MINI Paceman JCW 2013 Review - International

Not so much:
>> Heavy and not nimble
>> Doesn’t have JCW urge
>> Still struggling to find a point

MINI’s hierarchy decided years ago that what it needed was a bigger version of the MINI, so it created the Countryman. Then it decided it needed a smaller version of the Countryman, so it created the Paceman.

Now the Paceman is a two-door MINI, just like the MINI hatch, the MINI Coupe and the MINI Clubman, but it rides higher on the Countryman’s stance and offers all-wheel drive.

The Paceman JCW takes that and adds more speed and a bigger price, but if you think it adds speed in the same way the MINI Cooper S JCW adds speed, think again…

What is that going to get you? There will be a certain amount of exclusivity, for one thing, because not too many other people will dive this deep into a niche this small.

It’s going to also get you 18-inch wheels and tyres, a tyre-pressure monitor, Dynamic Stability Control, Traction Control and an electronic front differential lock.

JCW versions are supposed to be harder and faster, but much of the spec list looks softer and heavier. That list would include Bluetooth connectivity, a USB socket, leather steering wheel, reversing sensors, climate control, heated seats, a glass sunroof that tilts and slides and automatic dimming for all three mirrors. There is also satnav, a central speedo and the MINI rail is standard.

It’s quite familiar everywhere else, with its converted front-drive architecture housing an all-wheel drive system, a turbocharged, 1.6-litre four-cylinder and choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

The engine has long been a nice piece of kit, with 160kW of power being developed out of its 1598cc of direct-injected engine. It also boasts variable valve timing and a twin-scroll turbocharger and revs out to around 6300rpm, even if its best work finishes around 6000rpm.

That’s where it works out its power peak, and there are two different torque numbers it can bring to bear: either the standard 280Nm between 1900rpm and 5000rpm or the over-boosted, temporary figure of 300Nm between 2100 and 4500rpm.

Both of its transmissions are familiar items, though the electromagnetic centre differential for the all-wheel drive system has only been seen before in ALL4 Countryman and stock Paceman models.

There is the very familiar MacPherson strut front suspension system, which couples to a multi-link rear-end. Compared to even the Cooper S Paceman, the springs and dampers are stiffer, the bushes are stiffer and the anti-roll bars are thicker.

There are bigger brakes, too, though only the 307mm x 24mm front discs are ventilated, while the 296mm rears are solid.

It’s not much lower, being dropped 10mm, but it’s a bit odd that the car that was sent to ride higher is now riding lower again.

Inside, there are just four seats, separated by MINI’s central rail. This is an option magnet and the upside to it is that you don’t have to commit to anything when you buy the car. You can dive in and add to it later. It houses things like a sunglasses holder, any number of cupholders and consoles and, well, it goes on and on.

All four of its seats are sporty, leather numbers, and the rear seats fold flat to bump the hatch/boot/liftback (we couldn’t work out which one to call it) from its standard 330 litres to 1080 litres. And beneath that cargo floor is a 47-litre fuel tank.

The odd thing is that it’s no smaller than the Countryman despite its two-door status. In fact, it’s 27mm longer, with a 4124mm overall length to fit the (original) MINI ethos better than the five-door SUV does. It shares the Countryman’s 2596mm wheelbase and it’s also 1786mm wide (not so mini) and, at 1527mm high, is 44mm lower than the five-door version.

But we have been conditioned to believe certain things about the John Cooper Works brand and pudgy softness is not amongst them.

The sheer size of the Paceman bodyshell hasn’t benefited from any significant weight reduction program in the JCW, so its performance in a straight line feels more in keeping with something wearing a Cooper badge, not a JCW one.

MINI claims it will sprint to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds, which is swift without being vivacious, and it has a top speed of 226km/h (with a manual gearbox, anyway). Neither is it especially frugal, with a 7.4L/100km (NEDC) combined fuel consumption figrue. Beefing up will do that to you.

The extra ride height (that’s still demonstrably higher than the stock MINI regardless of rising up only to come down a bit again) makes it pretty easy to swing in and out of and the seat slides are long enough that it’s even easy to get into the back seats. With the all-wheel drive stuff soaking up space under the rear, there’s not as much room in the back seat as there probably should be.

The seats are typically comfortable, supportive and all in all it’s a pleasant place to sit, without feeling demonstrably different to any other JCW model. MINI might boast of its seven-model lineup, but they all look exactly the same from the driver’s seat (even the surprisingly fun Clubvan we tested a few days before this one). That’s why we won’t talk much about interior comfort or controls. It has all been done before.

The 1.6-litre four starts calmly and comfortably. It’s an easy engine to drive, with its flexible low-rev behaviour and it’s also a quiet companion for highway driving.

It’s perhaps a touch too quiet until you click the Sport button, which makes it louder in the exhaust, tightens up the throttle response and makes the steering a touch sharper, too.

It might tighten up the throttle response, but it doesn’t instantly turf 200kg to make the JCW punch like a JCW and, as loud as it gets, it doesn’t ever lift a single hair on the neck.

The biggest competition we had in the JCW was in Sport mode, where you challenge each other to keep the over-run’s BRAAAP going as long as possible.

It is smooth, though, and it’s always ready to flex its muscles. Another thing that makes that easier to do is a chassis that never feels less than faithful.

That’s not to say that it’s spritely or brings a giggle to your lips. It doesn’t. It’s just too big. In fact, in its top two gears, it feels like the engine is demonstrably too small for the car.

But you do admire it and you do feel safe in it – safe enough that even moderately skilled operators will be getting to grips with its limits in no time. Its terrifically competent and you can jump onto the throttle far earlier than you can in the front-drive MINI hatches.

MINI says its centre diff can send 100 per cent of the drive to either axle whenever it wants to, which means it’s not only useful for taking care of excess torque, but will be useful in the rain and even light offroad use as well -- as far as you can go offroad on 18-inch (or even the optional 19-inch) alloys.

Where it does pick up from the MINI Cooper JCW hatch is in its ride quality. It’s quite good at covering road imperfections and keeping them isolated from the occupants. Not quite cossetting but very good.

But is that really why people spend the extra money for a JCW? This car feels a lot like it’s asking you to spend more to get the sort of performance MINI should have delivered with the Paceman Cooper S in the first place.

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