MINI John Cooper Works Paceman revealed

The first pictures of the MINI John Cooper Works Paceman have been officially revealed ahead of the car’s debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January. The high-performance JCW Paceman will become the most expensive MINI in the range when it goes on sale in the UK on 16 March, with prices starting at £29,535.

The JCW Paceman features the same 215bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine as the JCW Countryman. All Pacemans also come with MINI’s ALL4 four-wheel-drive system as standard and a six-speed manual gearbox, although a six-speed automatic is available as an optional extra.

As it shares the same engine as the Countryman, the Paceman’s performance figures are similar. It completes the benchmark 0-62mph sprint in 6.9 seconds – one tenth of a second faster than the Countryman, but both cars share the same 140mph top speed. Both cars also return the same claimed average of 38.2mpg and emit 172g/km of CO2.

To make sure that the JCW Paceman looks like a high performing model, MINI has added a low-slung, aggressive bodykit, lowered sports suspension, JCW badges and 18-inch alloys.

There are nine exterior colours to choose from, including the bright John Cooper Works Chili Red. Buyers can also have the roof of their Paceman painted in Chili Red when they opt for another paint finish, which is an option that’s unavailable on other models.

Inside, the JCW gets four individual sports seats, a sports steering wheel and a Sport button that, when pressed, makes the steering heavier and makes the exhaust emit a louder noise.

To view the full MINI range, visit the CarBuyer MINI reviews page.