Hey all,
I am new to this forum and proud to enter with a 2013 Paceman S All4 I recently bought with the intentions of installing a 2.5" lift and maxing out with some nice rugged 28" tires.

My goal was to purchase the shortest AWD car possible (In the US) which is the Countryman but I really like the sporty look of Paceman and ironically is an inch longer even though it appears shorter.

Anyway I am coming from a 2009 Audi A4 2.0 Quattro.

The thing that is eating away at my sole is how incredibly slow this Paceman is off the line.
You hit the gas peddle and nothing happens for like 5 seconds.
Well maybe not 5 but it sure feels like it.
Yes I know this is a drive by wire and read a bunch of forums on the topic.
But this is no excuse. My Audi also was and I didn't have this same issue.

So my question is did they really intentional engineer these cars to suck that bad off the line?
Or is there possibly an issue with mine specifically?
It runs fine otherwise.

I installed a Sprint Booster but it does not take the lag away from when you hit the pedal to when the engine actually starts to accelerate.
All it seems to do is act like jam on the gas more so once the engine does decide to actually rev after 5 seconds it is basically too much too late.

I am trying to avoid bringing the car in and pay someone to either me there isn't anything wrong or give me a long expensive list of things that won't actual fix the specific problem I brought it in for.

Any insight would be much appreciated and sorry in advance if I didn't categorize the post correctly.
Seems this is not specific to my model and year Mini and pretty general.

 

I suspect it might have to do with your specific car and not the model in general.

I actually posted a question about this issue once. When I was shopping for a 2013 MINI Cooper, I drove a couple of them. One was especially slow going from zero. It was like, you step on the gas, and wait a second or two before the acceleration kicks in. It was pretty nerve racking when I was making left turns at intersections and could see the oncoming traffic approaching. The other 2013 I drove was quite sprightly. So, there can be a big difference in acceleration lag among the same model year. The slow one was a rental, so I suspected it was properly not maintained properly. Given the age of the car, improper maintenance or lack of vital repairs could certainly degrade the performance significantly.

Although I've never driven a Paceman, I'm guessing what you've experienced is probably not the way it is supposed to be. I would take it to a couple of indie MINI specialists and get their opinions. Hopefully, it won't be too expensive to fix.

 

A 2013 Paceman S should have the N18 engine... throttle response should be pretty good on that model. Is it an automatic? You might be feeling the transmission lagging. Are you running it in "Sport" mode? Engine response should be slightly better in "Sport" mode.

You are also comparing it to a car with a more powerful and torquey engine...

 

As mentioned above, this might be specific to your car. But things to think about are that these minis are 1.6L (audi/vw are 2.0L). the S model comes with roughly 170 to 180HP coupled with the ALL4 system, the car will most definitely feel slower. I have a 2016 paceman all4 and it feels much slower than my wife's 2012 countryman S.

your foot will adjust to the new norm, I guess.

 

Anyone in the Seattle area with a 2013 Paceman or Countryman S All4 want to take my car for a spin and let me know if the lag is any different then yours?
Now that I installed a 2.5" lift and 28" tires it definitely lacks power but he delay of the engine speeding up from a stop when I hit the gas is not a question of power or torque.

 

Thanks for your insight.
Feeling slower is a separate issue than not moving when I hit the gas.
The lag am trying to explain feel more the like car does nothing when I hit the gas for a second or so.
I should use the wording "delayed response" to further clarify.
Also I get that you cant compare a 1.6T to 2.0T but the Paceman does weigh 500lbs less.

Is your 2016 Paceman an S? And if so you say it feel a much slower than your wife's 2012 Countryman S?
That seems odd.
Or are you sating your wife's is a 2wd and that is why if feels faster?

My Paceman is an All4 S and it seems to run fine once moving.

 

Thanks for chiming in.

Yes it is an automatic and I have tried sport mode.
Sport mode just seems shift at higher RPMs.
The lag is from the point I hit the gas and the engine actually starting to accelerate.
I understand the power difference form the Audi 2.0 to the Paceman but this is not about power it is about the car starting to move when I hit the gas.
I also don't feel this is a lag in the transmission either for the same reason I mentioned above.

 

That's good to know.
It gives me hope because I really like this car otherwise.
It is just so bad compared to my Audi or any other car I have ever owned actually.
My Chevy Astro minivan is faster off the line.

These cars are supposed to be sporty and quick especially the S.

If this is just they way they are them I am apt to give up on this car and move on.
To me this is a major design flaw and completely unacceptable.

I had a 2002 Mini non S and loved it. No issue with lag.

 

This might be your best path, get a local owner or enthusiast in the car to drive it. If they say it’s normal, then there ya go. Try connecting with a local Mini club on Facebook, if there is one. (I’m sure there is)

 

I have a 2014 Paceman base model 2 wheel drive with a manual transmission. The car is definitely underpowered, but is noticeably more responsive in Sport mode. I don't sense any delay after giving gas in 1st gear at a stop light for example, other than the typical 'delay' you would expect from an underpowered car. My nickname for this car is the 'tortoise', and my 02 R53 is the 'hare'.

