More Mini models get four-wheel drive
* Paceman Cooper and Countryman Cooper... * ... now available with four-wheel drive * On sale in July; prices to be confirmed...
The Mini Paceman Cooper and Mini Countryman Cooper will be available with a four-wheel-drive option from July.
The four-wheel-drive versions come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with a six-speed automatic transmission available as an option.
Mini's four-wheel-drive system distributes the 1.6-litre petrol engine's power variably between front and rear axles.
While the system promises better traction and ability in adverse driving conditions, the extra weight means performance and efficiency doesn't quite match the front-wheel-drive versions. Both models' 0-62mph times are around a second slower in four-wheel-drive guise, and fuel economy is down by about 6mpg.
The four-wheel-drive Mini Paceman Cooper accelerates from 0-62mph in 11.8 seconds which drops to 11.6 seconds for the automatic. The Countryman Cooper is just 0.1 seconds slower with both gearboxes.
Average economy is 40.9mpg for the manual and 37.7mpg for the automatic. CO2 emissions for four-wheel-drive Paceman Cooper and Countryman Cooper models are 167g/km with the manual 'box an increase of 27g/km compared with those of the two-wheel-drive versions.
