I was wondering which is better, or if it's just a personal preference... I was planning on getting the auto AC since i've had problems with the manuals in the past, and i like the fact I can 'switch' to manual if i want. Also, being able to set the temp is great as opposed to fiddling with those damn dials... I also thinks it makes the inside better with the cool 'MINI wings' layout of the controls! Is it worth the extra $300?

 

I didnt think it was.....I went with manual....lol.

 

i got the climate control cause it looks better than the manual ones, but i use it as a manual.

the auto setting blows a lot of air and is pretty noisy imho.

 

I come from a long history of baseline, meagerly-optioned vehicles. The base Mini already had more things that I would normally order on a car. I don't think I'll miss the auto AC, and I certainly don't want to get accustomed to it.

 

Manual all the way! Less complex, less cost, less weight.. It's not difficult to operate either

 

really??! hehe

 

This is almost as good as the super/turbo debate.

You can check out this thread for best/worst options, with comments on the climate control as well.

Personally, I really like the auto climate control. The only pain is that if you turn it off, it defaults to AC on when you turn it back on. Still, that's one button push - big deal. Beats constantly changing the temp/fan to get things where you want it. (And if the SO says it's too hot/cold, you can point to the temp it's set for as an impartial judge!)

(oh, and I hate dials - I'm a slider guy...)

 

Auto!

I have had both and the Auto AC is worth it. Once you figure out what temp you are comfortable with, you can set it and enjoy driving. No more adjusting the fan speed and temp control all the time. Plus, if you want to operate manually, it has 8 fan speeds instead of 4. Also you may think the manual control is less complex, but it's not. On my manual equipped car, a light burned out and they had to replace the entire fan/temp unit. Thank goodness it was under warranty.

 

I love the Auto AC. I was on a long trip. When I left the tem outside was in the 80's. 5 hours later when I stopped got out and realized that is was in the 50's. The car stayed a nice 72 degrees the entire way. The climate control seamlessly switched from AC to heat without me even knowing. I never realized it got cold out.

 

I got the auto A/C only because it was in a package. Here in AL it gets very hot & humid. This morning it was 83 & felt like 100 (humidity ), I had my auto A/C set at 66 & was sweating my **** off on the way to work . Of course I think the biggest culprit is having the most powerful blowing vent on the dashboard so cold air blows fiercely at my windshield but feels like nothing is blowing towards me

 

Auto a/c all the way...

 

I love my Auto AC, temperate outside fluctuated over 25 degrees yesterday on a road trip, we never knew it besides the OBC display as it was the same comfy temp inside.

Also this solves issues of me 'turning the AC on too high' w/ the significant other when she's convinced that it's freezing inside.

 

On one hand, in milder weather it seems to randomly blow hot air even when it is turned off.....I have to then turn on the AC briefly then turn off the unit so that it doesn't blow hot air....annoying

on trips I love being able to set the temp and forget about climate....We take my wifes car on the long trips, which has manual and I get more annoyed with constant adjusting, defoging...etc

So in the end I think the Auto AC is worth it

 

The auto a/c is tops for a fast cool down of a hot car interior, by far. JB

 

auto... i like set and forget

 

Same here!

 

no motors or servos to control the vents and flaps for the temp and airflow.. = less weight

 

Haha.. of course it is.. please show us your objective data to prove this...

 

I got auto, since I bought the car off the lot (new), and it was there. I had my doubts, since the auto a/c on my wife's Saturn is a disaster. But the MINI one is very good.

 

I have no objective data, but the fact that it waits exactly until the air starts getting cold before it kicks the fan up is nice.So it doesn't blow hot air in your face for the first few minutes, which might help the illusion of getting cold faster.

 

My wife's MCS has auto a/c, my previous car had auto a/c but this time I opted for the manual a/c and I love it. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I also think that the facia looks better and less cluttered with the manual a/c.......

 

Here's the trick to return the Auto mode back on w/o a/c if the a/c was off before...
Twist the temp control **** when the system is off and it will return to the state it was in prior to turning off. So if the compressor was off, the compressor will not turn back on, unlike pushing the Auto button.

At least in my '03 this is the behavior.

BTW... I love the Auto functions. I set it at 68 for the most of the time and rarely touch it.

 

What do you think is behind those manual controls? In today's cars, they are electronic controls. I doubt very seriously there are cables (non-electrical) connected to the temperature dial control.
The only significant weight you are saving is a few thousand bytes of firmware.

 

I vote for the manual air... I have had WAY too many gremlins in my 2 attempts @ auto air..... (going in on Thursday to get it looked at... again)

 

I like manual things and so got manual AC. I also have a manual tranny.