 

the ecu has throttle buffer/delays built into it, most modern cars do

tuners can remove it, not sure what is out there for your car though

 

Well the amount of delay programed into this car is absurd.
I am coming from an Audi A4 which didn't have any delay.
This car can not pull into traffic without causing others to slam on their breaks.
In the city with lots of traffic this is an issue unless want to be that guy waiting for ever for a huge opening in traffic to pull in.

 

I don't feel this is a power issue.
I know the difference between power and a car just not doing anything when I hit the gas.
It is like the car doesn't even try.
Or I hit the gas and the car thinks to it's self "Hmm maybe I will go but I am going to wait a second just to be safe".

 

I think you just need to buy a 4Runner and call it done.

I kind of chuckle when people do this to Subarus also.

 

Interesting.
I chuckle at people that judge when they don't really know a person or the goal they are trying to achieve even though I specifically stated it in this thread.
Also funny that your comment has nothing to do with the actual subject.

But for some reason I feel I should waste my time to explain even though you seem to know better.

I live in the city and prefer a small car to drive and wanted a short car to open up more options for parking options on the street.
I snowboard and drive up to the mountains a lot so AWD was a must and when the snowboard conditions are best that also means the snow is deep so I wanted the extra ground clearance along with beefier tires for better traction.

Problem is that someone that makes a comment like that will just come back with something else lame and then I will wish I just ignored the first comment and not replied int he first place.

 

If the throttle lag sucks now prior to your conversion what makes you think it's going to get better after you install bigger tires and make the overall gear ratio taller? I suspect you don't have throttle lag.

It's time to accept it as fact that you're never going to be happy with the tip in performance, and you want to climb mountain grades with bigger tires? The Paceman is heavy at 3300 pounds and was roasted when it was new as being slow.

 

I have mentioned this several times.

Lag in throttle response is completely different than power of the engine.

I am talking about the delay from when I hit the gas peddle to when the engine actually does anything at all.
This existed before the I installed the lift and bigger tires.

The size of tires does not effect lag of hitting the gas peddle to when motor actually responds and starts firing.

Once the engine actually does start to spin I am fine with the acceleration.
I have driven it on mountain passes and happy with with the power and how it handles.

 

That doesn't sound at all normal. We have a 2013 JCW Paceman and a 2013 Countryman S. Neither have the significant lag you mention. i wonder if it could be the transmission not dropping down to 1st gear appropriately when stopping. Then it would have to do so when you try to accelerate. Have you tried putting the transmission in manual mode? Is there any difference in the lag? Just trying to eliminate possible causes.

 

dmath,
I appreciate your reply.
It starts out in 1st gear.
The lag I am describing doesn't have to do with how much power the engine has once I hit the gas.
It has more to so with the lag between hitting the gas peddle and the engine actually deciding to move at all.
It is like I hit the gas and a second later the engine reacts and starts spinning.
To most people 1 second may not sound like much but when you are trying to pull into a a busy road without making cars hit the breaks when you pull in that 1 second is huge.
My previous car was an Audi A4 and it did not have a lag like this.
I posted this to see if others have had the same experience and find out if there is a way to fix or reduce the lag.
Most people are describing this car as being under powered and heavy but I am not describing an issue with the power of the engine.
It's simply a delay in the reaction between hitting the gas and when the engine does anything at all.

 

Maybe the gas pedal is out of sync with the throttle body. I thought there was more info about this, but I cant seem to find it now. Search the various MINI forums on it and the procedure below to see if you think it might help with your throttle lag.

Post 15 at the following link might have a possible procedure to resync them in about a minute: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4599068

 

How many miles does your mini have? Ive been chasing ghosts on my 2013 Mini cooper countryman S all4 for months and have slowly gotten rid of issues that even the mini dealer couldn't figure out/missed. But I will save you from all my issues and figuring of my own and say that it sounds like to me because I had this issue, that it could be your acceleration pedal position sensor sense it's fly by wire. Had the same issue of lag but I started with the throttle position sensor(thinking it was failing) fuel pump(since the filter is built into it) thinking it was plugged only to end on the acceleration pedal position sensor and it clearing up all my throttle response issues. I was also told it could possibly be the mass air flow sensor and or catalytic converter plugged but figured if it was either, I would get a check engine light or my turbo wouldn't spool up which it was just fine so I didn't bother with either. So not sure if the combination of doing all the rest that I did, fixed the issue or just the acceleration position sensor did but I noticed a significant change after doing the pedal. Also, your vanos selinoid or selinoids, (2) in my case are supposed to be replaced/cleaned every 40k miles. Mine had just turned 90k, did the timing chain replacement but mini never said anything about the Vanos selinoids which should have been replaced twice by my mileage or at least cleaned twice by what BMW says and these can also have an effect on your throttle response(lag) if not functioning properly so I just replaced both. I hope some of or all of this helps you in making a shorter list to chase down versus my own lol. I love my mini and to me was worth wasting the time to get back what I know she had lol. And I bought mine new so I knew what she had lol. Good luck I hope you don't give up, Mini power!

 

I've never seen a MINI S that anyone called "suck that bad off the line". So, like others, I suspect it's your car. If a "quality" throttle booster isn't taking the lag out, replaced your accelerator pedal. It takes about 5 minutes. Maybe 10 if you're slow.