I have a 2012 MINI Cooper S w/ stick. I have discovered that it has what I'd call "clutch assist". I don't know what the real term is. If I'm stopped on a hill w/ clutch in and in 1st gear and then release the (foot) brake the car does not roll back: the brake stays engauged until I release the clutch.

 

Think they call it "Hill Hold Assist". Nice feature.

 

'tis indeed a nice feature, I noticed it on our test drive.

Be advised: it does have a timer of some sort; it will give up at 2-3 seconds or so if you haven't released the clutch by then.

 

Read the owners manual much?

 

 

I did read it but missed this.

No need to be a **** about it.

 

I think that features like this can be circumvented if one rests in lights in neutral with foot off clutch and releases the brake before depressing the pedal to shift into first.

Besides that, some car's onboard computer interface allows you to disable it.

 

don't worry - I read my 2010's manual cover-to-cover and must have missed it as well. This was a pleasant discovery for me, too.

 

It is a really nice driver assist feature

 

Our MA had us stop on a hill during our test drive just to show off that feature. It's nice to take that little moment of panic away whenever you come to stop on a hill.... even if you've been driving a manual forever.

 

It is a nice feature for some people and not nearly as annoying as I thought it would be (I am used to using handbrake hold on steep hills). I find on my JCW it does not always engage... maybe some hills are not steep enough? Either way I don't rely on it but it is smart that MINI included it as standard. So few people know how to drive stick these days it will probably save somebody's butt and prevent a few oh $$** moments.

 

Also trying to figure out why it doesn't always engage.

Maybe how quickly you release the brake pedal?

 

Have it on my 2011 BMW 328i as well... very nice.

 

During daily driving I have a tendency to take off at very low revs and with a pretty quick clutch engagement, a habit I developed driving my jeep with large tires and stock gearing in an attempt to extend the clutch's life. Occasionally (very rarely) the hill assist hesitates just long enough at takeoff it causes the engine to stumble, especially with the A/C on. I can feel it actually holding the brake and disengaging a tad late for my driving style, and you can often hear it 'clunk' when it does so. It seems to be more of an issue on steeper grades around the Pittsburgh area. However, I still use the hill assist daily. I just give the throttle a quick blip before taking off to control when it releases. It still completely eliminates the need for a quick brake-to-gas pedal transition. Anybody else use it this manner...?

 

You have to be completely at rest (no rocking back and forth, slight rolling..), and the break pedal must be used to maintain it exclusively. You cannot use the handbrake to maintain it as I believe the electronic system thinks you are parking (at least that's what happened to me when I used the handbrake once).

 

Automatics have it too. It mainly turns on for when you're in reverse and pointing downhill though.

 

Mine has it too and I for one don't like it as I don't want a computer deciding when my brakes are engaged....seems like it might cause expensive problems in the future

 

... then you'll probably not like DSC (Dynamic Stability Control). According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,one-third of fatal accidents could have been prevented by this technology.

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I needed this feature last year at MINIS on Top. My '08 has no such feature - when the line stopped moving at the top so everyone could park, I became the "Mountain Hold Assist". I'm glad I had a good MINI friend behind me.

 

For reference, this is what the Owner's Manual says:


The main problem is that it can't be disabled. If you've developed automatic reflexes from driving manual shift for years (or even decades), it feels odd and unpredictable.

 

This feature sure made teaching my son how to drive a stick easier and less traumatic for hill starts. When I was learning back in the stone age, I can remember getting stuck at a stop sign at the top of a short but steep little hill up to a T intersection for a fairly busy road in my friend's Dodge Colt that had very little power and even less torque. I can't remember how many times I stalled or how many cars were stacked up behind me before I finally got through that stop sign, but I was definitely sweating. The hill assist almost seems like cheating.