My 2006 Mini Cooper (automatic transmission) does not shift from 5th to 6th until I pass 100kph, which keeps the RPMs at around 4000 in 5th. As soon as I pass 100kph, it drops into 6th, with the accompanying drop in RPMs. But if I slow down and drop under 100kph, the transmission shifts into 5th and the RPMs go back up.

This is a problem because most of the driving around here is between 90-100kph. On the highway where speeds range between 90 and 110kph, this can make for some very choppy driving.

I've noticed that if I hold my speed at 90kph and switch to SD mode, the RPMs drop from 4000 to just over 3000 - much smoother than staying at 4000. In fact, I've found driving in SD to be much better at anything over 80kph. The problem with SD is the lower speeds are problematic as the engine lets the RPMs get too high before shifting.


And I can’t believe it’s good for my gas consumption or engine. I’ve been tracking kms per liter, and I’m getting between 11 and 12.5 km/l on each tank.

It has behaved this way since I bought it about three months ago, so I can’t really say if this is normal. The car has 70,000 kms and I had a maintenance check at BMW right after purchase.

What I’d like to know:
1. Does this make my engine work unnecessarily hard?
2. Is this normal?

Thanks for any help.