Mini Paceman In The Open Air

By Henny Hemmes
Senior European Editor
The Auto Channel

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, July 29,2012. Even though the Mini Paceman will be unveiled at the Paris Auto Show on September 28, some media were taken to south Europe for the first test drives. With prototypes that were partly disguised. But the pictures show much of the upcoming new model.

Compared to the Countryman, the 3-door four-seater stands 1.57 inches lower, which reflects in 0.4 inch less head room for rear passengers, while the kerb weight is 44 pounds less. At the market introduction that is schedules for March 2013, there will be a choice of engines of two petrol and two diesel variants: the Cooper with 112 hp and the Cooper S with 814, while the Cooper D and Cooper SD have 112 and 143 hp respectively.

The Paceman is equipped with Electric Power Steering and will be offered with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission and all models will be available with ALL4 all-wheel drive.

The Paceman matches the fuel efficiency of the Countryman, with 6 l/100 km (EU cycle), or 47.08 mpg imp with 140 g CO2/km) for the petrol versions and 4.4 l/100km, or 64.2 mpg imp with 115 g CO2/km for the diesels.

In Europe, the Mini Paceman will be priced approximately €1,500 over a comparable Countryman. Both models are built at Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria.

More details will be available by the end of September