Any advise on getting manual or automatic? I am looking at S manual,however, a friend has had both and says would never go back to manual because it "wears you out" shifting and gets old. He loves his automatic. I have always thought that manual just fits a sports car

 

More like he got old.

The level of control with a manual is something you'll never get with an automatic.

You can't rev-match or heel-toe in an automatic. These are the basics of performance driving. Go with your feeling and get a manual.

 

+1

Throwing the gear lever around is part of the MINI experience to me.

 

I don't care how much easier or faster the new automatic or F1 cars are, I will still only purchase manual.

 

Its all opinion and preference I personally love manual and enjoy the pros more than the cons I have been driving manual about 4 years but I have known people who after a year or 2 wish they had an automatic. If you consider yourself a driver or person who truly loves the experience of controlling your car go manual if this does not describe you or you only occasionally enjoy a brisk drive go automatic.

 

Boy, that's a good question. When I ordered Sunny, there was no thought of an automatic. But...I had a 2011 S with an automatic as a loaner for a week from my dealer. It was sweet!
I don't know if you're looking new or used, but I would strongly recommend driving both before making a decision.

 

I own manual, and have had my share of 2010 MINI Clubman's and 2011 Cooper S's to drive.

In the constant city stop and go driving, especially on the major roads thru in and around major cities which can get very congested during rush hour and traffic crashes, I found the automatic to be a huge plus in that regard.....

But, I also found that when in Sport mode, shifting points were a bit too unpredictable for what I was used to.....

 

If you can drive a manual, get a manual

 

I am new manual driver as of this year. Learning is a little scary since I'm terrified of riding the clutch and downshifting too soon. On the other hand, it is fun to do the shifting yourself. I'm still getting the hang of going from a stop to 1st without stalling or peeling out but I've been getting better at it. You definitely need a lot of patience if you're a new driver. There's less opportunity to eat/drink and drive but you shouldn't really be doing that anyway If you're more of a passive driver that doesn't want to pay too much attention to driving, a standard isn't for you.

 

MINI has a very nice manual. But really, get what you want. If you don't like to shift, don't.

 

Paddle shifters FTW!!!

Grew up on manual trannies, but I'm very glad to have the auto in my day-to-day city driving. Just today, however, I had a blast shifting over to steptronic mode for some nice, twisty backroads driving where the auto -- left to its own devices -- was simply all over the place. The MINI auto tranny really gives you the best of both worlds -- and the steering wheel paddles are the ultimate short shifter!!

Plenty of company here!

 

The nice thing is that both transmissions are good choices. The manual gives you complete control while the auto (in sport mode) almost comes close. The main thing I like better about the auto is that in 6th gear at 60 mph the auto is only turning 2000 rpm, which makes for some relaxed cruising and with the 15% pulley, quickness is only a downshift away.

 

Just think, No texting and eating at the same time. No dialing your cell phone and drinking your coffee at the same time. Ladies, It's hard to put on your makeup when having to shift gears.

With the auto you can do more things then drive because you only will need the one hand to steer.Well, there are some people that learned to steer with their knees while driving.

I guess it is up to the car owner if they need the automatic or a manual transmission.

 

Mini=manual=period

 

In 25 years of driving, I've only owned two automatics (an '82 Trans Am and a '72 Mercedes), so I'm a little bit biased. That said, I think either choice is fine for an 'S'.

A lot of it has to do with how much torque the engine has and how much the car weighs - the more torque you have, the less critical gear selection becomes. I drove a first-gen MINI "justa" automatic and found it to be a little bit gutless, but I had a much better experience with the automatic in the 'S'.

I do think that a manual transmission fits better with the "sporty car" experience, though. I'd have no problems with an automatic in a Town Car or an S-class Mercedes, but I don't think I'll ever own a small car with an automatic transmission.

 

I used to feel that I would never own a car with an automatic. I had several cars/trucks with manuals. My wife bought a 3 series with auto and paddle shifters, and after trying that I was sold. You can shift it yourself if you want, or if you are in bad traffic, let the auto do its stuff.
When I got my mini, I test drove the S with auto and I loved it. Its one thing if you live in the country and see little traffic, but if you spend much time in traffic, the auto is vastly preferable IMO. Plus the auto in these cars is well built from what I have read.

