Hi to all. I am looking to order clubman JCW soon but I can't still decide if I want manual or automatic. I test drove both transmissions in clubman S. Also now I drive F56 with manual. Any thoughts on this?? Thanks.

 

What kind of driving will you be doing? Grocery getting - 2 hours of big city commuting - hills of SF? Then you want a slush box. If you're looking for the open roads less traveled and fond memories of the Dragon then a manual.

 

My F54 JCW

 

MANUAL. No question - it's just simply more fun.

 

I ordered a manual even though I do some rush hour commuting. If you are a manual driver, an auto is never quite right. I would rather put up with a tired left leg to have the control.

 

Manual all the Way

 

I drove a manual on my MCS for 7 years, and I don't have a lot of stop and go traffic where it live. It was fine. But the AT on my JCW is sweet, kicks down gears ASAP. I honestly wouldn't go back. I do end up driving in 4th gear a lot more than with the manual. And the F56 car "wants" to be in 5th gear at about 40 mph whereas mine is in 4th based on driving my friends' 2015 MCS car. I don't know if the JCW tranny behaves differently.

 

So, I just ordered the automatic...
But thanks for the opinions.

 

Congrats on ordering your car. I've been enjoying the 8-speed auto with paddle shifters in my All4S. Blips through the gears up and down quickly. Really fun in Sport mode. The 8-speed JCW should be a scream.

But we must give a nod to the manual rowers who enjoy the driving engagement that a manual tranny can provide.

It's all good in a MINI

 

I ordered mine with the 3rd pedal. The computer might be more efficient but I would rather decide when to make the changes. Use two hands and two feet to drive!

 

Well, does blipping the paddles with both hands count?

 

2017All4, with your expertise, it does!

 

I think what you get really depends on your situation. I personally opted for the 6 speed on my Clubby. I commute 9 miles round trip on a daily basis. I have always used a manual to commute with, but it's always been a short or easy commute. Living in the Wash DC metro area, I'm more the exception than the rule as far as commutes go. If I had the Rte. 28 commute from Manassas to Chantilly or Dulles or Tysons like many of my friends do, a slushbox would be the choice. However, if I had to make this commute, I wouldn't be doing it in a gas powered vehicle. I would likely ride public transportation or find a gas/hybrid or something that gets much better mileage than my Clubby. My last car, when I sold it, only had 89,000 miles on it after 17 years!

This year, my personal goal is to start riding my bike to work on a semi regular basis.....

 

I've been living with my manual F54 Clubman S for a year now. Just finished up a couple of days with a nearly-identical dealer loaner with the 8-speed auto (no paddles).

Plenty of props to those of you who like it, but as a died-in-the-wool 3-pedal guy who has only bought manuals for the last 30+ years (although trucks are different -- my trucks are automatics), I just think the car loses all of its personality and fun. I especially didn't like it in sport mode. Tranny in sport mode was okay (but what the heck does it take to get it to use 8th gear on the highway? And why doesn't auto-start/stop work when the tranny is in sport mode?), but if you put the CHASSIS in sport mode also, it sounds weird, and felt unnatural. I just don't like automatics when I can HEAR them shift, I think. But it's probably just me! Glad to have my car back!