VIDEO: Mini Cooper Paceman review

...AND then there were seven: we’ve got the standard Cooper, the Clubman, the Roadster, the Coupe, the Cabriolet, the Countryman and now - the Paceman.

Essentially it’s the coupe version of the Countryman SUV: three doors and four seats, the two in the back being separate thrones. In the case of my test car, they were upholstered in a fetching mix of tartan fabric and leather.

The Paceman is a taller, roomier version of the original, with a real boot, and quite a sizable one at that.

It’s a maxi Mini, as many people feel compelled to point out, and the first with horizontal instead of vertical taillights.

I was given the base model to review, which has Mini’s standard four-cylinder 1.6-litre, 90kW petrol engine.

It carries a basic price tag of R300 000, but the test car carried a whopping R63 000 worth of optional extras, including the sunroof, menacing 18-inch black alloys and a driver’s armrest.

There are also 135kW Cooper S and 155kW John Cooper Works versions, those two being available in all-wheel-drive.

As for transmissions, the Cooper and Cooper S are available as automatics, but not the seriously racy JCW.

 

So given that this base Paceman has the same engine doing the work under its striped bonnet as its much more mini sibling, power isn’t exactly overwhelming - it goes from standstill to 100kays in 10.4 seconds.

But while it’s not quite the pocket rocket its go-faster stripes and other racy cues would have you believe, for most, I daresay, it will feel perky enough, and it has that famous go-kart feel - very nimble and agile.

It feels like driving a fun toy, loaded with premium spec.

I was delighted to discover that the Paceman’s power windows are operated by means of convention buttons on the door rests, in place of those fiddling little switches at the bottom of the console, as with the other Minis.

Standard spec on this base model includes air conditioning and radio/CD player, and options - besides the sunroof, wheels and armrest - include adaptive headlights, rain sensor, parking sensors, satnav, a Harman Kardon sound system and internet connectivity.

Clearly this isn’t a value-for-money motoring proposition. You can get a lot more car for your money than this. But that’s never been the point of Mini. The brand is an intoxicating salute to style over function; a blend of premium retro sassiness which an abundance of people are clearly prepared to pay handsomely for.

This latest brand extension will no doubt find a happy place for itself in the burgeoning Mini family.

Prices

MINI Cooper Paceman R299 236
MINI Cooper Paceman Auto R312 600
MINI Cooper S Paceman R360 407
MINI Cooper S Paceman Auto R378 302
MINI Cooper S Paceman All4 R411 400
MINI Cooper Paceman JCW R440 500

The numbers (base model)

Engine: 4 cylinder, 1.6 litre petrol
Max power: 90kW @ 6000 rpm
Max torque: 160 Nm @ 4200rpm
Acceleration: 0-100km in 10,4 seconds
Fuel consumption: claimed combined average of 6.5 litres per 100 kms
CO2 emissions: 152 grams per km