Cooper S gains 6 bhp

MINI has brought to Beijing Motor Show a modestly revised Paceman carrying over some of the changes seen on the Countryman facelift.

It would be an overstatement to call this a subtle facelift as the changes brought to the Paceman are minor at best. One of the few novelties is this Piano Black exterior body scheme along with two other fresh paints called Jungle Green and Midnight Grey. There are a few modest changes inside the cabin and fresh alloy wheel designs but nothing to write home about.

The Euro 6-compliant engine lineup has remained the same with the exception of the 4-cylinder, 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine inside the Paceman S which has received a 6 bhp (4 kW) bump to 190 bhp (141 kW). MINI's ALL4 all-wheel drive system is available across the range while gearbox choices include a standard 6-speed manual or an optional 6-speed automatic.

Following the facelift of the Mini Countryman that was revealed at the New York Auto Show, the Paceman received an equally discreet makeover in Beijing.

The Countryman’s sportier sibling now features a revised structure of the hexagonal radiator grille with each version featuring some slight differences such as a pair of matte silver ribs on the Cooper, LED fog, parking and driving lights offered as standard on the Cooper S and JCW and optional on the Cooper, and new lighter 17-inch alloy wheels.

A new optional feature is the Piano Black Exterior package that adds a high-gloss black finish on certain surfaces like the light surrounds, mirrors and roof rails. Mini also added new metallic shades including the Jungle Green and Midnight Grey.

The interior brings dark dials for the road speed and engine speed display, newly designed chrome applications for the ventilation controls and sports seats for driver and front passenger as standard, among other features.

The Mini Paceman will continue to be available with two petrol and two diesel engines in Europe, with the most powerful being the 4-cylinder 215hp (218PS) turbo engine on the Mini John Cooper Works Paceman. All engines now comply with the EU6 emission standard, with the Mini Cooper S Paceman gaining 7hp for a total of 187 hp (190PS). All engines are mated as standard to a 6-speed manual transmission, with a 6-speed auto available as an option. The all-wheel drive system ALL4 is standard in the MINI John Cooper Works Paceman and optional for all other models.

The facelifted Mini Paceman will launch in July 2014.

For an automaker that supposedly has no interest whatsoever in offering a pickup truck to the public, the BMW Group sure loves the conceptual aspect of this particular body style.

And no, we're not referring to custom pickup truck builds like this E36 M3 and this 730i, but official creations like the M3 E90 and the pictured Mini Paceman Adventure that were made within the company.

The folks over at Germany's Bimmertoday, who shared these photos, say that the Paceman Adventure Pickup is the work of a group of BMW/MINI interns.

The car is said to be street-legal and besides losing half of its top, it gains a more adventurous look through beefy off-road tires and a roof rack that houses four auxiliary spotlights and a spare tire.

Sensing the interest in the Paceman Adventure pickup truck that was widely circulated on the web on Thursday, MINI came forward with an official release and heaps of photos on the project that is a one-off creation with "no plans for series production".

It’s not a concept per-se, but a creative project made by young apprentices and their instructors at BMW's plants in Munich and Dingolfing.

An all-wheel drive Cooper S Paceman with a 182hp (184PS) turbocharged mill was chosen as the base for the two-seater pickup-style vehicle that gains an exclusive Jungle Green metallic paintwork, a cargo bed with a functional tail gate, and a solid roof rack with a set of auxiliary lights and a spare tire.

The students also modified the chassis to offer the Paceman added ground clearance and much higher front and rear clearance ramps, while the finishing touch comes from the off-road tires.

According to MINI: "The Paceman Adventure would be suitable for driving on gravel roads, through muddy tracks or on desert trails. The pickup has the typically MINI short overhangs, a modified chassis with extended ground clearance and much higher front and rear clearance ramps. The snorkel-like roof level air intake means that MINI Paceman Adventure could tackle a challenging river crossing."