First view of the Paceman

Posted on by Ian C.

The new MINI Paceman has been wandering the country, appearing at various MINI dealerships; I missed it at MINI of Peabody, but (thanks to James) saw it this evening at MINI of Orlando. The one car on show is a “Brilliant Copper” S, loaded with all the technology, leather seats; sadly the copper color was not so “brilliant”, at least inside the dealership; it was really hard to get a good idea of the cars color, see how different these photos are:

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It was easier to see, and appreciate, the overall shape; the lowering roofline makes the Paceman a lot better looking than the Countryman. I also really liked the rear lights design.
Interior, not noticeably different from other MINIs and the Countryman – though again the expensive leather seating color is hard to identify …

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Getting in to the back of the Paceman was surprisingly easy (though no doubt not as easy as the Countryman) – but leg room seemed VERY limited, at least for anyone sitting behind me! Even then, in the back my head brushed the roof, so that roofline presumably is the cause of limited leg room. So get a Countryman if you want to use the rear seats, maybe?

The exterior design of the Paceman is the most interesting MINI I’ve seen for a while – but with a $38,000 price tag, it’s really not a weekend play thing!

A Not Normal Roadster

Posted on by Ian C.

Honestly, any MINI with more than $1000 off it’s MSRP is “not normal”, but that’s what the sign said on this Roadster that I looked at on Saturday at MINI of Peabody. I don’t have much interest in the car, but I’d never sat in one so did so (didn’t drive it though). When I first sat inside, immediately noticeable was how quiet the interior WASN’T; just like the convertible I owned, a thin cloth roof provides little sound (or temperature) insulation. But once the roof was open, the car has a good looking interior, Piano Black and Polar Beige is what I’d choose – but it lacked most upgraded technology (which at least held the price below $30K):

But driving home in Margaret’s Z4, taking the Gloucester rotary at an easy 50+ and realizing that the Z4 handles so much better than any MINI I’ve ever owned; and then I think of the 2013 GP, and how it surely can’t compare with a Z4 that’s within $10K of that excessive $40K GP price … Makes me realize that I’ll probably not be driving a MINI again any time soon …