MINI Paceman Coooper S hits the Nurburgring (video)

The next MINI to hit showrooms – the MINI Paceman – has been caught testing at the Nurburgring ahead of a Paris Motor Show.

We did think that the MINI Paceman – which arrived at the Detroit Auto Show last year as a concept – would make it to market as a Countryman Coupe.

But just last month MINI let it be known that they’re actually going with the funkier Paceman rather than the descriptive, though predictable, MINI Countryman Coupe for the production version of the Paceman which will debut in production guise at the Paris Motor Show in September.

Ahead of that public reveal, MINI are doing what just about every car maker does these days and pounding their new baby round the Nurburgring before settling on a setup that will dismay Mr May.

Whatever the final setup of the MINI Paceman is after its outings at the Nurburgring it will, despite the moniker, be a Countryman Coupe in all but name and will, in all probability, come with exactly the same engine, drivetrain and model designations as its four-door sibling.

That will mean everything from a Paceman One to a Paceman Cooper SD ALL4 by way of the rest of MINI’s familiar model designations (and the Countryman’s choice of FWD or 4WD) and the usual range of 1.6 and 2.0 litre engines with a manual or auto ‘box.

The production MINI Paceman will arrive at Paris in September before arriving in MINI showrooms in early 2013.

MINI Paceman Photos

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MINI Paceman Spy Video