Hi, I live in Monterrey, Mexico. I recently drove the 2006 MCS Automatic and the 2007 MCS 6 Speed Manual. After driving both I decided that even thou the purists might prefer the 6 Speed Manual, the fun and joy of driving the Automatic with Paddles in Manual Mode and the option to relax in heavy traffic outweighs the 6 Speed Manual´s additional performance.
I ordered a Red with White top 2007 MCS Automatic, and the dealer said it should arrive in April, I can´t wait to receive it and start the fun of driving a Mini.

 

You'll love it, we've enjoyed ours*

*not R56 but I'm sure the fun will be there for you too

 

mine is lots of fun

 

At least the decision is now made

 

Congrats i;m sure you'll love it anyway i am waiting on my O7 MCS 6 speed manuel

 

It's a MINI plain and simple regardless of the tranny selection.

 

BooYah!!!!!

Welcome to the tiny but proud legion of MCS Automatic owners!!!

We can do things the manual tranny crowd can only dream of...

You will, at least once (and probably many times), get grief for your decision. Just shrug and agree with the offenders. They'll never understand what they're missing....

Oh, to shift while sipping a latte' and going around a corner...

 

Congrats - you'll love the six speed auto!

 

Isn't driver distraction a bad thing haha

 

Welcome to NAM and the Auto revolution. You will enjoy the Auto more then most think.
The wait is going to be the hard part, now go and see the Italian Job that should help for a little while.

- KP

 

I'm not really into auto gearboxes they kinda take the fun out of driving even with paddle shifters. But hey, a mini is a mini and we all know that a mini represents the owners taste so enjoy. Manual or Auto they are the bomb!!!

 

My wife wanted the auto, I told her the manual got better gas mileage and it was a lot more fun!!!!!!!! She's starting to like the manual. So lets not have any talk here about how good the auto is, she might be reading..........................this.

 

The auto ***** quicker, paddles are so F-1. Shifting with the stick, however, is like breathing to me.

 

I am lucky my wife wanted a manual, I prefer the purity of a manual. Unless I am driving a formula one race car with paddle shifters (somehow I have not been picked up yet to drive for a team) I will stay with a manual when I can. I worry that less and less people are driving manual and eventually it will not even be an option in 10-15 years. Manual is the way to go, it is the only way to drive.

 

I'm with Paul - the MCS with an auto is simply driving nirvana. You truly get the best of both worlds.

Agreed that being able to sip a latte and shift is an engineering marvel.

Also - the kick-down on the R56 auto is a good way to give people who think that the MCS is a "chick car" a taste of the car's true nature (plus they tend to grab for something to hang on to!).

 

I love my MCSa. I almost always use the paddles. even in D I still upshift and downshift.And my second car is a C6 manual corvette but I have just as much fun in the MINI. Go to the Vette forum same nonsense Manual vs Auto. Just enjoy.

 

 

I ordered mine with the auto as well. I've driven BMWs with the autostick and found it just what I wanted. Of course you can't hold gears as much because the auto will take over, but it's still great fun and you can let it "autopilot" when you need to cruise in traffic.
I can't wait to use the paddles.

 

Im getting an auto MCS for these reasons: I have a bum left knee that will need operating soon and I would like to drive my car while recovering, my R53 had soooo many clutch/DMF defects and issues that I swore never again to buy any manual BMW product, and I simply love the way the Aisin auto performs in manual mode with the paddles, esp. the higher gears on the highway--the shifts are much faster than me putzing and futzing around with the clutch and the stick and the gas, and the torque converter is a non-factor.

plus now I can get the JCW Stage 1 tune kit for the auto MCS. frosting on the cake!

 

It's alive! A resuscitated thread from Feb 07

I wonder how the OP made out?

 

I decided to go with the Auto and am taking delivery tomorrow.... this is a dumb question and I know that I'll get my owners manual tomorrow, but how do you shift with the paddles? Is there a pattern?

I've always just driven a standard 5 speed, and don't have a clue how this steering wheel shift works! I feel sort of like when I had to figure out cassettes after 8 tracks.... am I dating myself??

 

I've had my MCSa for a couple weeks now and absolutely love it. I always drive it in sport-shift mode and just use the stick. The paddles are fun too and perfect for in-turn shifting.

I haven't been able to try the kick-down yet as i'm not past the break-in period.

If MINI ever drops a true clutchless manual in, it will be intersting to hear the manual vs auto argument. Will people start to change their tune once auto-shifts trully outperform manuals without any loss of controllability? Auto-shift represents technological advancement and you'll always have purists who resist. In the end how many people stuck with the type-writer over a PC?

 

I'd still prefer a manual, I like the challenge of driving and an increasing number of potential car thieves can't drive a standard. It'll be nice when very, very few people can drive stick and I can park my car unlocked, with the keys in the ignition, and nobody will know how to drive off in it (kinda like the old Model T). I agree with the above point about no manual transmissions being available in the future. In the near future I could see only certain European cars and the more dedicated sports cars having manuals. That will be followed a bit later with only the base models getting standard gearboxes and everything else being clutchless paddle shifted things.
There's nothing wrong with the auto (at least in the MINI, I'd argue otherwise with the Corvette) and it does help the car's commuter appeal but if I'm in a turn and want to take a drink, well, my car has enough power to pull through most turns in most gears at most speeds and if I need to upshift then I'm probably turning too quickly to really safely consume liquids.

Congrats on your purchase.

 

I kinda wish my MC CVT had the paddles. It would be awesome to learn that. Anyway, the Auto is enjoyable on its own even if it takes a few drives to get used to it. If you're mosty driving in-city, it's much easier in my opinion.

I am crossing my fingers that nothing will go horribly wrong with my CVT. I'm a gentle driver (except when it comes to turns), but I can't help but keep the horror stories in the back of my mind.