MINI Cooper Paceman JCW 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $58,600
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Centre Rail $150; Sat Nav $1150
Crash rating: Five-star ANCAP
Fuel: 98 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 7.4 (combined)
CO2 emissions (g/km): 172 (combined)
Also consider: Range Rover Evoque (from $49,995 plus on-road costs); Subaru WRX STI (from $59,990 plus ORCs); Audi Q3 (from $47,500 plus ORCs)

It wasn't easy, but I think I may have found the MINI Paceman's reason for being: dirt roads!

Although the original idea of the re-born BMW-owned MINI in 2001 was to reconstruct a chic, urban, trend-setting automobile icon, the larger four-wheel drive Countryman and now Paceman models feel somewhat vestigial -- until you find a nicely-graded section of dirt road.

Granted, the suspension settings on the MINI Paceman John Cooper Works (JCW) on test are best described as stiff and unforgiving, jarring and juddering unkindly over corrugations and pot holes, but the cars quick steering and feisty engine make it a barrel of laughs on gravel.

The two-door Paceman JCW has better traction than its front-drive siblings thanks to MINI’s ALL4 all-wheel drive setup. It feels more stable on gravel and/or rain-soaked sealed roads which, in turn, gives the driver more confidence to explore the vehicle's performance threshold, and in an even greater range of scenarios.

The ALL4 system can divert up to 100 per cent of engine power to the front or rear axle, and in practice this means you can jump on the loud pedal harder and earlier when punching out of corners.

Indeed, squirt and shoot is the order of the day and the Paceman JCW's chassis is communicative enough to feel what the car is doing beneath you. By doing so, you know when you've given it too much... Or in some cases not enough.

The big ‘mini’, is heavier and slower, but it retains the exuberance manifest in MINI hatch models and in doing so makes even a short trips to the shops gratifying.

The pop and crackle from the exhaust note never fails to amuse, and although the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine has been around a while, it's still a terrific little performer. It belts out 160kW at 6000rpm and 280Nm from 1800rpm. Peak torque rises to 300Nm for short periods with the help of an overboost function, and MINI reckons it'll get up and boogy to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds.

Being around 200kg heavier than the JCW hatch, it doesn't deliver the same visceral thrill and rarely loses traction (not sure if that's a bad thing), but the engine is still one of the car's best assets and pulls strongly when the turbo is on song.

MINI's powertrain engineers have kept the turbo four-banger intentionally peaky, and the way turbo boost hits hardest high in the rev range gives the car real personality. Sure, it's a bit gutless low in the rev range, but it's nice to feel some character as you explore the engine's abilities.

Fuel economy is claimed by MINI to be 7.4L/100km (combined), but the reality during this test was closer to 10 litres when driven in a spirited manner around town. Freeway driving can bring that figure down, but not by much, unless you do a lot of it.

The seventh model from MINI could be considered a logical step-up for MINI hatch or coupe buyers who need more boot space and rear seat room. Best yet, it retains all the individuality and quirkiness that have made MINI so popular.

Now I say quirkiness, but to be honest I found some of the car's controls and functionality wanting. The switchgear is about as intuitive as coding HTML wearing a blindfold, and while the retro toggle switches look and feel good, they are so different to almost every other car out there at first it's difficult to master.

Certainly it won't be a problem for previous MINI owners, but newcomers to the brand might find the controls illogically placed.

The JCW is fitted with a lovely high-resolution infotainment screen that looks great with its circular motif. The sat nav is good but interfacing with it takes a bit of getting used to owing to a small rotary dial located near the gearshifter. That there were fingerprints all over the screen suggests that MINI should look into developing touchscreen technology.

Other than those quibbles and average front seats -- they need more bolstering and higher quality materials for a range-topping $60K sports model -- the interior is very cool. The unorthodox layout includes a clever rail system between the front and rear seats that can slide beverage holders fore and aft, the multicolour LED lighting is moody, and red interior accents provide a sporty ambience.

Even the aviation-inspired handbrake looks cool!

Interior space is decent for a car that measures just over 4100mm in length, and the 2+2 seating configuration is relatively adult friendly; ditto entry and egress for rear seat passengers.

Cargo space does suffer a tad with the all-wheel drive system consuming some of the available area (around 20 litres compared to the derivative model). In total there’s 330 litres of space available, or 1080 litres with the rear seats tumbled over.

Overall I have mixed feelings about the MINI Paceman JCW. The ride quality for everyday use is too firm and tends to jiggle and crash over minor road imperfections. The manual gearshift is notchy and the lever slotting into its gates with all the finesse of a walrus.

I'd probably take the regular Paceman S at $44,100 (plus ORCs) over the JCW, whose $58,600 asking price offers plenty of scope to investigate the Range Rover Evoque. But for all its foibles the Paceman JCW is a fun two-door vehicle that looks and feels like few other cars out there.

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