I thought I had settled on auto transmission, but now I am up in the air. I'd love to save the money. What I'm worried about is fatique when it comes to city traffic. I need to sometimes deal with stop and go and I'll be driving this car a LOT. Much will be highway driving (many trips to North Jersey and NY from Baltimore) but I'll need to deal with rush hour commuting, too.

I know how to drive stick fine.

Any insights? How is the shifting and clutch pedal? Are mini owners fans of the auto trans or does it leave something to be desired. I do like the paddle shifters to at least have some control. The auto trans in the base model was horrible. It seemed when I stomped on the accelerator, the car didn't actually go into gear. I didn't feel that much with the S.

 

I drive my standard in city traffic. It is not really awful gridlock, but plenty of stop and go. This is my first standard vehicle and I don't find it difficult. That said I drove a Clubman S Auto with paddle shifters for a few days and it was a blast. Very responsive, the paddle shifters were fun, and it was nice to not worry about abusing my clutch when traffic got dense.

 

Shifting is half the fun!!!

 

I have driven both in northern Virginia traffic. I got rid of my 2003 MCS because of the constant shifting. Now I have 2011 MCS with the automomatic transmission and paddle shifters and I like it a lot better in traffic than the manual.

 

I have two MINIs, and '05 S and a '09 Clubman S both have the getrag manual 6 speed. I love to drive them both. That said I recently had a base MINI with an auto trans (Aisin?), without paddle shifters and I must say I was very impressed with the responsiveness of the trans. It up shifted quickly and downshifted very nicely.

 

I had the same dilemma, I drive between Philly and DC all the time. I thought it would be more fun to have a manual. This is a great gear box and is very easy to drive even in traffic, I also have a 911 which is a bit more effort. The only time I really regret it is in traffic, with a cup of coffee and a bagel! I have not driven the automatic... my wife is annoyed that it is a manual

 

I find the autos that BMW uses in its cars and in the Minis intolerably bad. I'm predisposed to dislike automatics anyway and would never buy one if given the choice, but the programming on the BMW autos is especially loathsome. It's a big enough deal in my mind that if I were going to buy a car with an automatic transmission, I'd buy something else.

So, I'd say go for the stick.

 

I have 2 minis, an '08 Clubman S manual, and my wife's '10 S cab auto. While I still enjoy driving my wife's car and the paddle shifters are fun, nothing can compare to the feeling from a manual... I live in LA and we all know there is WAY too much traffic here. The clutch is easy to manage in stop and go traffic and I would never trade it in for an auto box.

Its the only real driving experience i think... everything else is well... auto....

 

Go with the manual. Our 2006 325i had the auto and there was always a slight hesitation when you pressed the accelerator at a traffic light....very slight.....but it just felt strange.

 

I feel more connected to the car with the manual.

 

I have fallen in love with my STEPTronic w/paddles. Especially in Sport mode...

 

Driving in NYC traffic...the AUTO is the way to go.

 

I'm taking my first long trip to SC in the R60 for the holidays...my wife only drives AUTO and she plans on driving eight hours...AUTO is the way to go.

 

I've never owned a car with an automatic, but I'd like to know more about the StepTronic with paddles in the MINI. The newer versions of my other cars offer optional dual-clutch automatics that are quicker and smoother shifting than the manuals, even on track. They always seem to know the right gear to go to in any condition, so even experienced trackers say they just leave it in sport auto, because they can't do it any better.

I assume that the MINI's auto is not a similar dual clutch, but just how close can the sport mode auto or manual paddle shifting come to what an experienced driver could do with a manual? Could the MINI auto be competitive with the manual in autocross and on track?

 

My 03' is a stick and I wouldn't change a thing. My MINIs are company cars and I've been surprised by the number of people who won't/can't drive stick. That was the biggest reason I ordered auto for the Countryman. Still not totally sure I made the right decision but I think people in the company will feel better being able to borrow it. I'm keeping the 03' so when I want to row the gears, I can drive that.

 

I second that!!!! I drive in Philly rush hour traffic every single day.
And I have a MC S and I ordered my Countryman S ALL4 with a stick.
I think it depends on the persons preference and driving style. But I luv it to death......my wife hates it (she cant drive it)

 

I second that!!!! I drive in Philly rush hour traffic every single day.
And I have a MC S and I ordered my Countryman S ALL4 with a stick.
I think it depends on the persons preference and driving style. But I luv it to death......my wife hates it (she cant drive it)

 

I'm a 58 year old, old fart and I LOVE my manual transmission in my 2011 MCS. And my wife refuses to drive it which is another big plus. the MCS just would not be the same with a auto.

 

I agree.

 

If you are already *thinking* about wanting an auto trans, get the auto trans. You'll just regret it if you don't.

I personally can't wait to get it with the steptronic trans.

 

I've been driving standards since Lincoln was President. I realize modern autos get great mph, and I drive a lot in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I just don't feel comfortable in auto's. It comes down to "different strokes for different folks". I personally feel I have more control of the car using a stick.

 

I've had manual transmissions since 1990, but my Countryman is going to have an automatic. My new job requires me to drive in rush hour traffic and I get tired of shifting.

The other day (Monday) I drove my SO's car, a 6-speed stick, home in rush hour traffic during a raging snowstorm. It took me an hour and a half in complete stop and go traffic to drive 20 miles, and I decided then and there that my next vehicle was going to be an automatic. I was mentally and physically exhausted after that drive, and winter just doesn't go away around here.

 

After 32 years of driving sticks, shifting has pretty much become subconscious on the work commute. I still want to be the one to decide what gear the car should be in, especially in bad weather with bad road conditions.

 

I have 11 countryman S ALL4 with spectronic,
im in the same boat, driving from Baltimore to NYC at least once a week,
I love how this transmission response to the foot, obviously mini's getrag 6spd manual is the BEST manual transmission in the world (really), tho for me, this is not a weekend cruiser or a race car, so I went with auto.

if I were to get a MCS, i would get 6spd in heart beat, but with countryman auto is way to go IMO...

 

Some tranny tech questions:

1. Does Countryman Automatic mean a CVT (Continously Variable Transmission) like the non-S Mini has?

2. Is "Steptronic" the automatic tranny or a "semi-auto" tranny, where you have the option to shift?

3. Is Steptronic anything like the VW DSG paddle-shifter gearbox (which is actually a traditional clutch & flywheel setup that can pre-select the next gear choice) ?

Thanks
Mike.