Mini Paceman 2014 News

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 

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."