MINI adds more four-wheel-drive models

MINI has confirmed that it will add ALL4 four-wheel drive versions of its Cooper Countryman and Cooper Paceman models from July. Both cars come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with a six-speed auto available as an option.

The MINI Cooper Countryman and Paceman are powered by the same 121bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine used in the two-wheel-drive Cooper versions of both cars. The engine develops 160Nm of torque in manual models, and 190Nm in the auto versions.

The ALL4 four-wheel-drive system adds around 70kg to each car’s kerbweight, and uses an electro-magnetic centre differential to switch power between the front and rear axles as required.

However, there is a price to pay for adding the four-wheel-drive system to both models.

The two-wheel-drive versions of both Cooper models return a claimed average of 47.1mpg, or 39.2mpg for the auto, and CO2 emissions of 140g/km and 168g/km respectively.

However, these figures drop to 40.9mpg for the ALL4 manual, or 37.7mpg for the auto, and rise to 167g/km and 175g/km, respectively.

The four-wheel-drive models also feature top speeds that are four mph slower than their two-wheel-drive counterparts, while manual 4x4 models are over a second slower from 0-62mph.

Prices for the MINI Cooper Countryman and Paceman models will be released closer to their July launch, but are expected to be higher than the current £18,065 and £18,975 starting prices MINI asks for each respective two-wheel-drive model.