New MINI Countryman and Paceman arrive

MINI Australia has announced its face-lifted MINI Countryman (R60) and MINI Paceman (R61) are arriving locally mid-way through September, priced from $34,150.

As we reported in early July, both the price tags of the five-door Countryman compact SUV and the three-door Paceman coupe SUV have met in the middle, now priced from $34,150. This represents a price increase of $50 for the Countryman, and a reduction of $1650 for the Paceman.

The most expensive variants in the range for both body types are the $56,900 John Cooper Works, or JCW models.

Entry-level versions of both vehicle types now boast a subtle new exterior look with LED fog lights fitted standard, and more luxurious interiors, with improvements in upholstery and satellite navigation standard across the range, viewed via a new 6.5-inch colour screen. The instrument panel is also updated, as are the air vent controls, and all vehicles now get heated wing mirrors.

Combined with other general refinements, including upmarket interior trim levels and improvements in sound damping in the cabin to make the cars quieter, MINI reckons the repositioned high-riding SUVs deliver "on average $5000" of extra customer value.

Kai Bruesewitz, general manager of MINI Australia, said the tall twins deliver "enhanced specifications and a major increase in customer value across the hatch line-up".

The Countryman and Paceman models are offered in Cooper, Cooper S and JCW grades, the latter two high-performance models, while Countryman's more rugged attitude sees diesel models added: the Cooper D and Cooper SD All4.

Countryman is also offered with an all-wheel drive Cooper S All4 variant and all models are available with six-speed auto or manual transmissions.

All Countryman and Paceman models come with Euro 6-compliant engines, meaning they're more efficient and spit out less CO2. The most efficient model in the updated range is the $36,950 Countryman Cooper D manual, using 4.2L/100km. It's powered by a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine worth 82kW/270Nm.

The least efficient models are the JCW variants, which use 8.0L/100km and 8.3L/100km, fitted with manual and auto transmissions respectively.
Cooper S models get a 5kW power boost which is said to improvement acceleration slightly, and MINI has added new exterior colours, alloy wheel designs and options to the list.

MINI launched its all-new Cooper hatch in April 2014, offered with new generation three-cylinder turbo engines, something the Paceman and Countryman won't get for the foreseeable future. In November 2014 MINI will launch its first-ever five-door MINI hatch in Australia.

MINI offers a 'TLC' servicing package that costs $850 and covers all scheduled servicing costs for five years or 70,000km. The vehicles boast a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Prices below are for manual models and don't include on-road costs.

Sales of the MINI Paceman in the first seven months of 2014 have been low but constant, with 54 vehicles being snapped up, compared to 56 for the same period in 2013. The MINI Countryman is the more popular model, with 335 vehicles finding home in the first seven months of 2014, up from 298 in 2013.

2014 MINI Countryman pricing
Cooper: $34,150
Cooper D: $36,950
Cooper S: $42,550
Cooper S ALL4: $45,500
Cooper SD ALL 4: $46,990

2014 MINI Paceman pricing
Cooper: $34,150
Cooper S: $42,550

2014 MINI Countryman and Paceman JCW pricing
Countryman JCW: $56,900
Paceman JCW: $56,900