Mini five-door spotted testing 17 | 01 | 2014

THE NEW FIVE-DOOR Mini has been spotted testing in Scandinavia. The five-door hatchback, which will join the three-door in the range and is due to go on sale later this year, is based on the same platform as the updated  Clubman. It too will go on sale next year.

Both the five-door and the Clubman share the same platform, which is not surpassingly longer than that of the three-door.

And as you might expect, the front doors of the five-door are also shorter to create the space for an extra pair of doors at the rear.

Related: New five-door Mini spotted

Pitched mainly at families who want a fashionable supermini but don't want to compromise on space, the five-door is expected to become the main seller in the third generation Mini range.

Buyers of the five-door should expect to pay a small premium on £15,300 of the three-door hatch, which enters Scottish showrooms in the Spring.

The new, comprehensive line-up of the third-generation Mini will now include three- and five-door hatchbacks, the Clubman, plus a cabriolet model, due in September. These will be joined by a new Countryman in 2016, around the same time as the arrival of an updated Paceman.

Related: All-new 2014 Mini revealed

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Jim McGill