So today i was in for my 10,000 mile service, and i had an hour and a half to kill, so i check out if they had an MCSa or not. Luckily they had just got one in. 85 miles, gorgeous thing indeed...HB/W with white bonnet stripes, anthracite interior, anthracite headliner caught my eye.
Anyway, i hit the road and the first thing i notice is that "Paddle mode" on the shifter is the same place as drive, so it shifts between the paddle shifting mode and regular automatic frequently, confusing me as to what gear im actually in. But im sure it just takes getting used to. I didnt try the steptronic, as i tried it before in an MC CVT-besides i forgot today . The transmission felt a little bit different in the sense that ratios were different than im used to-i drive an 04 BTW-and it just felt...ok. Nothing too special. Id stick to my good old manual manual, no intermediate for me.
The engine sounded different, a little throatier than mine. I dont know, maybe it was just me. Well, im sure that im not the only one to drive one of these, anybody have any thoughts?
Marco

 

Sounds like you were in the wrong mode to really try out the paddles.

If the stick is in "D" mode, then using the paddle shifters is supposed to be a temporary thing (like downshifting to pass somebody). After about 3 seconds of the car sensing that you haven't accelerated, or shifted using the paddles, it will put you back into automatic "D" mode.

If you slide the stick over into "SD" mode, and then use the shifters (or the stick) to go into manual shifting mode, then the car leaves it in manual mode forever, or until you tell it to go into automatic mode yourself (you do this by sliding the stick over to "D".)

You're right, it's a bit of a learning curve, but it becomes second nature very quickly.

 

Yup, what MrV said about being in the wrong mode for manual shifting. Its too bad, you really missed all the fun by not driving it that way IMHO.

 

The 2005 MCS has a revised exhaust, hence the "Throatier" sound. I like the sound of my '05 MCS stock exhaust better than the stock one I had in my '04 MCS.


Also for 2005, the MCS has a second generation Eaton supercharger (Similar to the one included in the JCW kit upgrade), revised ECU programming, 5HP more (And more low end torque).

I have not yet driven a MCSa, but I am really curious about it. Most reviews I have read have been very positive so far.

 

Man, the guy at my dealer realy screwed me then, huh. Now im mad and want to drive it again! Any excuse to get in somebody elses mini .
What you say about it all makes sense, though. It is a very nice car.