Mini Paceman News

Australians used to be spoiled for choice.

Sometimes carmakers mess with the recipe when it comes to different vehicle niches with great success.Whoever rolled the dice on combining an SUV body style with a coupe is probably laughing now because they have become ubiquitous.

Mini adds $5000 worth of extras to Paceman and Countryman for 2015.More gear for the same asking price - that's the message Mini is sending with its revamped Countryman and Paceman.The BMW-owned British brand has given the pair some extra pep as well for their arrival next month but the claimed $5000 worth of extra gear is likely to generate more interest.The brand says the added features include satnav, audio upgrade and trim tweaks Its dashboard will have a 'new-look" instrument dial layout and air vent controls. Denser sound insulation improve scabin refinement.Cooper S versions of each, and the All4 variant of the Countryman, will pump out an extra 5kW. External changes include LED fog/daytime running lights, heated mirrors and windscreen washers.Countryman owners are not necessarily expected to go off-road - a main road through to the snow is more likely - so in addition to the heating functions there's also a new Offroad styling package standard on Cooper S All4 and Cooper SD All4 variants.Mini says the improvements are worth $5000, but it says it is (generously) absorbing these costs and aligning the prices - the upgraded Countryman and Paceman will start from $34,150, which is a $50 rise for the former and a cut for the latter by $1650.Mini Australia general manager Kai Bruesewitz says the brand is in the middle of 'an exciting and eventful year".'The launch of the all-new Mini Hatch in April heralded a new era in Australia, with enhanced specifications and a major increase in customer value," he says.Sales have perhaps not reflected the maker's excitement, which is why staffers are looking forward to the five-door.So far this year only 1258 Mini vehicles have rolled from showrooms, a 17 per cent drop on its 2013 performance to the same point. Alfa Romeo and Porsche, among others, are outselling Mini.Bruesewitz says there is more to come from the British automotive icon.

It means every Mini model including hatch, Clubman, Coupe, Cabriolet, Roadster, Paceman, Countryman and GP now includes a John Cooper Works, or JCW, variant.All are powered by a new generation 1.6 litre four-cylinder direct injection engine featuring twin-scroll turbo technology, variable valve control and a host of technical features.Highlights include reinforced cylinder head and pistons, sodium filled exhaust valves and lightweight crankshaft which help the excellent revving capability With a maximum output of 155kW and 260 Nm of torque (280 Nm with overboost), which increases to 160kW and 280Nm (300Nm with overboost) in the all-wheel-drive JCW Countryman and  JCW Paceman.The exhaust note is trumpeted through a JCW sports exhaust system, which produces a deliberately tuned raw note under acceleration, along with a symphony of burbles and crackles on over-run.In two-wheel drive variants, the drive is transferred to the front wheels via a  six-speed manual transmission. In the case of the JCW Paceman and JCW Countryman, power is channelled via the electromagnetic centre differential of the all-wheel-drive system between the front and rear axles to all four wheels.An optional six-speed automatic transmission is available for all JCW variants except the JCW GP limited edition model. JCW sports suspension, which comes as either standard or a no-cost-option depending on the model, has dynamically tuned dampers and anti-roll bars.  Stopping power is enhanced by a high performance sports-brake system.A Sports button in the centre console allows the driver to tweak the engine's responses and soundtrack, as well as the power assistance provided by the steering. In models fitted with automatic transmissions, pressing the Sport button also quickens shift times.

