MINI Paceman 2013 Review

MINI Paceman

What we liked:
>> Unique design
>> Cooper S Paceman’s pace
>> More focussed than Countryman

Not so much:
>> No five-seat option
>> Underwhelming base engine
>> Costs more than Countryman

OVERVIEW
>> Equal parts Countryman coupe and SUV-style three-door hatch
The seventh distinct MINI model may well be the answer to a question nobody asked, with the Paceman crossover effectively being a two-door coupe version of the born-again British small-car brand’s biggest model ever, the five-door Countryman SUV.

In a classic case of form over function, the Countryman coupe – as MINI called the concept version – is less practical because it offers just two rear seats with less headroom in a two-door body that’s just as big, slightly heavier and even lower to the ground than the Countryman, which is also cheaper.

Despite that, MINI claims the more urban-focussed Paceman, which isn’t available with the Countryman’s optional ALL4 all-wheel drive system in Australia, is quicker to 100km/h, although both crossovers are at least half a second slower to the legal limit than the much lighter standard Cooper hatch.

Yet MINI says 99 per cent of its customers’ first consideration is design, and expects to sell about 200 Pacemans to style-conscious, well-paid city-dwellers in Australia this year, making it about a third as popular as the Countryman (its second bigger seller here behind the hatch) and about as successful as the MINI Cabrio, Coupe, Roadster and Clubman.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
>> Less practicality, higher price
MINI joins the new two-door SUV trend with a coupe version of the Countryman that costs $1800 more at $35,900 in basic Cooper form and $44,100 in top-shelf Cooper S turbo guise, with automatic versions adding a further $2350.

That makes the Paceman $4300 more than the equivalent Cooper hatch, MINI’s most popular model, and the all-wheel drive MINI Cooper JCW Paceman will up the ante with even more power in May, priced at about $59,600.

At an expected $1800 more than the MINI JCW Countryman due here March, that will make it the most expensive MINI model.

Australian Pacemans come with almost the same specification as the Countryman, but feature revised door trims with window switches moved from the centre stack, and also add blue/orange ambient lighting, rain-sensing wipers, reverse parking sensors, USB/Bluetooth connectivity, chrome line trim, 10mm-lower sports suspension and 16-inch ‘5-star’alloys with 205/60 tyres.

MINI says that more than compensates for their $1800 premium over the Countryman, buyers of which can also pay extra for all-wheel drive – although only 10 per cent of them do so in Australia.

The Cooper S Paceman adds 17-inch ‘5-Hole’ alloys with 205/55 tyres, DTC traction control with an electronic differential lock (EDLC), a Sport button that changes the electric steering and throttle pedal maps, clear indicator lenses, dual outboard exhaust outlets, a black honeycomb grille insert and Dark Anthracite interior surfaces.

Eight exterior paint colours are available, including the Starlight Blue hero colour (which like all metallic paints adds $800) and a new ‘Blazing Red ‘super solid’ hue that costs $400, and buyers can specify white or black mirrors and the deletion of sports suspension and/or model designation at no extra cost.

A host of options are on offer, including run-flat tyres for $200 (the ‘MINI Mobility System’ repair kit is standard), 17-, 18- and 19-inch alloys ($1000-$3700), two leather seat trims ($2050-$2450), seat heating ($490), chromed exterior mirror caps ($150) and white or black bonnet stripes ($200).

Also available is an electric glass sunroof ($1990), anti-dazzle interior mirror ($250), bi-xenon headlights with washers ($1200), automatic climate-control ($550), a ‘Visual Boost’ sound system ($750), satellite-navigation ($1150, only with the latter), a harman/kardon 10-speaker HiFi system ($1200) and a multitude of interior surface treatments.

A Chilli Package groups many of these for an extra $3200 (Cooper S: $3700).

The MINI Cooper S Paceman, meantime, offers a more powerful twin-scroll turbocharged and intercooled 1.6-litre four delivering 135kW and 240Nm (260Nm during overboost for short periods), consuming 6.6L/100km (auto: 7.5L/100km) and accelerating to 100km/h in a claimed 7.5 seconds (auto: 7.8).

That makes both Pacemans about a tenth quicker to 100km/h than the Countryman, which is the same length and width but taller, making it the biggest MINI ever.

Inexplicably, MINI says the Paceman weighs 10kg more than the equivalent Countryman at 1255kg in base trim (DIN) – which is some 165kg more than the MINI Cooper hatch – while the Cooper S versions adds 50kg and auto versions another 30kg.

Just as strangely, Paceman rides 10mm lower than the Countryman, providing a slightly lower centre of gravity, but the Paceman still provides a higher riding position and more commanding view of the road than the Cooper hatch, thanks to the elevated seats.

