I drive an 04 MCS with the 6 speed, but I'm going to be going to college in Houston soon and am considering getting an automatic MCS. I've driven the automatic and love is especially the sport mode and paddle shifters, but my concern is when I take it to the track I'll miss the stick, so what do you guys think, in the long run and in traffic good, but at the track no, also i'm not paying my parents are ....

 

stay with the stick!

 

Stay with the 04. Why make your parents shell out to replace a 2-year old car? Plus, you'll miss the stick

 

Stay stick. I own an 06 MCSa and while I love it to death, I drove a manual over the weekend and that car was a blast! The auto is still quite good for just driving around leisurely and being aggressive sometimes on the highway. But for track, you'll never want the auto. The shifts aren't predictable and the manu-matic while you have more control, it still isn't the same. I've learned that for any performance car, stick truly is the way to go. For any non-performance car it's the other way, you should go auto.

 

Nothing beats the H pattern. At least in the fun to drive category.

 

I have an automatic and love it. But I have too because my knee wont let me love the manual. If I could have a manual I would. Its a lot funner to drive and track racing needs a manual. I live in Phoenix and I am sure everyone has rush hour but here its so congested. It all depends on how much you will be in traffic. What are you going to do with your 04?

 

I never understood the automatic in the MCS. Originally it was not available. Should have stayed that way.

 

I don't get why people ask stuff like this (sorry). If you've driven both a stick and an auto in the past, then you already KNOW what the pros and cons are for each shift mechanisim... If you've been on a track then this is DOUBLY true... Is the purpose simply to rub in that you're getting a car that your parents are paying for or what?

 

^+1

 

why not have them buy you a dedicated track car and a commuter car? Dump that old '04 and get two '07's. Why limit yourself.

 

I've got to agree with Mark C. Your parents are very nice to pay for your education & a nice MINI. You want them to buy you another?? Seems like your screen name says it. Goblin up mommy & daddy's green.

 

I would stick with the stick...would also seriously consider sticking with the stick you have!

 

+1 for keeping un Schtick.

 

To me, the mere consideration of getting an automatic (also considering that you have no physical issues that force the decision) indicates you are not a stick person.

Do some introspection and make up your own mind... not what anyone here says.

YD

 

I couldn't give up my stick shift, personally--I'm not sure what the point would be anymore! But, if you're thinking about it anyway, Houston traffic would definitely be easier to navigate without having to shift. And when you decide to sell that '04, let me know!

 

Get what you like, regardless of what others' opinions might be. Its your car and you only know what kind of driving conditions you will most likely encounter on a daily basis.

I have owned 2 MCS, both manual (a '04 & '05) and they have been great, fun cars. Although I live in the third worst metropolitan city for traffic congestion (Miami) I am lucky to have a very short and fairly light daily conmmute to and from work each day (18 miles roundtrip). Given, that I enjoy the manual, but in those ocassions when I do encounter heavy traffic, I wish I had the option to flick a switch and make the clutch pedal dissapear!

But seriously, if I had a daily drive of say 40+ miles on dense traffic, I would have probably opted for the automatic. Another issue is that my wife can't drive my car at all. She has her own MINI ('02 MC CVT) but if she ever had the need to drive my MCS, we would be stranded. I am still working on her to convince her to learn to drive the stick, but no such luck in 3+ years of MCS ownership. When kids are taught to "learn" to drive automatic cars in high school, they see little or no need to learn stick shift... To me this is a a big failure in the driver's ed curriculum in this country.

I don't do track days, I am strictly a street driver and for 20 years I have been driving sticks. I learned to drive a manual in a 1974 Renault 12 sedan (modified for rally racing) with a 4-speed manual on the floor. That car is very raw and primitive by today's standards, but for a 14 year old in 1986 that was an absolutely heavenly experience to get behind the wheel of this French car...oh and it has no power steering either! My Renault 4, was also 4-speed manual no power steering either. I also owned a 1982 Renault 18 GTL sedan equipped with a 1300cc 4 cyl engine (Peak HP was like 80 HP), had no A/C, no power steering but compared to the Renault 12 and 4 this car was so much better looking and civilized, but still.

Yeah I have had my share of French cars..

 

I don't want to give it up but my commute from southwest freeway to U of H is long and don't even tell me it's not becuase tops i've been in traffic for two hours with the clutch, it's dreadful, especially if someone is tailgating you and your going up hill

 

they should have a thread blocker for smart people
both are nice but i want to know how the auto behaves on the track with the paddle shifters, does anyone know if so tell me...

 

So then you answered your own question. Probably the automatic is a better fit for you. Also, in case you didn't know, the new R56 MC and MCS both come equipped with "Hill assist" a new feature fitted to cars equipped with manual transmissions.

 

????? you and I have the same color mini, I know i'll miss it badly just like my dad and his 67 camaro.

 

Hill assist??? sounds interesting how much are MCS R56's

 

Go to MINIUSA.com. You can already configure them online. Also www.motoringfile.com has gobs of information and pictures on the new R56.

"Hill Assist" is basically a computer controlled feature that automatically holds the brakes for you when you depress the clutch while the car sits on a steep slope. This prevents rolling back which can be nerve wracking while trying to get out of 1st gear on a steep street in heavy traffic and get the car rolling forward.

I know this feature is also offered in new Volskwagens equipped with manual transmissions. Never driven a car with Hill Assist and I am not sure that is something you'll get to use in a place as flat as Miami (Except when you are going up on pretty steep parking garage ramps in some downtown buildings), but it seems like a pretty useful safety feature for people that drive in very hilly terrain, like the streets of San Francisco

 

I agree with the others that you should keep your present MCS, if nothing is wrong with it.

If you just HAVE to get the MCSa, rest assured that it does well at the track...maybe not as crisply as a stick, but good enough for me and my '06 MCSa. I tracked mine during 3 2-day HPDEs this past Summer and Fall and can't wait to get back out.

 

I would get an R56 but i love the look of 02 to 06 mini's and the sound of the MCS exhaust beauty... ahhh what to do what to do plus it's the R56's first year run so it's going to have faults.

 

I do, I'm aware it won't be as good as stick but i want it to perform and shift just as close as it can and not be a sloth down the straights and hairpins