a collision and pedestrian warning system with initial brake function.

Run-flat tyres, a space saver spare wheel and 17-inch alloy wheels (exclusive to the five-door hatch) are also options.

Corporate customers benefit from a standard TLC service package, which

covers servicing for the first five years/50,000 miles. An additional package, called TLC XL, extends the mileage and covers wear and tear items.

Standard equipment includes front and rear electric windows, electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, air-conditioning, USB and Bluetooth connectivity DAB radio and keyless start.