1. No. 1st generation MINIs had the CVT. The Countryman is a standard Automatic.

2. It's automatic (see #1), but you can use the paddles to "shift" at any point.

3. Just a standard automatic, no fancy dual-clutch cleverness.

having said all this, I drove one last week and was pleasantly surprised at how responsive the auto box was, and how much fun the paddles could be...

 

I think I can add something to this.

I LOVE manual transmissions. Well not all manual transmissions, as I have driven some really poor ones - but the MINI manual transmissions have always been great, and that's the report I have read from people who have driven the Countryman manual.

That said, the Countryman I'm ordering is going to be an automatic - not because I'm tired of manual or even mind shifting in any traffic, but because I want my wife to be able to drive it and she just cannot work a manual transmission.

So as part of deciding to get a Countryman, I test drove the Automatic All-4. Although it's not quite as fun as a manual transmission, I have to say it's pretty good - and until this point I've not really liked the manual transmissions on other MINI's before.

The power felt good, I didn't notice any hesitation, and I liked the how the paddle shifters worked. There's a manual shifting mode you can enter where you can hang in a lower or higher gear if you like (though beyond certain limits it shifts anyway), or at any time when in the normal drive mode you can hit the paddles and force a down/upshift, say for passing or engine braking.

There's also a "sport mode" button around the toggle switches, that makes it shift more frequently - don't forget to press that if you're going for a test drive. I plan to tape it down.

So I don't know that I have really helped you much, beyond ruling out the automatic transmission. You really should test drive it though. Don't forget about the sport button!

 

I have to side with the manual folks. They say Houston traffic is bad, but they never drove into NYC from Jersey on the GWB. For the few times I actually have to go down to Houston the manual is fine. My wife can, but chooses not to drive the Mini. I don't think it is the transmission, rather than she like her Subaru. By the way, I'm and old F also.

 

I'll just add that I am very impressed with the manual transmission in the Countryman. The clutch is very smooth and the pedal requires just the right amount of pressure to operate. Similarly, the shifter is smooth yet precise in finding the right gear position. Easy to operate with very little stress on your left leg and right arm. All of that combined with the hill-holder clutch and you've got one of the easiest to drive manuals transmissions I have experienced.

With that said, I completely understand that folks who drive in heavy traffic daily would prefer an automatic. Been there myself...

 

My 6 speed manual Tranny works great with my ADHD. That was one of things that attracted me to the Mini, it has so much going on! Plenty of Stimulation!!!

 

I second your opinion, Houston traffic isn't that bad (especially for us Northerns). Raised in Pitt, drove through NYC before. Those can be a bear. Manual is the way to go down here. See you on the Hardy.

 

And a second here on that AXO! Have been driving an automatic for the past 8 years and I'm ready for the manual action! Keeps you in tune with the car all the time. Can't wait.

 

I just ordered a Countryman with the manual. The wife has a MCS with the "older" type manual transmission. My Countryman gets the newer getrag which I immediately liked much better. I think the getrag is easier to use in traffic. Also there is a hill holder feature that I think makes the manual a more attractive choice. So IMHO the manual currently available in the Countryman has a higher level of heavy traffic friendliness.

 

Like everyone else has said, it all comes down to your ultimate driving style. If you love driving the manual and you've driven it for a long time, you're going to want a manual; the conversation goes vice versa.

I love the manual trans on my r60, the clutch is like butter and the accelerator has a smooth transition. When I had my r56, I had an auto trans Mini loaner while mine was getting some repairs and I HATED it... it was like so slow to get going that I was begging for my manual to be ready; I called every day. I test drove an auto r60 and knew I was going to go with manual.

All that being said, I drive about 80% of the time as my work requires a lot of commute and the constant shifting in an manual comes so naturally I rarely think about it. I'm more comfortable driving it than an auto because it's what you get used to.

Oh, and it is less like driving a couch

 

R52...Auto...Wife can't drive stick...Wife picked out the car.
R60...Auto...Wife can't drive stick...Wife optioned out the car.

Husband can't win.

 

I agree with the butter, warm butter. It is a tremendous improvement from my previous 2007S. Any traffic will be a breeze. It's a Mini - it's a stick.

 

Oh good god, we were on the GWB out of NYC this December and I thought we were going to die. that's some traffic.

Manual, manual, manual.

 

I'm about to say something very European and not very friendly.

Get used to stick, I know driving an automatic is less of a hassle, but the automatic is not that good in the Mini. It's not as good as the DSG from Audi/VW and it's definitely not as good as the automatic in the newer Porsches.
That and putting an automatic in a little sporty car is just a blatant shame. It's like buying yourself a $20.000 dollar kitchen and only using the refrigerator and the microwave. You will be missing out on a lot of fun, the car will be less responsive, less economic to drive, more expensive to buy and a little more expensive in maintenance.

 

Modimum,

Heck, you were probably on the GWB on a good day!

 

Test drove a manual yesterday ... very first thing I noticed is how much lighter the clutch is in the Countryman compared to my MCS. It's ridiculously easy to depress in the Countryman. I mean, it took me a couple of cycles of shifting to get used to it, and I've been driving manuals for 35 years.

The wife also drove the same thing with an automatic, and I have to refute Floor-is just a little ... the auto in the Countryman (and in the wife's Clubby, for that matter) is very responsive, maybe the most responsive automatic I've ever driven. True, paddles cannot replace the feel of a manual shifter and clutch. But if you're really on the fence and are not dead-set on having a manual, the auto in the MINI is still a lot of fun.