MINI Paceman coupe for $35k

The MINI Paceman two-door coupe SUV will arrive in Australia in mid March, 2013, offered with petrol engines only at this stage, in naturally aspirated and turbocharged 1.6-litre guises.

BMW Australia's Head of Corporate Communications, Piers Scott, told motoring.com.au the Paceman will command a price premium over the Countryman on which it's based, despite having two fewer doors and less interior room.

"The premium over Countryman here will be under $2000," he said, but cautioned that it wasn't a case of less car for more money.

He said the Paceman was a more expensive vehicle because "It's more of a driver's car" and something he says "is true of any coupe/sedan comparison".

With the entry-level MINI Cooper Countryman priced at $33,700 at the time of writing, we can expect the MINI Cooper Paceman to kick off at around $35,000. All models will be paired with six-speed manual gearboxes, and six-speed autos will be optional.

Only two models will be offered initially says Mr Scott, petrol-only Cooper and Cooper S variants, which are powered by 1.6-litre petrol engines developing 88kW and 135kW – capable of propelling the cars from 0-100km in 10.4 and 7.5 seconds respectively.

European Cooper S Paceman variants also come as standard with MINI's ALL4 all-wheel drive system. However due to low take-up of the 4WD system for the Countryman in Australia, ALL4 will not be standard on local Cooper S models.

Mr Scott indicated that Australia will be getting the hard-edged JCW performance models but couldn't comment on its timing.

"Final specification is still being nailed down and early next year we'll announce pricing. I can tell you the engines we'll take, which are the Cooper and Cooper S at this stage. There is said to be a John Cooper Works variant coming."

Diesel versions of the Paceman have not been ruled out for Australia, but are unlikely to be imported in the short term. Vehicles will begin arriving in mid March, 2013, and their arrival represents a first for the British brand, launching at the same time as major international marketplaces.

"We will launch together with the rest of the world in the second/third week of March 2013," said Mr Scott, who confirmed it would be a synchronised global rollout.

He said that MINI will be "launching [Paceman] in line with the rest of the world" because production for the vehicle will be ramped up over the next couple of months, meaning there's more stock to go around. This will compensate for the usual lag BMW Australia has experienced in terms of transport times.

Measuring the same 4110mm long and 1789mm wide as the Countryman with which it shares its underpinnings and front end bodywork, the Paceman rides 10mm lower, has a 20mm lower roof and has a two-door coupe-like body shape. It has four seats instead of five and less boot space, down from 350 litres in the Countryman to 330 litres.

But in its favour it has sportier suspension, which MINI says provides the vehicle with a more lively character.

"Paceman was settled upon on the basis it reflects the practicality and larger lifestyle aspects of the countryman but is a performance oriented car and puts dynamics ahead of practicality," opined Mr Scott.

He noted that buyers will be mostly male due to its improved performance levels that give it a "particularly strong male appeal" but denies the Paceman is the car the Countryman should have been.

"It answers a different question. Countryman was developed on the basis that we had customers trading in their MINI hatches with tears in their eyes ... there was just no way they could work their lifestyle needs with a hatch or clubman."

Scott says the Paceman doesn't have any direct competitors, but confirms the Range Rover Evoque is on the tertiary target list.

"In Australia we've got Evoque in our sights. It is a bigger car but it's realistic to assume that customers would be shopping the two against each other."

"On the basis of price alone I think we've got a good story to tell. In terms of its proportions, [Evoque] is not that much bigger."

Stay tuned for our launch review of the new MINI Cooper S Paceman.

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