Hi all, new to the forums.. My name is Lalkha and I drive a 2008 R52 S I've had my fair share of problems with it but love the car to death. So much so that I am strongly considering adding to my Mini family by buying a Countryman All4... I have driven a manual my whole life (4 cars) and I am convinced that I will be buying an automatic this time around... I have been told, it's not a mini if it's not a manual...

Any regrets from automatic transmission owners?

 

We also have a '06 R52 and have enjoyed many fantastic road trips. My co-pilot just this year replaced her old Detroit iron with a 2015 CM and she loves it. It is an automatic making her daily drives less stressful in traffic. The R52 manual is for having fun on the twisties.

 

I've had many manual transmission cars over the years. The nicest were a '67 Mustang GT, '71 Corvette convertible and an '87 Porsche 911 Cabriolet. My last manual was a 2013 Scion FR-S 6 speed. I now drive a base MINI with an automatic. What you will find in the automotive world is a group of guys who pound their chests and drag their knuckles because they think anything other than a manual is simply wrong. They seem to think that there is a special talent required to drive a manual and that they're the only ones that have that talent. After manual transmissions they're often associated with fart cans. They're nothing more than a joke. The best car for you or me is the car we want. Don't let the idiots decide for you.

 

Haha thanks for your replies! I'm the one that taught my husband how to drive manual... What's even funnier is that both my dad and brother tried to teach me to drive manual but in the end it was my mom that finally made it click...

 

The twists ARE so much fun!

 

As auto trannies go, the CM is pretty good. Don't regret it most of the time. Wife's VW golf auto is better but that is a different story.

 

Where do you live? Do you deal with snow? Before I learned how to drive my mother always said, "You will not own a car that is not a manual." She was a good teacher too. Since then, I've only owned a manual. I prefer it over automatics for a few reasons. 1. I feel like I have more control over the car and how it drives. 2. Before I moved to California, I lived in Colorado my whole life and when it snowed I've been happy I've had it to help slow me down when the brakes yielded such help on the slick ground. 3. It's just so much more fun! I will admit, when it comes to traffic and a few other daily driving instances, an automatic would be preferred, but I figured I can change that up when I get much older and get tired of shifting.

 

Haha I live in NJ so we have our share of winter snow. I'm turning 30 next month--- I feel older and tired of shifting!! ☺️ I know what you mean about better control though... I'm just tired of shore traffic, and I'll be commuting for work sooner than later instead of public transit to the city (there's a site opening up in NJ)

 

Ah, yes! You do get your good share of snow then. Traffic is definitely one of the stronger reasons why I would look into my next DD being an auto. Good luck with what ever decision you make. Either way, I'm sure you'll love the new MINI.

 

My CM S is my first automatic. Had 5 stick cars before. Got it so my lady and I have something we can both drive. It's definitely easier in SF traffic.

I don't like how the Mini automatics kick down. It feels like it takes a lot of throttle input for the trans to kick down a gear. For example, driving up an increasing grade, it feels like it's bogging before it kicks down, then it surges ahead because it rose 2500rpm and your foot is pretty far into the pedal. I use sport mode in some cases because the higher shift points mean less throttle input, and a smoother (in my opinion) shift. That's my only gripe.

I think the ease of commuting outweighs the downshift surging, especially since this is a commuter, and I have a different car for the twisties.

 

My Clubbie was auto and did very well. I thought I would be in the city when I ordered her. So when I got my CM I was in the sticks and got a stick. I love her, but if I have to go downtown Atlanta for dinner I miss the automatic. Stick in stuck traffic is no fun.

 

I bought a sprint booster for my CMS All4 and it got rid of the delay in throttle response making the car MUCH better to drive and you don't feel like you have to floor the pedal anymore. However the bog down your referring to is the turbo lag that plagues small engine turbo cars. I think MINI could have done better on the auto transmission, but when it bothers me I just switch in the manual mode and use the paddle shifters. I drove the 2015 F56 auto and thought that it had a much better transmission than my '14 Countryman's. All in all I am satisfied with the automatic and glad I chose it over manual for DD.

