Hi, I am (as you can probably guess by the title) new here. I recently got a used Mini Cooper R56 2009 for about 5K in top condition everything is amazing and it works beautifully. I just have one question the car has Steptronic Automatic Transmission which has this (Sports program and manual operation M/S) which if I understand correctly gives you annual control over your automatic transmission. However, here is my question, I don't know when I should enable this it probably will surely work when I "turn the key" and put it to D and then to DS. Yet, I don't see how this would be too helpful or fun. Imagine this you take your lovely car out of the garage and you plan on a two-hour tip that consists of 30 min of heavy traffic and the rest highway. Would it be more logical to "shift" to manual when you enter the highway, at least that's how I am thinking this. SO finally! here is the question can you change form D to M/S does the car need to be fully stopped or can I do this while in motion?
Thank you!

 

Welcome!

How the Aisin steptronic works can be confusing, but here are some notes regarding the 1st gen. The 2nd gen’s should be similar in operation.

• You can switch between D and sport while moving
• D automatically shifts at lower/normal RPM’s for greater comfort and better gas mileage
• The steering wheel shift paddles can be used while in D
• In D, the manual mode is only temporarily and the transmission will automatically return to full automatic mode once you let up on the gas or the load on the engine is reduced
• In sport, the shift points are higher for a sportier feel and more performance, and the transmission will continue to shift up and down automatically until a manual shift is made using the steering wheel paddles or the shift lever
• Once a manual shift is made in sport, it doesn’t return to full auto mode and will only upshift automatically near redline to prevent damage
• In manual mode the transmission does not downshift until almost at a complete stop and you can lug the engine if you’re not careful and don’t manually downshift when re-accelerating
• When almost at a stop (or maybe 5-10mph??), it will directly shift into 2nd as this is the normal starting gear. To start in 1st, you can manually shift into 1st even when completely stopped
• To return to full automatic sport mode after a manual shift has been made, the mode must be “reset” by going back to D mode, then back into sport

 

Thank you so much. That cleared up a lot of worries. So it won't damage anything doing it in motion (which to be honest is the most logical). I had this conversation with my father and he thought that it would destroy the transition but I guess it works more like a switch than an actual shifter. I should say that it is the first automatic car in the family, hence the questoin.

 

You’re welcome!

Again, the above notes are my observations with an R53 steptronic. Your owners manual will have the operating instructions for your particular transmission. If you didn’t get one, a downloadable copy should be available on MINI’s website.

Also, a transmission fluid change, and possible filter, might be needed depending on the mileage of your car and prior service history.

 

Thank you!

 

But you might even get rev matching in sport mode !

 

One thing the 2nd gen”s have over the 1st is the additional Sport button in front of the shifter. When activated the throttle response improves with a factory Sprint Booster setting, the steering feel changes, and the biggest thing IMO is the transmission shifts a little faster.