There probably isn't a huge market for a somewhat off-road-capable, three-door, sporty, compact hatchback. So what is the market for a more hardcore, sporty, less off-road-capable version of that same hatchback?We're not sure, but that's exactly what the MINI Paceman John Cooper Works is. This is our first look at the hot edition of the Paceman, courtesy of rampant leakage around the web today ahead of its official debut, expected sometime in the coming months.The 2013 MINI Paceman the John Cooper Works edition is based on was just unveiled to the public at the 2012 Paris Auto Show in September, so the JCW is close on the heels of its more normal (though still somewhat oddball) counterpart.Leaked to the web without specs or information, the MINI John Cooper Works Paceman is already familiar--if not quite pleasing--to our eyes. But do the official details on MINI's latest car persuade us to want to like it?Close, but not quite. You see, this is arguably the most confusing and least attractive cut of MINI's one-sausage-many-lengths theory of design. Pairing the high-riding and soft-roading qualities of the Countryman with the enthusiast-focused John Cooper Works formula could have resulted in a three-door MINI Paceman Baja Edition--a sort of micro-Raptor.Instead, it leaves us with a John Cooper Works Paceman, good for 7 seconds to 100km/h from a 160 kilowatts turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine driving ALL4 all-wheel drive. Peak torque of 300 newton-meters is available from 1,700 rpm to 4,500 rpm with the Overboost function enabled--pretty stout for a smallish turbo four.A choice of manual or automatic six-speed transmissions is available, and it won't affect the 0-100km/h times. But as strong as that little engine is, the 7-second 0-100km/h time hints at the problems of going tall and off-road-ish: weight. The JCW Paceman is quicker than the JCW Countryman, but not by much.By way of contrast, the Scion FR-S manages a rather anemic 147 kilowatts from its boxer engine, with at most about three-quarters the torque of the MINI JCW Paceman's engine--and even then, it's all at the top of the tach--and yet it can dash to 100km/h in about the same time, with rear-wheel drive only.The comparison is apples to oranges on everything, and all of it should favour the MINI. But the clock doesn't. That spells a stout curb weight to us. MINI doesn't disabuse us of this notion with the official announcement--curb weight isn't anywhere to be found.www.motorauthority.com 

The Paceman, which was only a motor show concept at Detroit in 2010, hits Australian showrooms early next year. It follows the Countryman, Clubman van, and a long string of other teases including the Mini Coupe and Roadster from the spotlights to the stop lights.The production Paceman is based on the biggest of the existing Mini models, the all-wheel drive Countryman, and is likely to be the last addition to the Mini lineup before BMW Group - which owns the iconic British brand - gives it a total renewal.The production Paceman continues almost unchanged from the styling of the concept car, with the emphasis on performance including a Cooper S model that will sprint to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds. “It's the seventh body shape in the mini range,” the spokesman for Mini in Australia, Piers Scott, confirms to Carsguide.“It's March next year for Australia. We're pretty solid on that. The cars are being built in Austria in November.” He will not discuss prices or equipment but confirms the Paceman's position at the top of the local lineup, and a likely price tag of more than $55,000.“It will sit above the countryman. It's the flagship,” says Scott. “It will have a small premium over the Countryman.” The body of the Paceman is a three-door hatch but it is much bigger than the basic Mini that opens the action, and its interior is focussed on a luxury four-seater cabin that provides individual chairs for two people in the back. These include armrests for back-seat passengers, extra leg and knee room, and a central storage system.Mini confirms a sporty focus for the Paceman chassis, but also reveals a luggage capacity of up to 1080 litres. “It's the largest platform and the sportiest iteration of what the Mini brand currently offers. This is the furtherest extrapolation of the Countryman,” says Scott. The large central speedometer continues as a Mini signature, although it could be the last model with this emphasis as the upcoming replacement for the Mini Cooper is believed to have a more-conventional dashboard design.European sources point to a preview of the car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in almost exactly a year's time. “Yes, there is a replacement for the Mini hatch to come. That will, no doubt, bring new design elements,” confirms Scott. “There are certain elements that every Mini must have, so I wouldn't expect anything too radical for the new hatch. We should get a look at it next year. I believe it will be later in the year.” 

The front-wheel drive Paceman - due to go on sale early to mid-2013 and likely come here following that - is claimed by Mini to be the world’s first small premium “Sports Activity Coupe”. It’s based on the Mini Countryman SUV, but with two less doors, a sleeker roofline and lowered suspension.Fans of Mini styling will find nothing to shock in the cabin, with the biggest change the window switchgear migrating from the centre dash to the doors. And in signature Mini practice, there’ll be a host of colours combinations to pick for body, roof and side mirrors.The Paceman shares the same four-cylinder engine line-up we get here in the Countryman: a 105kW/305Nm turbodiesel and 90kW/160Nm, 82kW/270Nm and 135kW/240Nm petrol units - the last of those in the Cooper S that Mini says gets to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds and hits a top speed of 217km/h.Transmission choices are six-speed manual and six-speed automatic, with all-wheel drive as an option. A John Cooper Works version is also reportedly on the plan, and is bound to take the performance promise above the opening top-spec Cooper S. 

