Mini has officially unveiled the 2013 Paceman, ahead of its world debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show later this month.
Basically a two-door version of the Mini Countryman, the seventh production model in the British automaker’s lineup "symbolizes the innovative combination of go-kart feeling on the road and enhanced versatility through optional all-wheel drive."
As for the exterior, the model has a sportier downward-sloping roofline and greenhouse tapering towards the rear, a chrome-trimmed hexagonal grille, longer front doors, muscular flared wheel arches, sloping rear window and 16-inch wheels. For the first time, the rear taillights feature a horizontal design, which the automaker says helps emphasize the car’s width.
Inside, the cabin gets a strictly four-seat layout with individual seating for the rear passengers and a boot space of 330-liter that can grow to 1,080-liter by folding down the rear seats.
Under the hood, the three-door crossover will have a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines:
Petrol options include the Cooper Paceman with a 119 hp 1.6-liter engine and a 0-100 km/h time of 10.8 seconds. This model returns a fuel economy of 6.0-liter/100km (47.1mpg UK or 39.2mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 140 g/km.
The Cooper S Paceman features a 181 hp 1.6-liter engine offering a 0-100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds while returning 6.1-liter/100km (46.3mpg UK or 38.6mpg US) and CO2 emissions of 143 g/km.
Diesel options include the Cooper D Paceman with a 110 hp 1.6-liter turbocharged engine and a 0-100 km/h time of 10.8 seconds. Fuel economy is 4.4-liter/100km (64.2mpg UK or 53.5mpg US) and 115 g/km emissions.
The Cooper SD Paceman, which is powered by a 141 hp 2.0-liter engine, can accelerate from 0-100 km/h is 9.2 seconds. This model has a fuel economy of 4.6-liter/100km (61.4mpg UK or 51.1mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 122 g/km.
All models are linked with a standard six-speed manual gearbox and an optional six-speed automatic transmission. The most powerful Cooper S version comes with standard all-wheel drive, while the other three models are front-wheel drive (or an option MINI's ALL-4 all-wheel drive system).
The Mini Paceman will go on sale in the UK on March 15 with pricing starts at £18,970.
