"TART'S car that, lad. You don't wanna be seen in one of them."

Curious remark from the bloke next to me at the supermarket checkout, especially as he had only seen my key fob.

Had he ventured into the car park and spotted the MINI Paceman - black, brooding and poised like a prizefighter straining to hear the bell - his point may have been a bit different.

Like the elderly couple who were pacing from front to back, oggling the grille and wheel arches, checking out the twin tailpipes.

"I bought a Morris Mini-Minor in 1964 and it cost me £497. Brilliant car, but it didn't look anything like that," chirped the husband.

"What do you think love, if we were 30 years younger I'd be straight in the showroom."

It's interesting how the same brand of car can pull in such extreme views, and to discover whether the MINI's popularity had reached the point whereby the cars are driven predoninantly by women, I decided on a little survey.

Noting down who was behind the wheel of the next 25 MINIs I spotted out and about gleaned surprising results.

Not only were the first four all driven by men, the final tally revealed a near 50-50 split - 13 for men and a dozen driven by females. So much for the hairdressers' car cliché.

But then if you take the MINI Paceman Cooper S as an example - the tested model at least - those figures are understandable.

Mean and menacing, this car was more akin to a MINI on steroids - pumped up, aggressive and powerful.

The Paceman, the seventh model from the BMW-owned brand, is billed as a Sports Activity Coupe and comes only as a four-seater.

It's based on the Countryman, but with a stretched side profile, long doors, muscular flared wheel arches, horizontal rear lights and a downward-sloping roofline. You also get an integrated rear spoiler.

Inside, things are pretty standard MINI, though the trademark large circular centre speedo has a black surround and the window buttons are in the door panel trim.

The line-up of petrol and diesel engines are all 1.6-litres, but with varying power outputs. Least expensive, and a smart buy for Paceman fans, is the 122bhp Cooper petrol version at £18,975.

Go for the 184bhp Cooper S and the tab leaps to £22,360. For that though you get a car that looks sensational and is a serious piece of kit to pilot.

We're talking instant punch, a sports car soundtrack and go-kart level handling - find a quiet country lane and the Paceman performs to perfection.

All variants come with a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic as an option and extensive MINIMALISM technology is fitted as standard with a Sport Button available as an option.