Photo: Autos.ca
When the Paceman was announced by MINI, the world stopped for a moment. Everyone thought that the brains at MINI must've gone mad or something. Why would you want a Countryman with only 2 doors? Well, that was exactly what Peter Bleakney from Autos.ca thought. After this week-long test-drive his view was changed by 180 degrees.
The Paceman won him over with exactly what the British Company is advertising: pure driving enjoyment. The 2-door Countryman is a very fun car to drive and, especially when fitted with the ALL4 system, will keep you entertained all day long.
The interior might be a little uncomfortable for people taller than 5'10" (175 cm), especially in the back and the club-like lighting on the doors and interior might not be suitable for everyone's taste but this little car is alive.
Take it down the road and the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine will put all of its 181 HP and 177 lb-ft (240Nm) of torque at your disposal quickly and smoothly. The car they tested had a 6-speed automatic gearbox that is quite hard to get used to since BMW continues to use the "ridonkulous toggle-type shift paddles with their push-for-downshift and pull-for-upshift operation".
The Paceman comes with the sport suspension as standard, sitting 10mm (0.4") lower than the Countryman and weighs 20 kg less (even with the ALL4 all-wheel-drive system). Having only 2 doors, the Paceman is a little more sturdy too and the seat cushions are slightly lower in order to accommodate the taller ones of us.
Overall, the car is impressive. At a first glance you might say it is a bit overpriced and not practical at all. However, after a while behind the wheel you start to understand why MINI decided to launch this controversial model and why it will become a top seller in a matter of months.
Via: Autos.ca
The interior might be a little uncomfortable for people taller than 5'10" (175 cm), especially in the back and the club-like lighting on the doors and interior might not be suitable for everyone's taste but this little car is alive.
Take it down the road and the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine will put all of its 181 HP and 177 lb-ft (240Nm) of torque at your disposal quickly and smoothly. The car they tested had a 6-speed automatic gearbox that is quite hard to get used to since BMW continues to use the "ridonkulous toggle-type shift paddles with their push-for-downshift and pull-for-upshift operation".
The Paceman comes with the sport suspension as standard, sitting 10mm (0.4") lower than the Countryman and weighs 20 kg less (even with the ALL4 all-wheel-drive system). Having only 2 doors, the Paceman is a little more sturdy too and the seat cushions are slightly lower in order to accommodate the taller ones of us.
Overall, the car is impressive. At a first glance you might say it is a bit overpriced and not practical at all. However, after a while behind the wheel you start to understand why MINI decided to launch this controversial model and why it will become a top seller in a matter of months.
Via: Autos.ca
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