Mini Paceman review

Being as it's a Mini, the engineers wanted to make it feel agile and sharp and (their stuck-in-the-groove phrase) kart-like. Sure enough, it dives into a corner with the first sniff of the steering wheel. But at that point its height catches up with it, and a short interruption occurs as it takes on a roll angle and the back wheels get themselves in sync with the front. Wait for all that to stabilise, or build up some more lock, and it actually corners quite doggedly, if with inevitable sogginess because of all the roll.

Anyway, the upside of the comparatively soft chassis is a decent ride over big disturbances. Small high-pitched corrugations cause things to shudder a bit, which is why I'd be cautious of the stiffer chassis option or bigger wheels. This is a crossover, remember, and it'd be good to keep up your sleeve the option of fitting winter tyres and feeling smug when it snows.