It's a no-cost option to delete the lowered suspension, and the Cooper S Paceman rides a further 10mm lower of shorter, firmer springs. Like all MINIs, both models comprise MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link independent rear-end.

PACKAGING

Offered strictly as a four-seater (unlike the Countryman, which now comes standard with a three-position rear bench seat), that means there’s more stretching space outback and, says MINI, enough room for two six-foot rear passengers.

For sure, there’s more room in all directions than in the back of a Cooper hatch, but rear occupants must enter/exit via two front doors and there’s less rear headroom than in the Countryman.

The small luggage space is augmented by twin rear bucket seats that are separated by a ‘centre rail’ housing two cupholders and fold down independently to form an almost flat load area.

The rest of the Paceman package is as per the Countryman, although the more curvaceous roofline and rising shoulder line create a V-shaped side window area and there are horizontal rather than vertical tail-lights, plus a rear roof spoiler and a two-slat (rather than three-) chromed grille with wider surround.

Fitted to the unique body (at least rear of the B-pillar) is the same matt-black lower body cladding as seen on the Countryman but, to avoid confusion, the newest MINI wears large ‘PACEMAN’ lettering on its rump.

Up front, a huge central analogue speedo dominates the interior and doubles as an infotainment and sat-nav display – operated via an 'iDrive light' console knob – when specified.

SAFETY

Brake disc diameters are 307mm front and 280mm rear, and the Paceman should achieve the same maximum five-star EuroNCAP safety rating as the Countryman.

COMPETITORS

It says the average Paceman buyer will be 34 years old with a household income of $170,000, with 70 per cent expected to be male and 77 per cent expected to be married with kids.

The born-again BMW-owned British brand believes 80 per cent of Paceman buyers are willing to spend at least $40,000 on a coupe, crossover or wagon, and that 99 per cent will research rival models and want a car that looks distinctive.

Given all that and its niche appeal, it’s hard to pin down the Paceman’s most direct rivals, but the only two-door crossover currently available is the larger Range Rover Evoque, which has rapidly become one of the nation’s top-selling luxury SUVs.

Porsche is expected to offer a three-door version of next-year’s all-new Macan crossover, but unlike small five-door premium SUVs like the Audi Q3 and top-end compact Japanese crossovers, it will in another price league.

MINI believes the Paceman is sufficiently different from anything in its range not to cannibalise sales of its own existing models.

ON THE ROAD

Indeed, with just two doors, two rear seats and window switches finally in their correct position (on the doors), the Paceman is even more practical than the Cooper hatch but remains truer to the original MINI recipe than the Countryman does.

Unfortunately, while the turbocharged Cooper S Paceman offers the same spritely performance as other S-badged MINIs, that extends to a shallow footwell that makes it hard for taller drivers to feel comfortable at the wheel, and to the base model’s lethargic performance.

Like all MINI’s the naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol four is docile off the line, requires at least 3000rpm on board to be useful, revs reluctantly to 6500rpm and combines with tall gearing and plenty of electronic flywheel effect to make it more of a chore than a delight to drive.

And although it’s one of the best, the optional six-speed automatic transmission simply exacerbates all this.

While it’s not quite as ‘go-kart-like’ as the standard MINI hatch in terms of handling dynamics, the Paceman is sharper than the Countryman, offering pin-sharp steering and tenacious levels of grip and front-drive traction – even if hard throttle inputs are met with plenty of torque steer in the Cooper S – on a smooth surface.

Travel away from them onto typically sub-standard Aussie roads, as we did on the launch, and the Paceman also presents familiar MINI traits like steering kickback, crashy ride quality and a lively back-end that can skip and bounce sideways if driven too enthusiastically over mid-corner potholes or bumps.

In a classic case of style over substance, therefore, the prettier two-door Paceman is just as big and heavy as its five-door Countryman stablemate, but offers far less practicality because there’s less luggage space, less rear head room and two fewer doors.

It might be slightly sharper to drive than the Countryman, but that’s because it rides closer to the ground, negating the main reason for buying an ‘SUV’, and at least the Countryman is available with all-wheel drive.

The fact is that apart from its SUV styling, the Paceman brings little to the MINI table. Indeed, most customers would be better off in the lighter, quicker and almost as commodious MINI hatch, which remains one of the most dynamic premium front-drive small cars available.

But people buy MINIs for their form not their function, so if you’re after one that stands out from the crowd and is more exclusive than most – and don’t need more than two seats as in the Coupe or Roadster – then the Paceman could well be the MINI for you.

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