The Mini Paceman is the eighth addition to the ever-increasing/increasingly-confusing Mini family. Now, try and stay with me here; the Paceman is the smaller, three-door version of the Countryman. Which essentially makes it the smaller, three-door version of the larger five-door version of the original smaller three-door Mini hatch.
Dunno about you, but it makes my head hurt thinking about the Mini line up sometimes…
Anyway, the Paceman is in New Zealand now and we went to a VERY wet Hampton Downs race track to drive it and a whole lot of other Minis both around the track and on the road.
What is it?
As explained above the three-door version of the… Oh, forget it. Just think of the Paceman as Mini’s version of the Range Rover Evoque and you will either understand completely, or be even more confused.
But that IS essentially what it is: a small, sporty SUV-esque type crossover thingie. Except Mini NZ have muddied the waters even more by only making the FWD version of the Paceman available here, as opposed to the AWD versions available in overseas markets.
So for those keeping track of this, that makes it; the smaller, FWD, three-door version of the larger, AWD, five-door version of the original smaller, FWD, three-door Mini hatch.
That may be mind-buggeringly complex, but the good news is that Mini have kept things simple in the choice-department by only bringing in a single, sporty model in the form of the Cooper S.
Landing at $53,500, the Cooper S Paceman boasts Mini’s 1.6-litre, four-cylinder twin-scroll turbo engine that chucks out 135kW of power and 240Nm of torque and will hustle the Paceman to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds, while sucking back fuel at the rate of 6.1L/100km.
It comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission (a six-speed auto is a $3,000 option), 18-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, sports seats, Bluetooth phone connectivity, electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, front and rear fog lights and rain sensing wipers.
As with all things Mini, customisation is a large part of the experience, so the options list is extensive to say the least.
The Paceman is exclusively a four-seater, with the two rear seats separated by a centre rail that those familiar to the front seats of a Mini will be familiar with. This can either run the length of the interior or, as is standard on NZ cars, simply run between the seats allowing for easier access.
What’s it like?
Very much like a Countryman, which is probably not entirely unsurprising.
In comparison to the Mini Hatch, Coupe and Roadster that were also present to drive, the Countryman and Paceman have a more compliant and resolved ride, with an almost unflustered approach to mid-corner bumps and imperfections in the road.
The Paceman still handles like a Mini should, with a tenacious grip on the road and an enthusiastic character that just begs to be driven hard, but an interesting comparison on the track was jumping between the Paceman and the Coupe for a few laps in each. The Paceman felt mature and utterly unflustered on the extremely wet surface, barely even bothering its stability control. It had a compliant, yet sporty ride and betrayed little in the way of concession to the extremely wet conditions.
The Coupe, however, was a far wilder ride. Much firmer in its ride, the Coupe was much more of a handful through the slippery corners (and WAY more fun, it has to be said…), sliding and bouncing around over imperfections on its firm suspension. It felt far more alive and enjoyable for an enthusiastic driver, but nowhere near as confident and solidly-planted as the Paceman, which is a far better thing for the average person…
Inside, the Paceman feels simply massive in comparison to the smaller members of its family, with an interior that is simultaneously more grown-up, yet slightly less convincing than the hatch. Again, just like the Countryman…
What’s good about it?
With its aggressively raked roofline and wide stance, the Paceman looks tough and is a charismatic little beast. Except it ain’t little… It has a great seating position and feels absolutely planted to the road, no matter how slippery underfoot it may be. The interior has a far more sensible layout than the hatch, while still retaining a lot of its character.
Plus if you paint it yellow and prise the “E” off the badge spread along the rear, then you will have a Mini Pac man and that would be awesome…
What’s not so good?
Like I said before; it ain’t little… The interior (like the Countryman) is a bit cheaper feeling and looking than the hatch, despite being more sensibly laid out. The entire concept of what it actually is is just confusing…
You can’t buy one in yellow with the “E” already gone…
First impressions?
Convincing without being overly compelling, the Paceman is a niche within a niche within a niche. Which may be a niche too far, but it still does everything in a completely convincing manner, just like a Countryman, and it is still very enjoyable to drive.
Questions arise mainly around its reason for existence; if a Hatch and Clubman are too small for you and yet a Countryman is still big for you, then most manufacturers (and most people) would suggest you are being WAY too specific. But then the Paceman will be perfect for you.
An entirely-too-niche car for entirely-too-specific people? Almost certainly, but it is still a damn fine car that is good-looking, has decent interior space, excellent handling and a nice ride. Hard to argue with that, no matter how little sense the way it is presented actually makes.
Specifications
Models/prices
Cooper S – $53,500
Powertrain
1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol producing 135kW/240Nm; six-speed manual transmission; front-wheel drive
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
CO2 emissions: 143g/km
Safety
ANCAP/EuroNCAP rating: Not tested yet
Air bags: 6
Stability control: yes
Lap/diagonal belts: 4
