insideKENT Magazine Issue 23 - February 2014 | Page 134

MOTORS

PRICE AS TESTED:
£30,701
TOP SPEED:
132 MPH
0-62 MPH:
7.8 SECONDS
ECONOMY:
COMBINED 46.3 MPG
PERFORMANCE:
184 BHP
COMBINED CO2:
157 G/KM

And the plush and spacious leather interior
provides plenty more head and leg room too –
my six-foot-plus dad would have no complaints
driving this car, whilst once again his little shorty
of a son appreciated the raised (and easily
adjustable) seating; this car will suit anyone of
any size.
The first upgrade that stuck out to me was a very
natty little compass embedded in the tinted mirror,
a nice touch indeed. Mood lighting continues to
prove popular with MINI drivers, and the latest
version boasts a huge range of colours, as well
as variable brightness, and proved a big fave
with my kids. The central retro speedo also
contains a state-of-the-art info screen, allowing
control of the sound system, DAB, navigation,
phone features and even in-car diagnostics. It
will even tell you how much air is left in your tyres,
via a Tony Stark-esque schematic of the car.
Looks and performance are married perfectly
with ergonomic consideration. The fact that the
car sits lower on sports suspension by a whopping
10mm to enhance handling, is cunningly
counterbalanced by the seats being raised, so
you still get a clear view of the road before you,
and amazingly, practically none of the sensation
of a gigantic car. There is a decent amount of
boot space, and even though this is a two-door
car, it's by no means a horrible struggle to get
into the back seats. So whilst this car is stylish
and attractive, it feels great too.
Driving the Paceman you soon realise that you
are once again experiencing some extremely

clever BMW engineering. This may be a larger
car, and an All4 at that, but those clever engineers
have once again managed to retain the MINI’s
trademark go-kart handling. I really don't know
how they do it!

Yes, MINIs are a trendy fashion icon, they always
were. Yes they've changed – they've got bigger,
bolder, more powerful and sport all the latest
gadgets and technology. But this isn't a bad
thing at all in my view.

The six-speed manual transmission is effortless
to use; not once did I find myself wrestling with
it – and with 184bhp plus that fantastic All4
technology, the Paceman made short, easy work
of climbing the muddy, chalky Wye Down roads
– this car is very at home in the countryside. And
despite its rugged usefulness, it is still a sporty
beast, managing 0-62mph in just over 7 seconds,
and a not-too-shabby top speed of 132mph. All
in all, drive the Paceman and you will soon
succumb to the MINI experience, and find the
corners of your mouth turning upwards.

As with Steve Rogers and Captain America, in
the Paceman, it is clear that the character and
greatness within remain exactly the same, whilst
the scope to have even more driving pleasure
and more MINI Adventures on the other hand,
has grown. Which gets a massive thumbs-up
from me!

If you visit the stunning new refitted showroom
at Broadoak MINI, you will see that it pays homage
in no small way to the amazing heritage the MINI
brand enjoys, and rightly so – the original ethos
from over 50 years ago is still there.
Whether you take a Paceman up a steep hill to
go mountain biking on the South Downs, drive
to the shops with your kids in the back, or when
you roll down to the coast to go kite surfing, you
will experience the same feelings that every classic
Mini, and MINI driver has felt since Alex Issigonis
put pen to paper, and scrawled his original 60’s
design on the back of a cigarette packet. You
will enjoy the drive, and feel ever so slightly
disappointed when the time comes to turn the
engine off.

134

Broad Oak Ashford
The Boulevard
Orbital Business Park
Ashford
TN24 0GA
01233 500555
www.broadoakashfordmini.co.uk