just trying to get some input on wether or not I should get an auto clubman S or a 6 Speed..

I love standards but also like being able to hand the keys to the wife if I have had a good time that night..

have any of yall driven both? the mini dealership here in birmingham only has Autos on the lot and I dont want them to ship a 6 speed in if I dont like it..

I previously had an 06 S 6 speed.. do they drive similar? I know the motors are different but I am looking for general driving impressions between the two...

thanks very much.

 

The manuals drive the same, no real difference. But seriously consider the auto, very nice unit.

 

its better to try both... or el;se u will be thinking abt it..

 

I've owned a handful of fun-driving manuals as well as an assortment of autos. I was shocked at how nice my auto is (albeit it in a JustaCooper). If I get an S in the future I will insist on an auto.

 

The Auto IS a nice option. Especially on sport mode and using the paddles!!

 

The auto - especially in Sport mode - is just as fun, to me, as my 6-speed Clubman S. My Clubman is my DD, if I drove in more stop-go traffic I would've gone for an auto. Either is a nice choice

-Jim

 

I didn't test drive either! But I was totally wowed by the responsiveness of the automatic, and the shift points are more accurate than I could do myself, especially in Sport Mode: steady power application throughout the range. I understand why some folks love the 'connection' of manual shifting, having driven manual cars for over 30 years, but this auto gearbox in my Clubbie convinced me that manuals are obsolete.

 

hmm.. thanks folks for the information.. i appreciate the help.. now just gotta find the right car!!!

i am trying to determine if i want a sunroof, because there is a mini on the lot that doesnt have the sunroof but has the other main things i want in it..

any input on the sunroof would be much appreciated

 

OK I will take the other side. My '09 Clubman S with the 6 speed manual is a joy to drive. The shift gate is very smooth and the getrag trans is perfect with the turbo 1.6 engine. Drive them both. I own a '05 Cooper S with a manual trans too and they are both a blast.

 

I have had 9 MINIs, 7 with and two without sunroofs. Currently I have the two cars without. I dont miss them too much. Especially on the Clubman.....That car has ALOT of window to keep it bright in the car!

 

Count me in with the "no sunroof" crowd. I've had them before, enjoyed them on maybe two moonlit drives home from a concert in the park, and that's it. I don't miss them, and actually appreciate having one less complex computerized, motorized thing to break down, one less gasket or seal to leak, possibly less weight ill-positioned at the very top of the car, etc. Bear in mind that I also like the anthracite headliner, so it may be just a "man-cave" thing

 

+100000000000000000000000000 on the Anthracite Headliner! I LOVE it in my GP!!

 

I recently had a loaner automatic. No way. I love the control and instant gratification of my manual. I found the automatic to be jerky and non-responsive in comparison.

 

The manual is a very nice box, easy to shift smoothly or quickly. Your wife will be able to learn to drive the stick and then she will love it too. Get the stick.

And get the sunroof too. The whole cabin is brighter (newsflash) and I think that's a good thing if you pick a dark color interior. The drawback is that the sunshield isn't a full sunshield, it's perforated and still allows some light/heat to enter. No matter, I think the strengths of having a sunroof outweigh that weakness.

Regards,
Terry

 

Do not get the stick unless your wife is a willing learner..!!

 

coming from a manual Boxster I thought I was going to hate the Auto on our Clubman S. Then I started playing with it up the rough twisty 6 mile hillclimb to our house. No way I can shift that fast and keep the power on at speed into and out of the corners as fast as the auto with the paddles can. for you bay are folks it's Black road from 17 to 35

 

I notice that too every time I get an automatic loaner. However after a day or so I don't notice the responsive issue. I prefer the manual but if I lived in daily stop and go traffic, I'd get the automatic.

One thing I noticed today, while returning a loaner with the automatic, on downgrades, if I touched the brake pedal to slow the car, it would downshift, 2 or 3 gears depending on how hard I pressed the brake. Then it would hold it in that lower gear until I hit the gas again, or until the grade leveled off. So the car is using the hill assist sensor for maintaining downhill speed...not just for standing starts on hills.

 

I have the Clubman with the automatic, which i believe is the ultimate "short shifter".

 

I love my automatic I just don't really like how it shifts in Sport mode when I'm just doing my normal daily driving...

 

yeah i drove an auto today.. i am not sure if i like it as much.. felt kind of unresponsive... as for the sunroof. i will be getting one of those as well.

thanks for the input. anything about the clubman that i should know about?

 

IMO it is worth the short drive to Atlanta to one of the two dealerships or wherever you have to go to drive a 6 speed. I have an '09 MCS convertible with the 6 speed manual and this is the sweetest shifting manual I have ever driven. The huge, wide torque band of the S engine makes it unnecessary to thrash the gearbox around all the time as required with engines with low torque. You can shift it agressively for play or let the torque do the work for you.

I drove an S convertible with the auto and it had plenty of power but the drivetrain was just not as smooth to me when I got into the throttle. This could have been the car that I drove but I drove another S auto and it too was not as vibration free as the manual to me at higher power conditions.

Bottom line - you will be happy with either but I would drive both as the cars have different personalities with the two different trannys.

Happy future motoring

 

Everything you need to know is right here in this forum...

 

I'm an advocate for manual transmission. I test-drove an auto and a manual and IMO the manual is way funner than the auto. When I get my clubbie, that's definitely what I am getting.

However, heed the good advice from ron-s mini: only get the manual if your wife is a willing learner! Manual may be fun, but if you see yourself needing your wife to take the keys every once in a while and she doesn't want to learn manual transmission, then there's really not much of a choice left...

In either case, best of luck with your decision and happy motoring

 

thanks very much for yalls input.. hopefully i can sell my jeep in the next day or two and get a clubman soon!!

 

Took my manual MC in today and got an Auto MCS as a loner.

While my other cars are all auto's it just didn't seem right in the MC. Made it into a normal car which is not why I bought a Mini. I did think the +/- on the stick worked as well or better than my A6 did, but found the paddles useless and too plastic feeling.

So, I think Mini has a very good automatic, just can't quite understand why I would want one.