 

Grew up with manuals - mostly MGs & Minis but had to give up when the kids arrived as my wife NEEDED an auto. Now that the kids're grown and away I've had 3 MCS' ('09,'12,'14) and all were autos. I always keep it in sport mode and shift for myself (except for about a total of 11.7 miles). So the only thing missing has been the left foot clutching which I don't really miss. I love the paddle shifters though I split between them and lever shifting using whatever hand is free I guess

The downside is the car doesn't like me blipping the throttle, it tends to buck when I shift into first gear, and it will shift up/down when it thinks that's the right thing to do even if I just shifted it- grr.


Cheers, Mike

 

I'm a hardcore manual guy, been all my life, but my wife is a hardcore automatic gal :P, for the sake of me not having to drive the kids every day to school, we went with the auto. Its an automatic, same as all the others out there pretty much. It gets the job done.

What i REALLY wish is if it had a DCT, then we'd be talking!!

 

We have both, a manual in our Countryman, and the auto in the Clubman.
I much prefer an Automatic when slugging it out in stop and go traffic, which is my more common commute....
But, the Manual is so much fun when you have at least some room to drive around and don't need to clutch in and out at 10 miles per hour in traffic.
Your thought process seems to suggest you'll get the Automatic version of the All4 Countryman, and I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

 

When I get a loaner from the service department with an automatic, it makes me sad. They're just not as much fun to drive as a manual, IMO.

 

I went in looking for stick but got a GREAT deal on an auto. I use the steptronic paddle shifters all the time in sport mode and don't have any of the problems above. Shifts exactly when I want, and behaves very much like a manual only using the paddles. Best of both worlds in my opinion. I'd still next time look for a manual, because I love them and you do sacrifice a bit of power to the gearbox, but I haven't regretted the auto.

 

Same. The atrocious throttle response gets semi fixed with the sprint booster. Coming from riding sportbikes I love modulating the clutch and blipping. Obviously cant. However the auto and paddle shft and way I can use the gear stick in steptronic is fun.I have a set of blistered and chunked tires that begrudgingly agree. I live in LA, worst traffic, but also close to amazing cyns...

 

It's not a Mini if it's not a manual? I recall reading that more Minis are sold in North America with automatics versus manuals.

We owned a 2012 All4 with a stick, and after having a 2003 R53 we could not have been more disappointed with the clutch and transmission. Many owners here on the forum complained about the vague clutch engagement and we were one of them. And lots and lots of owners suffered clutch problems as is well documented here on the forum. We drove ours very gingerly to avoid problems.

Perhaps the clutches in the newer model years are better as BMW started installing different clutches at some point...I think it was 2013.

We also disliked the longer shift throws versus the R53.

Our 2012 suffered from major electrical problems, and when we filed a lemon law claim BMW replaced with a 2013, and we elected to get an automatic instead. Sure, we miss the stick when we feel like driving in a sporting manner, but we think we made the right decision, especially when sitting in traffic. I do find myself manually shifting the automatic often.

The world is changing fast. It's becoming more difficult to find models that offer manuals at all anymore. Even the Porsche 911 Turbo is not available with a manual anymore. Automatic trannies have been improving at an rapid pace. We have a new BMW M235i on order, and we chose the auto over the manual. I test drove a manual equipped car, and yes, that trans is terrific, but the 8 speed auto on that car is so good that it's actually faster 0-60 versus the manual. We have a similar transmission in our X5, and it really is that good.

Never thought I would be saying these things 10 years ago :-)

 

So I purchased my 2012 Mini Countryman S All4 8 months ago.with 94,000 miles on the original clutch. I have put a little over 18,000 miles on it driving it all over the US as I am an avid backpacker/ hiker. So I have taken it through all kinds of terrain and I just replaced the original clutch. The only downside was it stranded me in Lafayette, LA for 3 weeks waiting on parts. I have enjoyed the heck out of this car, and I plan on getting just as many miles or more on the replacement clutch as the original had.

It seems my biggest issue with this car has been the electrical system unfortunately, but the fun of driving it has outweighed the setbacks!!!

 

And this has what to do with the R60 Automatic transmission??