The all-new MINI Paceman will hit Australian showrooms in March, with two trim levels on offer; the MINI Paceman Cooper and the Cooper S. Both feature a new two-door coupe body with four seats, on a jumped up SUV-style platform.
The Paceman is a bit like a MINI Countryman two-door, only it does without the ALL4 all-wheel drive system on the base model Cooper (Cooper S is all-wheel drive). It’s powered by either a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol four-cylinder, or a turbocharged version in the Cooper S.
Kicking off the range, the Cooper produces 90kW of power and 160Nm of torque, which enables the pocket crossover to run from 0-100km/h in 10.4 seconds. Fuel economy on the combined cycle is rated at 6.5L/100km.
Stepping up into the more performance-oriented Cooper S, power is boosted to 135kW while torque peaks at 260Nm during overboost. This enables the Paceman to sprint from 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds. Fuel economy on the combined cycle is rated at 6.6L/100km, only a sip more than the non-turbo variant.
Both variants will come in either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic form. In both versions, the automatic is slower to 100km/h and uses slightly more fuel – 11.5 seconds-7.6L/100km, 7.8 seconds-7.5L/100km; Cooper and Cooper S, respectively.
As for standard kit, the Cooper comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights and wipers, front and rear fog lights, a sports leather steering wheel, ‘Chrome Line’ interior, and Bluetooth/USB compatibility for the media interface.
The Cooper S adds 17-inch alloy wheels, clear indicator lenses, and stainless steel trimmed pedals. Both variants also receive sports seats and sports suspension.
As mentioned, the new model will be available form March. Prices will start as follows (excluding on-road costs):
MINI Cooper Paceman – $35,900
MINI Cooper S Paceman – $44,100
