Does anyone know if there has been any discussion by BMW to stick the 6-speed transmission into the standard Mini? Seems to me that this would be a great upgrade to raise the Mini's performance a notch or two, and it wouldn't have to add much to the cost of the car.

 

zoop,
Welcome to the site.

Personally, I don't see BMW/MINI adding the Getrag 6 to the base Cooper.
The 6 speed being one of the two main features the S has over the Cooper.... I don't think they would want to do anything to detour people from the S. If anything I would bet they will add a Semi-manual to the S before they add a 6 to the Cooper.
Just my opinion though.... I could be wrong.
Again... Welcome to the site.
Happy Motoring.
SW

 

I too would be highly suprised if they made the standard cooper a 8 speed, getrag or no getrag. It would blur the lines between the standard cooper, and the sporty cooper s.

Rocketboy_X

 

I would say that the standard Cooper and the S are both sporty. In the hands of the right driver, both can be quick little cars. The Getrag 6-speed is only an incremental improvement (and a highly-touted difference). Obviously the supercharger makes the real difference.

While the S is faster off the line, anyone who is considering one should test drive both cars before assuming the S is the best choice.

My recommendation is to get the standard MC with the Sport package, and then wait a few months for all of the great aftermarket mods that will start rolling out...
SuperChips claims 131 HP with just their chip added,
a new exhaust will probably give you 6-9 HP,
a Cold/Ram air intake and high quality ignition wires will give you a few more. :smile:

 

>>
>>While the S is faster off the line, anyone who is considering one should test drive both cars before assuming the S is the best choice.

Trust me, I drove both, (one right after the other, MCS then a MC, in that order), and I noticed a rather large difference. I think that the people who didn't feel the difference either didn't drive hard enough, or didn't have the chance to run through the gears as much as they should have. And when i'm at 50 in 5th gear, shift into 6th, and end up at 70 in the time it took my hand to go from the stick shift to the steering wheel (and with enough 'umph' that my wife was wondering if i 'did something' to the car to make it jump foward that quickly), there's a bit of difference in the power and the extra gearing... It really made the MC seem like a granny car compared to the MCS...

Rocketboy_X

 

I'm surprised you didn't lug the engine (under-rev or stall out) shifting up into 6th at only 50mph, because you must have been at pretty low RPMs. Sounds like you accidentally down-shifted instead.

 

I agree with Sfiveten... They have no reason to put the 6 speed getrag tranny in the base cooper... The 5 speed it comes standard with has a light, sporty feel to it! The Gear ratios on the 6 speed are also much different from that in the regualar cooper's and that in itself might be a disadvantage... I'm just going to agree with what the folks at BMW tell us is right... I mean they do know what they're doing!

 

Naa.. she was running at a good click before I shifted...

Rocketboy_X

 

I went to the dealer in greenville, south carolina and they said there that the mini cooper's stock 5-speed trammy could not handle too much horsepower or else it will cause serios problems. i dont know, but im the type of guy who has to see it to believe it

 

It's my understanding that the 5 speed found in the base Cooper is only rated to around 150hp. This was the reason BMW/MINI decided to use the Getrag 6 for the S.
I've yet to hear any numbers on what the Getrag can handle.
SW

 

>>I went to the dealer in greenville, south carolina and they said there that the mini cooper's stock 5-speed trammy could not handle too much horsepower or else it will cause serios problems. i dont know, but im the type of guy who has to see it to believe it




that could be true, i had asked the guys at moss mini and was told the same thing.

 

thanks for all the responses. Still haven't decided to spend the extra money on the S. I can get the standard at, or below, MSRP. The S has an additional $1500 markup over MSRP which makes for a substantial difference. The standard Mini with sport package has everything I need, except a few extra horses. Maybe a chip is the way to go.

 

I have been reading, and the bese cooper uses an existing Rover tranny that was already in production when the MINI was fitting a powertrain. It was a cheapalternative, and a tried and tested one, as well. The Rover design was strengthened a bit, and the tolerances were tightened to BMWs specs, but it's a Rover design. (originally, the trannys would ahve been an in-house item, but the MINI assembly plant moved to Oxford, leaving the tranny shop behind in longbridge)

Yes, the Getrag was used in the s becasue the standard unit couldn't handle the increased torque. HOWEVER, it wouldn't surprise me if future Coopers and ones had a 5 speed getrag.

 

I guess it depends on just how much of a cloud of dust you want to leave all those other cars behind in :smile: I was just cruising along on the highway the other day in my Cooper 5-speed, and was shocked to look over at the speedometer and find I was going 90 (mph)! The Cooper wasn't even trying! P.S. (Don't tell any officers, OK?)

 

I love my Cooper but, I don't think its got enough gitty up and go to need 6 gears.

 

I found little difference in the cooper and the S till you got them both over 4000 rpm...at higher rpms you can then feel the difference in performance...at a standing start I really didn't notice much difference......I guess because the S is like carrying an extra body compared to the cooper because of the extra weight and the taller 1st gear...... which I guess negates some of the extra hp......but drive them both and see for yourself.....also found it interesting in the cornering tests, that the sport suspension was only one second faster than the standard suspension on the cooper....big difference on regular driving with the regular suspension being a nice, smoother ride than the sport suspension.....looks like to me the regular cooper, regular suspension is better for everyday driving and the S with sport suspension for those that want a quicker drive, but from what I noticed, not as much as you would think....but do your own test and you be the judge....cheers!

 

:smile:

 

>>I love my Cooper but, I don't think its got enough gitty up and go to need 6 gears.


Actually, I think an argument could be made that engines with a little less power (and more of spike on the curve) can derive more benefit from having more gears. Afterall cyclists ride bikes with thirty or more gears now, this just helps them keep in the power zone more effectively.

BMW wanted to put the Getrag in both cars, but the folks at Rover convinced them that the added cost was unneeded (at least as it is detailed in The New MINI book). Based on the numbers there it sounds like putting the Getrag in the car might have raised MSRP on the base MINI another $300-$500.

 

I have to agree with Miniclo, I drove all three tranny variations and liked the 5-Speed the best. I'm a pretty simple guy, haven't done any racing or serious speed driving, but I found the standard 5-speed to be pretty fun. I may go back and drive all three a few more times. I haven't even been quoted an actual order date yet. So, I guess I have some time to decide.

Current config = MC, White with Black top, all three packages.

I haven't heard anything about Xenon headlight or H/K stereo availablity lately - any updates? I'll ask in a different forum.