 

after being in an Auto for the past 4 years, I wanted a change. I'm glad I got manual. also, with how this transmission feels, traffic doesn't phase me. I love it. especially because of how the gear ratios are, you can woosh right past people without downshifting, like an Auto would do, dropping you out of the powerband. also helps if you want to be fuel efficient. at the moment, I'm egging myself on to shifting below 2,500RPMs for gas mileage reasons, lol. best choice I've made!

 

Manual. Unless your crippled or some other debilitating problem then get an Auto. And I do not care what anyone says but the MINI automatic is garbage. It ***** way harder then an automatic should and from a stop it feels like a manual with the clutch being rode all the way till it shifts to second gear. I would like an auto in a daily commuter as shifting in stop and go really bites but, it would not or ever will be a MINI.

 

Small and fast car?
Manual. End of story!

 

Stick shift: Learn it, drive it

It's still a good idea to learn to drive a stick shift.




Here's why, courtesy of Eddie Alterman, the editor-in-chief of Car and Driver magazine, who last year launched a "Save the Manuals!" campaign in response to dwindling industry production of the stick shift:

• It's enjoyable: "It's more fun to have control over the gears," says Alterman, noting "the gratification of a well-timed heel-toe downshift."
  
• It's revivable: "You can start your car if it's got a dead battery by popping the clutch on a hill, whereas with an automatic you have to get a jump or a tow," he says.
• It requires focus: "If you're worried about your kid texting while driving, there's no way they can do all this at once," Alterman says. "It's a big deterrent to doing anything behind the wheel other than driving."
• It's fuel-efficient: When driven correctly, a manual transmission delivers more miles per gallon than an automatic.
• It's cheap: A manual transmission has fewer parts, so it's less expensive to repair. When offered as an option, it also typically costs less to buy.
• It offers control: "You think there would be all these unintended acceleration problems if people had stick shifts?" asks Alterman.
• It will get you from Point A to Point B: What if there's an emergency and the only vehicle has a stick? 'Nuf said.

Several more thoughts on the subject.

I have driven stick my entire life, (let's just say Disneyland and I were created in the same year; you can google that later) and I truly love the manual transmission. However, if I lived in LA or San Francisco and had to deal with the bumper to bumper traffic and the hills, I am pretty sure, my daily drive would be an automatic. The occasional trips to both are doable but not a great deal of fun. That numb tingly feeling in your left leg and the knee shakes or the gas-clutch and emergency brake routine get old as well. I must add however that my MINI has the smoothest manual transmission I have every had the joy of driving. Manual vs automatic is purely a personal passion (choice). Only you can decide.

 

Wears you out? Automatics wear me out with constant frustration from never being in the right gear, shifting during a corner, gotta hold the brake when you're stopped on level ground. And there's always a point where you want to accelerate a bit and need to downshift to do so but the auto won't downshift until you're pushing the throttle and go way faster than intended.

 

I love all this feedback!!! Thanks. I owned only manual until I got my first Mercedes 15 years ago. I am on my second Mercedes and have been going between getting another one or a mini!!!! Two different breeds right?!?! Well I just keep find myself researching the mini S more and more. Drove a really nice loaded Mercedes last week with hands free everything etc and loved it but came home and found myself looking at minis again! I love the experience of driving and always loved manual. Just haven't had one in a while so 2nd guessing myself a bit in going back to one but I truly think the sport of it is a blast and an "art" . Big diff also going from auto Mercedes to manual mini. Just feel like it's something I have gotta do . Seems to be getting in my blood.

 

It depends on your commute. If you sit in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour a day, I can definitely see how a manual can get old. But if you have a short commute, or don't spend much time in traffic, then manuals aren't that much more work than automatic, and they become second nature so that you don't even really notice that you are shifting. I've owned manual cars since I was 17 and I'm no where near ready to give them up. For a number of years I drove between 20,000-30,000 miles a year on LA freeways: 45 minutes to and from work each day then 1 1/2 to 2 hours every Friday and Sunday night to go to LA to see my boyfriend. I never thought of replacing my manual transmission cars with automatics, even with that abuse. Because they were so much more fun when I wasn't in stop and go.

When I got my MINI I also felt like it was something I had to do to get it out of my system. I don't regret that decision at all. I felt if I didn't buy it now, I would just end up buying one later, so might as well have fun today! There's also just some cars that belong as an automatic or a manual. Mercedes, definitely an automatic car. But MINIs, they are a lot of fun and beg to be driven like a race car, which makes me feel like manual is the proper transmission in a Cooper.

Which ever you choose, you'll have fun, no if ands or buts about that.

 

Manual

 

Autotragic=fail.....