Ok I am sure I am not the only one thinking of dropping the 6 speed when I get a new mini and going with the Auto. Has anyone done this yet or at least been able to test drive one? How does it compare?
Its funny now but the new GTI2.0T shows their auto just a bit better on the 0-60 then the stick... not that it matters...
But I just really want to know how it has acted for anyone yet and if its smooth and predictable.... oh and quick!
thanks!

Paul

 

There have been a few post about some problems specific to the S automatic, but I hope they have been taken care of by now.

Of course my problem would be, no matter how good the automatic is, I'd prefer a MANual.

 

I do believe the transmission that you are refering to is not an automatic in the standard sense but a DSG. It utilizes 2 clutches so that 2 gear sets can be engaged at any one time, the shift is effected by simply engaging the other clutch. Shifts take a fraction of a second. That is why it is faster than a manual gear box.

This is NOT what is available in the MINI. The automatic that we have is just a plain old "slush box", torque converter and all of it's associated slippage, gear hunting, full throttle kick down, part throttle up shift, problems re-packaged for 2005.

So, it would not be a fair comparisson to look at the VW tranny figures.

 

AT's are great if it's your daily car imho. i hate driving MT to work.

 

Dunno, you might be. When MINI's stop coming with 3 pedals, I've bought my last one.

 

i just got mine and its loads of fun. is it as good as a manual? i doubt it, but honestly it's good enough to have fun with. while i respect that other people prefer manual and that in many circumstances you can eek out a marginal performance/mileage increase the reality is unless you're tracking the car or drag racing at lights, i don't think you'll notice the loss. others will disagree, vehemently, and i do agree that the current mini agitronic can be outperformed by a human, but when the current m3 series auto tranny makes it to the mini it's all over for that argument.

 

Yup all gone! There were a one or two updates right around the time I picked mine up. I think these have been taken care of. I drive a 05/05 MCSa and have ZERO mechanical or computer problems with the transmission.

Put it in sport mode and floor it Now, it is true that sometimes it hunts for a gear, and it hangs at 42 mph a bit too long, but over all it's fun. I hate using the gear shifter to go up and down the gears. It's great having the paddles available all the time.

 

SMG III is not an automatic, it is the same 6 speed gearbox as the manual but with electronic controls for the clutch.

 

Well I use the paddles all the time and never hunt for a gear - the car is great fun, the best of both worlds if you don't require a 'stick' to compensate for something

I spent plenty of time driving an SMGII M3 and aside from the kewl rev matching and speed of the programs (and power behind it) the general act of driving the MCS with paddles is no different and navigating the twisties both hands on the wheel and shifting is really fun You find that with use you learn the optimal time to change gears and account for the slight lag, the tranny also adapts to your driving style. This adaptiveness and getting used to the tranny does make the test drive less then ideal as I found (having the car is way better then the 20 minute test drive for sure) but you shoud endeavor to take the longest test drive or two you can in one to see how you like it - you won't be content if you discover that your left leg needs a clutch to be happy.

Its all about what you want and how/where you live. This tranny works very well for us and has been a pleasure to use in the traffic and hills of this city as well as just sheerly enjoyable along with the handling for making it all fun and engaging whether in the city or on the backroads

 

We own one of each: My wife's 05 auto (4500 miles) and my 06 manual (3000 miles). I drive both on a regular basis, and mine daily.

Granted, you will read tons of posts about how the automatic is for people who don't know how to drive real sports cars....whatever. If people are that insecure about the transmission in someone else's car, their opinion means little to me....

Even after picking my manual up in Jan 06, I continue to enjoy my wife's automatic. Overall, it takes very little out of the MINI experience. Having both, you really can see that there is a slight delay when the trans shifts, but i never noticed it until I drove both back to back. In day to day use, there is very little that the auto gives up to the manual.

I find our MCSa to be VERY meaty through the mid-range, very torquey. The paddles work well, although they take a little bit of time to get to know them. You need to anticipate a little, and not wait too much that the trans shifts itself or you may go up or down two instead of one.

The only issues I see are that at low speeds the car tens to buck a little when down shifting. That may have been taken care of with a software update, hasn't really been enough of an issue to really look into.

We often take the MCSa on longer trips for a few reasons: • it's easier to drive if we hit traffic • The car is pleanty fast enough for my wife to say *CUT THAT OUT* - don't need the extra few tenths the manual gives. Plus, she likes the red & doesn't really care for the noise the Alta CAI makes!

I hope that helps, if i can offer anything else or answer any specific questions, please let me know!

-jac

 

some people will insist on obsessing over the fact that the MCSa is an automatic rather than an automated-manual - granted SMGs and DSGs are that touch crisper, but the actual experience of driving is not THAT different.

for me the real issue is whether you like the mechnical action of clutching and changing gears yourself, or if you like to do it by pressing a button (that's what all paddles amount to, SMG and otherwise). having formerly had a manual MINI, I confess that I do really miss it sometimes. however, in endless stop-and-go traffic or fast moving urban highways, using the paddles on the MCSa is pretty brilliant. it's also plenty quick.

BTW - bmw is developing their own DSG, which will probably find its way into the MINI eventually.

 

I am having loads of fun with my 06 MCSa but there is one thing i would change if i had the chance...The gear indicator is on the speedo which means it is out of my sight line. If i were ordering a car i would get the Chrono pack which would have given me some handy extra gauges and moved the speedo up onto the steering column.

 

yes it does! all of you thanks for the input thus far. From what I have heard I think I will be upgrading my next mini to this added feature.
Unless I like the test drive I am getting this week in my friends GTI (though his is the 6 speed)... I hope I don't like it..

 

I love my auto. The paddles really are a blast and it shifts nicely. I just put on a 17% pulley a week or two ago and afterwards the shifts seem to be quicker and crisper with the extra power. It really can hold its own in the twisties still, but is fun to drive in traffic as well. I have the chrono pack as well and it is a nice addition. I wanted to have the speedo on the steering column and the extra gauges are helpful. The only thing I might do without if I ever got another one is the sunroof.

 

I drove the auto and had a grin on my face the whole time because the sensation was like driving a bumper car, and just a little odd coming from a manual. If anything, it was programmed to be... too sporty (it's like the sport mode of some automatics only permanently stuck "on"). I would have liked it a lot more if you could turn that off for more sedate driving and have it act like a regular automatic, because it was near impossible to drive as smoothly as the manual. But then SMGs tend not to be very smooth either, and also rapid-fire gearshifts continuously.

Waiting to see what they can do in the future with the SMG and rev-matching. Actually, I'd like most for them to program a rev-matching mode for the manual as well!