Extending Cooper from a single model to a whole family was probably the best decision Mini could have made. The company now works with a full-size lineup all around the world, and yet managed to do it without bad effects to its image, like through investing too much on cheap cars. Such greed was the responsible of giving green light to some models which have turned extremely successful, but also to ones which made Mini start to think there’s also a moment to stop. Countryman, as you have seen in the past few years, was able to conquer customers of its own, without taking them from the hatchback or Clubman. Coupé, Roadster and Paceman, on the other hand, are being considered too far from what this company can “pull off”.
The problem with the first two could be being too sporty for Mini. Sure, the John Cooper Works variations have collected several accolades through the years, but always by Cooper, a typical “hot hatch”. When you talk about a conventional sports car, in turn, the expectations are much different – and so are the competitors. When we take the spotlights towards Paceman, the problem surely includes its lack of personality: the accessories look sporty, but the overall height gives a hint of Countryman and the price makes it Mini’s flagship. Not to mention only car fans could avoid thinking of it as a taller Cooper easily. There’s no doubt the vehicle is loaded with qualities, but trying to be so many things at once actually leaves it as none of them.
Since it’s not even three years old, Paceman’s updates for 2015 didn’t go further than what Countryman got. The exterior features LED fog lights which include the daytime units, new 17” wheels which come in silver or silver-and-anthracite, and a new trim package with black-painted items. The cabin, on the other hand, was boosted with more anthracite for the instrument cluster, a new infotainment central with more connectivity functions and both automatic climate control and rain sensor coming as standard equipments. Mini also claims to have worked on sound-deadening, by adding more acoustic materials to the trunk and the door panels. Everything else remained untouched, including the circular, Mickey Mouse-inspired dashboard.
Another point where the outgoing Paceman was carried over is powertrain: the omnipresent turbocharged 1.6L comes with 121 hp for the base version, 181 hp at the S variation, and 208 hp at John Cooper Works. Once again you get a six-speed manual transmission as standard, with the six-speed automatic as optional. All-wheel-drive is called ALL4 at Mini, and comes as optional at the S trim and standard at the most powerful. This vehicle had its official debut at this year’s Beijing Auto Show, and will start its production next month. So you can look for it at a dealership after a few more weeks, although not for too long: Mini’s plans of readapting its lineup is expected to replace Paceman with a more conventional crossover in some years.