This is a photo of the "Madame Butterfly" cargo vessel:

http://kommandobryggan.se/wallenius/...terfly81_2.jpg

 

Thanks, Coop!

Sweet ride for the trans-Atlantic trip, dig the colors

 

man, it seems like most of you guys bought S's. am i the only person in Febuary to buty just a Cooper? i feel lonely..... lol....i was poor when i ordered mine

 

Sounds great - I have a question though:
From my reading, when you push the lever over to put it in sports mode it is in "sports auto" ... until you start shifting gears manually. Then it goes into "sports manual" or "semi manual" or whatever.
But how do you get it to go back to "sports auto"? Do you have to push the lever left (back into "drive") and right again?

Thanks. And Congrats

 

I too opted for the Base Cooper. You are right, seems like most went for the S. This is going to sound weird, but I just couldn't get to like the hood scoop. To me it just seemed out of place, so I got the MC instead. Silly I know because the S is every bit as much a Cooper as the MC.

Anyway, the base is my feeble attempt to gain the lost car of my youth (an Austin-Healy Bugeye Sprite-I had a chance to get one that needed restored but of course at the time I didn't have the $$$$). I guess the beauty of the MINI is that it reeks of individuality. Also, I have never noticed a superiority or inferiority complex from S or Base owners. So to all happy motoring.

Rest assured your base will have mine to keep it company on the journey,

 

Ian.... from what I am able to gather I don't know that there is a way to get out of "manual" mode. I do know that the car reverts back to auto when you have not manualy shifted gears in a predetermined period of time (though I don't know what that time period is).

It would be VERY useful to those of us with the new '05's on order if someone could scan and post the relevent pages from the new manual. As far as I know, the new manual is not out there on the web anywhere.

If no one does it by the time I get mine then I will do it.

BTW: Where in England did you ex-patriate from? I grew up in Thetford, where my parents are still living (Mum's a Norfolk gal, Dad's a Yank....... something my mother's family never got to terms with).


-- Jay

 

well i just went on a road trip to the mini dealer at 8 o clock at night lol. Sooper is out back and it looks as if its ready to be given over to me!!!!! the stripes are on, and i have a cupholder and floor mats now, i'm SOOOOOO EXITIED!!! i dont think i'm going home tomarrow night! i'm just gonna drive!!!

 

The scoop on the auto is this:

Essentially 4 different drive modes.

Automatic-drives like tradition auto. Shifts seem slightly slower, changes gears at lower rpms and much, much smoother of a ride. This mode does take some of the "sport" out of the car because it does not really hold the gears.

Manual automatic (sort of an oxymoron, I know) (non-sport)-you can go through the gears with the hand paddles only. You can not row through the gears with the "stick" in this mode. If you do not shift for about 10 seconds it reverts back to the fully automatic mode on its own.

Sport automatic- as I stated on my prior post--awesome. Best automatic I have ever driven as it really feels like a manual in terms of its gear selection, quick shifts, engine braking when it downshifts. Shifts feel like you just dropped the clutch.

Manual sport- With the lever moved to the right in sport automatic mode, you can now shift either with the paddles OR by using the "stick". You push the stick forward to downshift and pull back to upshift. Again the shifts are very quick. It does NOT revert back to sport automatic after a given time period, but stays in this mode until you slide the stick back to the left (normal automatic mode). if you want to put it back into sport automatic mode, then you slide the stick to the left to normal automatic mode and then again to the right to get you back to sport automatic.

Some finer points--in the manual sport mode it will let you drive off from a stop in either M1 (manual 1st gear) or M2 only. It will not let you manually switch into M3 at a stop as this would theoretic stall the car. The only time I noticed the car "take control" in this manual sport mode is when I was coming to a stop and was still in 3rd gear, it downshifted to 2nd. It didn't do this though until the rpms got so low that if you were driving a manual you WOULD have stalled had you left it in 3rd. It is very non-intrusive as it really only takes over when you would have been doing something stupid (like coming to a stop in 3rd gear). I have read that it will also take over and not let you downshift into 2nd gear at 100mph, for example.

 

Got myself a MCc on the Butterfly....

Rather than an S, I got options!

 

Thank you for that. That was the clearest explanation I have seen of how the transmission operates. Now to actually get mine in my hot little hands.

 

MCSC,

Thanks for the excellent write up. You answered alot of my questions.... but of course I have more, or I am dense and don't understand.

Can you detail how to "get" into each mode. Correct me and fill me in?

Automatic - Just move the stick back towards you until it is on "D"

Manual automatic - Push/pull a paddle while the stick is on "D", right? Also, does this automatically shift you, or does it just put you in the Manual Automatic mode and you have to push/pull again to select the gear?

Sport Automatic - Shifter to the right.

Manual Sport - Move the paddle or shifter forward or backward while the shifter is to the right. Do I understand you correctly in that there is no way to go from Manual Sport back to Sport Automatic, but that you must go to Automatic "D" and then push the lever over to the right again to accomplish this switch.

Last question: Is there any difference between the two manual modes besides the "10 second time limit"?

Thanks again for the answers. I have been trying to understand the exact mechanics of this since I ordered and you are the first I have seen that has put these things out there. I'll find out myself in a day or two, but of course curiosity and the obsession must be satisfied.

 

That's odd. I had a similar debate of MCS with options or MCS with JCW. The second choice would have actually come out cheaper I think.

Ah, who am I kidding. I would have ended up with JCW and options and spent a whole lot more money.

Besides, you can always add the JCW later. (actually a necessity since the JCW isn't out yet for the Auto).

