Ever looked at a MINI Countryman and thought, wonder what that would look like with two doors... That's essentially the gist of the MINI Paceman Concept debuting at this year's Detroit Auto Show. It takes a dab of Cooper and a dab of Countyman and after a stylistic somersault, out pops the Paceman. Familiar shapes are tweaked and reworked to provide a sleeker look while keeping with tradition.
Under the abbreviated bonnet rests the rip-snorting 1.6-liter twin-scroll turbocharged inline Four from the John Cooper Works MINI. The mill delivers 211 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque with an Overboost feature that temporarily delivers 207 lb-ft. It's mated to a manual transmission that drives the MINI ALL4 permanent all-wheel-drive system, which has an electromagnetic center differential able to switch between 100-percent front bias to send up to 50 percent to the rear.
Despite the compact looks, this MINI isn't—it rides on the Countryman's chassis, so it's at a whopping 15.7 inches longer, 4 inches wider and 5.2 inches taller than the current coupe offering. It's got Cooper proportions but casts almost exactly the same shadow as a Countryman, just a shade lower. Being a MINI, it places handling at a premium and features a carefully tuned strut with lower track-control arms for front suspension, with a multilink setup at the rear. Electronic power steering boosts efficiency and keeps the handsome 19-inch pointed in the right direction.
Interior accoutrements have been dialed up a notch, too. The giant center speedometer stays, but a slimmer center console gets swapped in for better legroom. Material quality is improved (unbelievably), and the seating surfaces get the posh, quilted-leather treatment; the bench in the back gets chucked for a pair of buckets.
MINI is considering it as a possible addition to the lineup, a second coupe for people with long legs who also tote around friends every once in a while. MINI's BMW overlords have made it clear they see big things for the brand, so model-line expansion means that something like the Paceman is almost certainly in the cards.
