I honestly don't feel like there is much loss of power with the auto - seems to have plenty of "squirt" off the line & at speed. I think the main downside is the loss of "involvement". The Mini is all about an involved driving experience, and the manual just makes it more so.

 

Send all your Justa Automatics to me!

 

My wife has a 2012 Countryman All4 auto, and I recently picked up a 2013 Paceman All4 manual. Basically the same car, give or take a few lbs. There are times that I really think my wife's auto goes better than my manual. Like passing on the highway -- when the auto drops down a gear or two, the power is right there; but sometimes when I downshift mine, it feels like it just does not want to go. I've been driving manual trannies for close to 40 years now, so I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing. It's almost like there's a really narrow power band and at a certain speed, one gear is above it and one gear is below it. I've never sensed that driving her auto, nor did I sense anything like that in the two manual MCS's I had before the Paceman.

So the long way around to the short point: the wife had a Clubman S and now the Countryman All4, both autos, and I've been pretty impressed with both of them. All of which has almost nothing to do with the OP.

 

My 2011 Clubbie S auto w/steptronic and paddles is a friggin blast and smooth as silk!

 

I'm thinking whatever tranny makes it into the gen. 3 mini could be a huge improvement. It would be a no brainer for me if it ends up being an 8 speed DCT. The best of all worlds - super quick shifts with the direct power engagement of a clutch, hands on the wheel shifting, and the convenience of automatic if you want it.

 

This is a great thread. I think the issue here is that there are people used to driving different things. An auto driver knows just how to manipulate the pedal to make the car do what they want, in the same fashion that a manual driver knows when to use the accelerator/clutch and choose a gear. It's apples to oranges.

PS: Those who say there's no skill to driving an automatic don't know how to drive an automatic

 

I'm with you on this one. I'm always amused by those who say that the manual is the only way to go.......they just don't know how to drive an automatic.

 

Good point, very good point. Passengers in my MINI don't get the impression that the car lacks pep, or that it is sluggish or searching for gears. And, though it took a while to learn how to get the best out of her tranny, now it's natural to do.

As I pointed out in the past, if you want to know how quick an auto and/or a Justa can be, go and drive with someone who knows how to drive theirs.

Don't judge the Justas or the automatics from one quick test drive with a new MINI, the car doesn't have the chance to show off, and you don't have the time to learn how it's done.

Seek out a club member who has a Justa and you will be surprised.

 

I realize that this forum is populated by expert, discerning drivers with high expectations and apparent little tolerance for others opinions and needs.

I enjoy my '09 auto Cooper to the best of my abilities and would not trade it for one with more whirly gigs and plasti-dipped bits.

I am less than an excellent driver. This is the result of a brain injury that complicates driving and an auto is a big help for me. I was tested when I was in rehab and have a letter that attests that I passed a driving test and am OK for the State to issue me a driving license. It does not certify that I am an excellent, discerning, quick,... driver... just 'OK to have a license.'

At a Porsche Club autocross I stopped by a few months ago some of the members invited me to take a turn on the track. I refused - I do not belong on the track - enjoy watching nonetheless.

I am not the only special-needs person in a MINI. Surely there are some of us out there with additional needs - [think hand controls here.]

I do not want to be called a whiner but I don't mind advocating for those of us with physical limitations that share the public roads. There is a spectrum of skills, ages, limitations, needs that share the roads. Some tolerance is likely a good thing for all involved.

ps. at 45k miles I drained and filled the Aisin auto with Mobil 3309 and it shifts great - like new.

 

I think that auto vs. manual has less to do with actual performance. IMO it comes down to the experience of driving the car. The manual simply adds to the connected, immediate feel that many of us chose the car for. But not all of us chose the car for that reason.

 

Very well said, and very true. There are many legitimate reasons that an automatic transmission works better for someone than a manual. Their driving experience is not dependent on that third pedal... it's dependent on what they can get out of the car, within the limitations of their situation.

Buy what you want, but don't look down on or disparage others for making a different choice. 'Don't judge others until you have driven a thousand miles in their body'. People with challenges are entitled to have just as much joy out of their cars, as everyone else is.

 

Oh the irony of pointing a finger the following sentence after scorning someone for doing so...

 

Go getting an automatic in a MINI is a sign of neurological damage? Sure, I can see that.

 

This is true, and I've always preferred a manual for just this reason. But I have to say that, having owned five different MINI's now -- two autos and three manuals -- the gap between auto and manual is much closer in a MINI than in any other make of vehicle I've owned or driven. I've driven some autos that were real honest-to-goodness slushboxes that truly had minds of their own and were just miserable to drive; but the MINI autos seem to feel more 'connected' and more responsive to what the driver wants it to do than most.

 

I will agree. For whatever reason the salesman insisted on taking me for a test drive in a cooper S paddle shift. I kept an open mind and nodded at everything he said. I asked to drive a 6 speed manual and I took it for a test drive. I drove it for 10 minutes and then told him as long as he gave me X amount of dollars for my trade I would buy the car with an agreeable interest rate.

In some cases auto trannys hold up better under extreme condition than maual transmissions do. For example; the new mustang 5.0 engines come with a Chinese 6 speed MT82 transmission or the automatic ford transmission. The 5.0 engine was made to inhale nitrous at a ridiculous rate but the 6 speed sourced tranny keeps falling apart. Same with the toyota supra.

Obviously comparing a MINI to a drag car or something with launch control like a GTR is stupid but in some situations an automatic does prevail; especially in dog box comp cars.

 

Agreed, compared to other automatics, I was pleasantly surprised. Only reason I went automatic vs manual because the BRGII MINI I test drove, they didn't want to fix the deep scratch made on the rear panel. I chose White Silver because it was the next best choice.