I have a 2019 Countryman, but I imagine this topic is universal amongst MINIs.

When I set climate control to Auto, the idea is to set a temperature and then for the climate control to do the rest, right?

How come I can still adjust the fan speed without disabling AUTO. I thought AUTO was supposed to determine fan speed, length of time, etc.

 

Basically to let you get to the desired temp sooner.

 

So it’s just “mostly” auto…

 

It's fully auto if you don't touch it. But it also offers more or less air based on driver preference.

My R53 had the auto air con and you couldn't adjust the fan speed without going into full manual mode. I definitely prefer the current setup for when I want a little more air movement, though I wish I could sync the driver and passenger sides.

Edit: I leave the fan set to the middle setting (top of the dial) and let the car manage the fan speed 90% of the time.

 

As I bought mine used (and honestly never thought to look into operation of A/C), excuse my ignorance for a second:
1) To turn on Auto, I would simply press auto or one of the A/C buttons correct?
2) It would then start the fan on the lowest setting?
3) To turn off, is the only way to do so by rotating the fan wheel counter clockwise?

 

1) You just press Auto. The A/C button turns refrigeration on or off but doesn't set the thermostat to auto AFAIK.
2) It will set the fan to whatever the most recent setting was last time it was on Auto. Just keep in mind that the actual fan speed will still vary depending on conditions, so it's kind of misleading to go by the dial.
3) That is the only way I know of.