Yes, it does rock. Nice coupe!!! We are thinking about adding a roadster in the spring next year if we can find one that will catch our eye.

 

IMO, EVERYONE should have to know how to drive a manual.

 

I will agree with you, but it's not a 'happening thing' these days. And car manufs. know it with regards to what sells....
I love the signature of Save The Manuals from one of the posters here on NAM, I think manuals are an endangered species.....
But look at it this way with manual trans cars, it's one more way of making a car more theft resistant........

 

My brother lives in Omaha and he told me of an attempted car jacking last year. The jackers were caught at the scene-they couldn't drive a manual.

 

Why?

I used to think the same, but now it makes no sense. Better off spending the time learning how to fish, hunt or unclog a toilet. More directly related, how to change a tire.

 

^^^^^^

Now that's funny.

 

Driving a manual transmission is a way more engaging experience of actually driving... If you don't feel it's worth the time to learn, then you will never understand.

 

I learned to drive a manual on my brothers motorcycle before I had a license. I've driven mostly manuals, but to the point why should everyone learn to drive something that most people will never see or own? They are disappearing at a fast rate and in the not so distant future people will either be driving all electric or be in driver less cars.

Driving a manual is a more engaging experience for some people, for others it is a chore. I see both sides, give that a shot.

 

True gear heads know how to drive stick! ;-). Especially those who appreciate classic cars! I know technology is making the manual somewhat obsolete but the automatics today are very different than the old days when many of us had to avoid automatics for performance reasons. Times are changing for sure but anyone who blows off shifting with a clutch is truly missing out!

 

Agree, not everybody need to learn to drive a manual. And sadly, driverless cars are almost here already.

There are many ways to enjoy your car from putting on some music on a high end stereo system and cruising around, to carving the canyons (well, not here in new jersey). To each his own.

 

I see the point of driving manual and I do miss driving manual. I learned how to drive on a manual Ford Pinto when I was 12. The years have caught up with me and my leg gets stiff and tired specially in stop and go traffic, not to mention a little swollen from time to time. The automatic transmission with the paddle shifter allows me to still have some control to play with the gears and have some fun.

 

I love manuals and will never discourage anyone from buying one. However, I will say that the automatic in the MINI JCW is pretty impressive. Not only does it work well on it's own, it is awesome in manual mode. Never thought I would push an automatic, but it really is pretty sweet.

 

When I was in High School in the early 60's it was a given that everyone would be zooming around in their very own flying car by the 1980's at the latest. In case it went unnoticed, It Didn't Happen!
Like so many of the "inevitable" advancements, I'll wait until I see it to believe it. But, even in that eventuality, I probably won't give a damn because the amount of time I'll have to put up with it is finite. I'm already 70, but I still drive the heck out of my manual Mini.

 

I am a little younger, and nobody I knew was seriously planning to race George Jetson anytime soon.

 

 

I got an auto so my wife could learn to drive. Kept the MX5 Miata which is manual. My driving completely changed and I drive much more sedately in the mini. The auto is nice but still slightly mushy and doesn't change quite where I expect it to. Sport mode is the closest, the other modes do unexpected things and the gear changes are still a little slow if your used to a short shifter.

The biggest thing with the auto is that engine braking is often a bit mushy and slow to react and you end up using your brakes a lot more in case it throws in an unexpected gear change at the last moment.

Having said all that, I'm relatively new, 3 months in. It took some getting used to the auto and you never quite have as much control. It's also VERY quiet, hard to hear your rpm's properly and hard to guage where you are. MX5 had no surprises, direct braking, throttle and steering, gear stick straight in the gear box between the seats. Mine doesn't even have ABS and is far more balanced and tossable.

It made me realize the difference between a sporty car and a sports car. Auto Mini is still fun, quick. Far quicker than the Mazda but no where near as balanced and doesn't instill as much confidence. Too much interference from the computers trying to anticipate what your doing and catch potential mistakes.

Still, if I didn't have the wife and 3 pugs I probably would have gotten a Lotus Elise. An auto Mini means compromises, but it's still pretty distinctive and offers more fun and comfort than 90% of whats out there. Not just another boring appliance.

 

I've decided to stick (no pun intended) to a manual trans.

 

And you're getting a new MINI

 

Nothing was mentioned of age and health of you and your family. Because of my family, I have three vehicles and they are 2 auto and 1 manual. The least I've owned at one time was two vehicles, one manual and one auto.

One thing I have learned over the decades, you never know when something will happen. I have been a manual owner since driving, but have been in situations where I could only drive a auto for a short period of time. When my health improved ... back to the manual.

If only manuals, I have limited myself where I need to get help going somewhere or renting a vehicle for sometime to get about. I have been self-sufficient due to my selections of ownership over the decades.

 

Definitely, but waiting to see refreshed lights first.

 

I guess some of us couldn't SHIFT your mind. You came through in the CLUTCH. Think I used up all the intended puns I could think of.

 

A friend of mine drove many different cars for service pickup of the owner's car. He once had the opportunity to drive a Lotus and said it was unlike anything he had ever driven, including many Porsches. I would love to drive one.

 

My brother in law has one. I really want to drive it, but A) he doesn't let anyone drive it and B) he lives in Texas, so I don't see him much. Someday I hope...

 

All of my MINIs have been manual (R53, R60) and now an F55. They've each gotten easier to drive. The F55 is the easiest yet and very smooth. I love it! I always say that I'll never own an automatic. Too pricey to fix, more prone to failure, etc. Glad you've decided to go with a manual. We need more people to push for the manual transmission.

 

Drove a new (moved from the showroom floor new) clubman JCW with paddle shifters today. My SA did it as a favor as I am scheduled to take the MINI autocross class next week and wanted to try the paddles before I got there. They only use auto JCWs and I have a '15 S JCW tune manual.


What a dog it was!


It will only downshift under 3,500 rpm. Above 3,501 nothing happens. Rev match minimal. Have to look to see what gear you are in. When paddling, as was explained to me by the SA, when shifting gears the gas shuts off and you hear a pop when it resumes. To me, a useless system on a JCW. Skip the paddles, leave it in auto/auto, use the brake and pray as you enter a curve. Way too slow reaction time for me. No wonder they went with large brakes, one needs them, no engine s l o w I n g let alone braking. I have owned autos before (wife's) Jaguar XJS (V12) and a Mazda RX-7 (Wankel). The RX would probably take this JCW with no problem.


My SA (good guy) advised me (that's what they do) to drive the JCW at the track like I stole it. Don't think I will-wouldn't want it. But I do hope to meet up with a JCW auto on some lonely back mountain road some day, soon...