I have already ordered an 07MCSa but am concerned I should go back to stick. I live in an area that has real winters, and it is not unusual to get 3 to 6 inches of snow at a time, sometimes more. We have a fairly steep 2 block long hill on the way to our house. I have never had an automatic and only got a 20 minute test drive in one. I wouldn't have ordered it except it has the full manual mode. The other reason I went with automatic is my wife doesn't drive a stick, and I am not sure she is willing to learn. I would also have a problem teaching her, cause it sure isn’t going to happen in our new Mini-not even sure you can rent a stick easily. We have an all wheel drive automatic Subaru which we will keep for much of the driving when the weather is really bad.

Up to this point I have had several fun cars, WRX, STi etc, all stick, so my wife has never really gotten into this whole fun to drive thing. Currently she is OK as long as the car gets her from point a to point b. I'd love her to become half the enthusiast I am which is the main reason I ordered the auto Mini.

When I ordered the auto, I missed the detail that you cannot get LSD with an automatic transmission. So I am back to wondering if the auto will pull that hill when the snow and ice comes. I am ordering it with all season tires and plan to get winter tires as well. My salesman says he has had two Minis both without LSD and he takes them skiing all the time and doesn’t have a problem. I am really concerned especially when I noticed the inability of getting the LSD with the automatic.

To make things worse if I hold out for a stick I miss my November delivery and may have to wait for an 08 and probable price increases. What have been your experiences in slick conditions with an auto Mini or a stick Mini without LSD? Thanks for your input.

 

I had a CVT MINI for 3 midwest winters...no problems at all. Its all about the tires. Good all seasons or dedicated snows should make winters livable even w/o LSD. Auto vs stick--do a search--you will find many diverse opinions.

 

The manual transmission in the MINI is particularly good and a large part of the fun-to-drive aspect for me. How will you feel if getting the automatic does not succeed in turning your wife into a driving enthusiast? Will not getting it always have you wondering whether she would have converted, if you had? A gamble either way.

Regarding LSD, all MINIs come with ASC which uses the brakes to prevent wheel spin. The advantage of LSD is that it is more efficient at getting power to the ground, but ASC should take care of your winter worries.

Whatever you get, be sure to get DSC.

 

If you have the coin, get DSC & LSD. And as Robin stated, you get ASC as part of the deal. Now order it ASAP... (I wanted to throw in more acronyms, but I am too tired)

 

Then get the stick

 

I had an AWD car with somethig similar to ASC. I used to turn it off to get up a snowy hill. Not sure the difference between ASC and DSC though. LSD is a definite on slick roads though.

 

wrx and sti are both fun autoX cars.

 

Aren't the year and price locked in at the time of the order? I thought dealers knew their allocation for the year.

If you enjoy driving a stick I think you'll regret ordering an auto.

 

We have an 05 auto R53 and it's a trooper in the snow! But my R56 with a stick is great fun

 

well i have an auto, but then again, the only stick i know how to drive isn't in a car hahaha

 

 

Get the stick. You know you won't regret getting stick and you think you might regret getting auto. No brainier go with the sure thing. If your wife wants to learn to drive stick it's possible to rent a stick but big name places like avis or herts don't have them, you'll have to go with a local place or an exotic car rental place. Might have to spend $150 for a corvette for a day but that's kind of worth it.

 

My wife made me get the stick over the automatic. She can actually drive stick better than most guys I know.

I drive 95% of the time on the highway so it was a no brainer.

 

I say get the stick. With DSC there is hill assist, so learning on the MINI wouldn't be too difficult. The stick does have a tight throw, and my girlfriend had some problems on her only drive finding first, but she did fine after that. Of coarse she knows how to drive stick so I wasn't too worrid.

FWIW Paddle shifting is no full manual you don't get a clutch. ;P

 

They all come with Auto Stability Control (ASC) but Dynamic Stab. Cont. (DSC) is a $500 option. It's confusing, but I think only DSC can inplement braking to help correct the car's direction in a skid whereas with ASC it only uses the engine's power to the 2 wheels. Also DSC won't let the car go backwards (for like 5 seconds) on a hill if you have the stick.

 

Get the stick.
It is a large percentage of the smile factor.
This is a sports car, right?

 

AUTO, AUTO, I love my AUTO

 

I've been driving a stick for 40 years and I had trouble finding first the first time. It's much to easy to put it in reverse instead of first gear.

 

stick, dsc, lsd
if she won't learn, more fun for you

 

You might want to hear what folks who jumped from stick to automatic think:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=110701

 

C'mon... this is not a sports car. Its a blast to drive, but I couldn't classify this as a sports car. I do, however, agree with you completely.

Also, I can't say much for "full manual mode." I've driven a few cars with real paddle shift manuals, and its way different than the MINI, and 99% of the cars that advertise this. There is a always a delay in the shift, and you can tell that the computer is deciding whether to allow the shift change. They still use torque converters. Make sure you drive one before going this route, you may be set up for disappointment.

I think you may be excited to get the car no matter the transmission, but will it be the same in 6 months? Coming from the Subarus (me too!), you may get bored really quick with an automatic. You have more drivetrain loss and fewer gears meaning it will be slower and be much less tactile. Consider why you are purchasing the car in the first place, and follow that goal with all of your ordering decisions!

 

Mini would be a hot hatch...

 

Agreed!

 

Mini must have changed something during the year. First gear is really easy to find on mine. All you do is move the shifter all the way to the left and up. It goes in real easy. To get reverse, you have to put it hard all the way to the left and up. There is sort of a 'hurdle' to get by in order to get in reverse. There is no way you can do it by accident because you really have to push it over.

 

It took me a while to get used to the shift pattern.

Putting it in 6th when backing into a parallel parking space was not very successful.

There's a spring resistance which helps find reverse and a lesser one separating 3rd and 4th from 5th and 6th.

I still have to hunt a little to shift from reverse to first quickly.