A new mixed down pumping impeller was designed and characterized with both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in terms of the power consumption and mixing times. A non-intrusive color-discoloration technique based on a fast acid-base reaction was used to determine mixing times and to reveal the presence of both segregated and dead zones at low speed. This new geometry gives similar mixing times to those obtained with a radial turbine but with the power requirements of an axial flow impeller. It was demonstrated that segregated regions formed below the impeller are readily destroyed by the pumping action of this new geometry, while the regions formed above the impeller are destroyed by radial discharge, so that shorter mixing times are obtained. The use of the proposed geometry appears to be a good alternative for mixing applications requiring a good dispersion combined with low power consumption.