Hi-- I am a new Mini Owner. I guess I should say I am an ELATED new Mini Owner.. I just purchased my 2007 Convertible this past Friday and I have a question. It has a manual 1.6 liter tranmission and when I take my foot off of the gas pedal, it seems like there is a draw back (almost like a downshift). In other words, it doesnt just coast.. Is this normal? It only has 15k miles on it. I previously owned a BMW 325i and my Mini seems to run alot like it did... I just don't recall the downshift part... Any feedback is appreciated...

 

Do you have the Cooper or the supercharged "S" model? I've never noticed the "draw back" you described with my '06 "S", but it may be normal.

Do you feel it regardless of the engine speed and gear? If you have the engine up around 4-5000 RPM in 2nd or 3rd gear and let off the gas, it wouldn't be strange for the car to slow down fairly quickly - the MINI is a light car and doesn't have the same inertia as a bigger car, and it takes a bit of energy away from the forward motion of the car in order to keep the engine going that fast.

But if you still notice an immediate slowdown even when letting off the gas at 2000 RPM in higher gears, that's more suspicious.

After a long drive, try holding the back of your hand near the lug bolts on each wheel. If one or more wheels feels much hotter than the others, you may have dragging brakes.

Also, how is your fuel economy? Dragging brakes would probably show up as poor gas mileage. Also, if your tires are very under-inflated, that can increase rolling resistance and also cause the car to slow down more quickly than it should when you lift the throttle.

 

I don't have an answer for you, but wanted to say congrats on your new MINI and...

 

Welcome to the forum, I think ScottRiqui has given you some things to check, however it wouldn't hurt to have some other MINI driver take a spin and see what he thinks. It may be a normal thing, sometimes we get too emotional about little nuances that are just the way the beast works.

 

Thank you ALL for feedback. I am probably being over emotional because it all seems like the norm now.... I LOVE LOVE LOVE my mini..... I'm living by the phrase "drive a MINI, Be happy"..... It was funny, yesterday I was driving and passed a fellow MINI driver and he tooted and waived... I was smiling from ear to ear... I must be 'in the club' now! Cheers everyone!

 

Spend some time reading your owners manual, you will learn a lot about your new car, and congrats on your new baby!

 

Congratulations on your new MINI! It's a great time of year to own a convertible!!!!! Enjoy!!!!!

 

Hi,

welcome to the forum.

I was hoping to see some snap

Enjoy your stay.