 

Automatic - Just move the stick back towards you until it is on "D"

---Correct

Manual automatic - Push/pull a paddle while the stick is on "D", right?

---Correct

Also, does this automatically shift you, or does it just put you in the Manual Automatic mode and you have to push/pull again to select the gear?

---It automatically shifts you. You do NOT have to push/pull twice to actually change a gear.

Sport Automatic - Shifter to the right.

---Correct

Manual Sport - Move the paddle or shifter forward or backward while the shifter is to the right. Do I understand you correctly in that there is no way to go from Manual Sport back to Sport Automatic, but that you must go to Automatic "D" and then push the lever over to the right again to accomplish this switch.

---Correct, but as this maneuver is just an electronic signal to the car, the speed of which you can do this is only limited by how fast your hand can move left and then right (probably less than 0.25 seconds)

Last question: Is there any difference between the two manual modes besides the "10 second time limit"?

---I don't know this for sure, but it feels like the shifts are quicker in the sport manual mode

Hope this helps. Let me know what you think about the auto when your car arrives.

 

Excellent. Thanks again for the excellent write up. I must say it's nice to have all these options, but it almost seems over-engineered. I am sure I will get used to it quick.

Out of curiosity, what mode do you find yourself driving most often right now, and what do you foresee as your default mode in the future? From what you say, I think I will probably be using sport automatic a lot. I am getting an auto for a reason, but coming from exclusively driving a manual, this seems like a good fit for me.

 

Awesome information MCSC, thank you. I couldn't believe that of all the auto tranny reviews out there, none have gone into a detailed operation of it.
I have a PS/B MCSA coming over on the Madame Butterfly, and simply can't wait till it gets here.

 

So everyone heading out tomorrow is myself

moneypenny, PassatDoTd, Sjwass, Cooper4us......right? did I miss anyone?
Thanks for finding the pic Cooper4us, I was wondering if it looked like the others.

 

Right now its about a 50/50 split between the time I am in sport auto(SA) and sport manua(SM). I thought I would be almost entirely in SM before I got the car because what I originally wanted was the Gertrag 6-speed manual. The more I drive it, however, I find I really like the SA the best-- but have my "fingers on the triggers" while driving, primed to downshift and mash the accelerator should the need/opportunity arise. :smile:

It may seem overwhelming at first, but it really isn't over-engineered. Its quite simple for my purposes. When my wife takes the car, she doesnt want to bother with any of the fancy stuff. She just puts it in the normal automatic mode and drives. She gets the left side of the transmission, I get the right! It gives me some piece of mind to know she can't drive the car too hard when in that mode.

 

So far that I can tell, you are correct!

Also, I may be showing my stupidity here, but I ordered the CVT, but I have the base model. Does this mean I have the paddles too? or is that just with an S?

My first car was a manual, and as much as I love driving them, I sit in way too much traffic and my left leg isn't what it used to be (it started shaking 10 minutes into a test drive) BUT I love driving a stick every now and then and this might be a great 'manual fix' for me :smile:

 

One last question for MCSC - do you keep your foot on the gas while shifting, as in the CVT? Or do you let off?

 

Easy to get confused, since it is different in different countries. USA CVTs do not get the paddles. Canada does and I think UK does.

 

From other reviews I think you keep your foot on the gas. It's still a torque converter in there, not a clutch.

Correct me if I am wrong.

 

I am fascinated by this thread. I admit I am a neophyte, pretty limited in my knowledge of how to ferret out information on my order status. Currently waiting on my second MINI, it amazes me that so many members are tracking their car’s every move. Is there any other brand where I might find a buyer who knows the shipping line, the name of the vessel his car came/is coming over on, (really? the name of the vessel?), where it is, what the workers are doing, etc… really, I am stunned. I was about to sheepishly ask, “can someone post a ‘get started’ list" so that I can do so too? The AskMINI # seems to be disagreeing with both the website and, the shipping line, telling me that, “your vehicle is awaiting a boat…” But just by using links I’ve seen in posts to this thread, I found it was already loaded on the "Algean Leader," and is probably only 2 days from landing in NY! I’m not even certain why I am posting this note, I am just so amused about the intensity of members here, anxiously waiting and following the every move of their vehicle, I feel as though I am watching some sort of birth process! I suppose now I wish I had been more educated on how to track my order, I would have had some fun… !

 

MrV is correct. You do not let your foot off the gas. It did take me a little while to get used to this, because in sport mode it FEELS like a manual and your natural inclination is to let off the gas when you want to shift. I've never encountered such a strange (but terrific) feeling in a car. If you were a passenger with your eyes closed, you would swear the car was not an automatic.

 

Baby's in the Body Shop ... :smile: should be "FIN" on Monday 28th

 

To get back to the subject of tracking vessels with MINI's, today the Carmen (bound for Pt. Hueneme, CA) is about 200 miles off the coast of Columbia, with another day to go before she reaches the Carribean entrance to the Panama Canal. (Interesting fact: to go from the Carribean to the Pacific, one goes from west to east through the canal.)

When she goes through the Canal (probably Friday PM), you may be able to see a picture of her (green lower hull, white upper with Willenius Wilhemsen written large on the side) from the three web cams monitoring the Canal:

Web cams on the Panama Canal

She first will go up the Gatun locks. After crossing Gatun Lake, she goes down the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks, and under the Centenial Bridge and out into the Pacific.

This is a terrific page that shows how the ships go through the locks, using gravity flow from Gatun lake.:

How it works.

Cheers,
Dave