MINI’s latest effort, the Paceman Coupe, is set to be revealed in production form at this month’s Paris Auto Show. The automaker also featured the upcoming Countryman-based coupe in an online article on the London food scene, inadvertently releasing this particular cat from its bag earlier than intended.Motoringfile, a site dedicated to all things MINI, was the first to (unofficially) post the photos, which it believed were fair game after having been shown on MINI Space, an official MINI site. “Not so fast,” said MINI, requesting that Motoringfile remove the images until it was ready to release them. In turn, MINI Space pulled the article down as well.Since there are no secrets on the internet, the images are now in general distribution, prompting Motoringfile to post them up again. Expect to be flooded with more images as we get closer to the opening of the Paris Auto Show, as the Paceman represents a fairly significant departure from the ordinary for MINI.More than a few people have pointed out the design similarities between the Paceman and Range Rover’s uber-popular Evoque, and it’s easy to see the styling influences on MINI’s latest. The gently falling roof, coupled with a rising beltline and blacked-out A, B and C-pillars, convey a sense of motion on both vehicles, and both are offered in front or all-wheel-drive.We say that’s where the similarities end, especially when it comes to personalities, We (obviously) haven’t driven the Paceman yet, but we expect it will be a much different animal than the Range Rover Evoque.Motor Authority 

Mini recently gave a global green light to the cute Clubvan concept, and has also cleared the way for full-scale production of the Paceman.The production version of the Paceman should be unveiled at the Paris motor show in September and the first Australian deliveries are likely around April of 2013. Pricing is yet to be set but, since the Paceman body sits over the mechanical package of the Countryman, it's likely to have showroom stickers starting around $45,000."Yes, the Paceman has been give a go-ahead. We'll get it early next year," confirms Piers Scott, spokesman for Mini in Australia. "Production is slightly delayed. So it's end of quarter one, start of quarter two, for us."The Paceman is the latest in a long series of successful motor show teases intended to stretch the Mini brand. But it's not the start of something new on the size or mechanical front, as originally believed, just another stretch of the existing Mini package.It's the seventh individual model in the current Mini family, although there is no chance of the Clubvan making it to Australia because of the cost of 'Australianising' the cargo barrier set permanently into the space behind the rear seats. This has now emerged as the 'homologation' drama blocking any local certification, although dealers were also only prepared to commit to fewer than two-dozen sales."Clubvan is definitely not on the radar for us," Scott repeats to Carsguide. "We believe we would only sell a very small number here. It doesn't warrant the cost associated with local homologation." The Paceman plan is much more aggressive for Australia because of its sporty looks and, thanks to the Countryman chassis, two adult-sized rear seats.It's upscale position means it is only likely to be sold in Australia with the Cooper S and John Cooper Works engine packages, together with sports chassis tuning. "It's a sportier two-door model. It's based on the Countryman, with the longer wheelbase, but with very sporty tuning. "Yes, it will have a slight price premium over an equivalent Countryman," Scott says.He says Range Rover has proven, with its city-focussed Evoque, that there is a strong customer base for two and four-door versions of the same basic body. "In the case of Paceman, there will be greater visual differentiation from the Countryman than is the case with the land Rover models. It's wider and squatter."So, who is a potential Paceman buyer? "Where Mini customers in the past were constrained by size, we're now able to tick all the boxes for driving and the ability to put two people in the back or chuck a surfboard on the top. It meets the lifestyle needs. We're taking it into more sportier territory than the Countryman," says Scott.And what about engine choices? "There will certainly be more than one engine, but the engine line-up is yet to be confirmed. We see the main demand in the sportier models, so in a Cooper S and JCW package, if those are made available." 

... Paceman, which has been developed from a motor show tease into a car that could be sold as the Countryman Coupe.It's another of the more practical Mini models - definitely less wild than the Coupe - and is certain to join the line down under.