Hello all,

I'm a current BMW owner and my wife is looking at replacing her Subaru Outback with an R56 Mini Cooper with an automatic gearbox.

I'm interested to see how the R56 Mini performs with the normally aspirated engine and the automatic. I know the R56 automatic non-S isn't a rocket, but I'm curious to see how it compares in terms of performance to my wife's current car.

Her Outback has the 2.5 liter 165 horsepower engine and 4-speed auto, and weighs nearly 3500 pounds. Suffice it to say acceleration is a bit leisurely, but it will easily climb steep hills at highway speeds thanks to good midrange torque - and the autobox doesn't hunt all over the place, either.

So - does anyone know of any print or online reviews of an R56 non-S Mini with an automatic? Every test I've come across either tests an Cooper S manual, a Cooper manual, or a Cooper S automatic.

Thanks in advance.