Naming a new model at MINI must be one of the most fun things to do in the automotive industry. Imagine the marketers, all in tight black tees and cool blue jeans, seated down in their impossibly chic office, to decide the moniker for the coupe version of the Countryman.
“Cityman”? Too predictable. “Townman”? Brings to mind the Lincoln Town Car. “Urbanman”? Witty writers might make turban jokes. “Metroman”? Metrosexuals would love it, but everyone else would hate it. “Paceman” sounds about right, then. No prizes for guessing what MINI will call its first MPV and first supercar – Spaceman and Superman, of course.
This is a happy place for the petrolhead, who’ll be even happier in a proper coupe.
Despite its “Pace” tag, the newcomer is just a little faster than the Countryman, with which it shares its engines and underpinnings. The Paceman looks faster, though, thanks to its two-door body (twice as “speedy” as a four-door) and wedge-shaped silhouette. It has a special colour, too – called Starlight Blue, it’s a funky paint job somewhere between bluish purple and purplish blue. That’s automotive artwork.
A first for MINI is the horizontal orientation of the Paceman’s tail-lamps, which not only deviates from the marque’s usual vertical arrangement but also “eats into” the boot’s aperture. Another first for MINI is the model name emblazoned on the tailgate, with the current-production Countryman also having its designation writ large back there. It’s a touch of “Range Rover”, with a sense of humour.
What’s really funny is that the Paceman targets the same niche segment as the three-door Rangie Evoque. How many trendy, wealthy people out there desire a crossover crossed with a coupe? And how many of these people want a sports-utility with a bit more sports and a lot less utility? Apparently, there’s enough demand from these folks for BMW to make the X6 Sports Activity Vehicle and for MINI to produce the Paceman Sports Activity Coupe.
Providing the “sports” in this case is the proven Cooper S powertrain – a turbocharged and tuneful 1.6-litre 4-pot that puts 184bhp and 240Nm through a 6-speed automatic. A full-throttle overboost function bumps up the torque to 260Nm from 1700rpm to 4500rpm, which literally boosts the engine’s already hearty mid-range. Front-wheel drive is standard, with a four-wheel drive system called All4 available as a factory option.
Rear seating is selfish but adequately spacious, with a multi-utility thingy in the middle.
Even without the additional grip of All4, the powerful Paceman can tackle “track and field” like a sportsman – to be exact, a heavyset 1330kg athlete. It does the 100km/h sprint in 7.8 seconds, an academic 0.1 of a second behind the Cooper S Countryman. In long-distance running, the Paceman hits a maximum of 212km/h, just a little faster than the Countryman’s 210km/h, while both MINIs’ mileage is the same. These performance figures are in hot-hatch territory.
When it comes to “hurdling”, the Paceman dashes through corners like the Countryman, while wearing better trainers. Indeed, our test car was shod with racy Pirelli P Zero tyres, upsized to 225/40 R19. This “fast” footwear works well with the standard, lowered suspension and keeps up with the brisk pace of the Paceman, but it also makes the ride stiffer and sometimes slightly uncomfortable.
Paceman powertrain becomes even livelier in Sport mode, which is a button-push away.
Sticking to the original, already sizeable footwear of 225/45 R18 might be a good idea, especially since the Paceman’s basic handling isn’t off the pace. The braking is excellent, too, apart from a rather “springy” brake pedal that tends to “thud” back.
Countryman owners will feel right at home behind the wheel of the Paceman, but it’s actually less homely. It has two fewer doors, so entry/exit is more inconvenient, and it only seats four, so the unlucky fifth person has to hitch a ride in another vehicle. The seats themselves are reasonably supportive and really attractive, with upholstery that’s described in true MINI style – “Carbon Black Diagonal Track with contrasting seams in Salt & Pepper Grey”. Optional interior materials for the Paceman-about-town include “Cloth/Leather Hot Cross” and “Leather Lounge Red Copper”.
The Paceman’s interior fashion fest continues apace with the peculiar handbrake, humongous speedometer array, quirky pod-like tachometer and retrospective toggle switches (recently reorganised). In other MINIs introduced before the Paceman and 2013-spec Countryman, said switches used to include the window controls, but these have been moved to the door panel armrests, ultimately the most logical place from which to operate the power windows.
Less logical, but still likeable, is the cabin’s Centre Rail. Parked neatly between the rear of the transmission “turret” and the centre of the back-seats, this multi-purpose “rack” is meant for add-on “function elements” such as cupholders, gadget cradles and sunglass boxes. Gimmicky, yes – grill satay, no.
But the aspiring satay man can still wear a straw hat in the Paceman, thanks to decent headroom in the back (despite the sloping roof) and adequate legroom. He also gets a cute armrest on either side and double sunroofs above. In the boot area, there is 330 litres of cargo space – a significant reduction from the Countryman’s 450 litres, but the individually foldable back-seats provide cargo-carrying versatility. Rubber straps and an underfloor compartment make the boot more practical.
Rather impractical, on the other hand, is the pricing of the Cooper S Paceman. It costs $15k more than the equivalent Countryman – quite a premium for a two-door derivative, albeit a pretty fancy one. The $8k price gap between the Cooper Paceman and Cooper Countryman seems more sensible.
This story was first published in the June 2013 issue of Torque.
2013 MINI Cooper S Paceman 1.6 (A)
ENGINE 1598cc, 16-valves, inline-4, turbocharged
MAX POWER 184hp at 5500rpm
MAX TORQUE 240Nm 1600-5000rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 7.8 seconds
TOP SPEED 212km/h
CONSUMPTION 13.3km/L (combined)
CO2 EMISSION 175g/km
Check out the latest MINI Cooper S Countryman here
The BMW X1 takes on the MINI Cooper S Countryman here
