My wife took her 03 mini in for tires and they gave her a new mini loaner. It has the sport button, and I forgot how cool that was when I drove my clubman on the lot! Incredible...felt like this insane boost of power and the steering got so tight! Sure wish my new laser blue clubby would get here! I have been without a car since Saturday when I sold my SSR!

 

Same thing here... well almost.. I have a modded R53, and I got a loaner R56... and wow! it's amazing! pulls so hard, no turbo lag, I was blown away. I was just sad I had to give it back hahaha

 

Yes but the turbo engine runs out of steam past 5.5K RPM, which happens to be the point where the Supercharged TRITEC continues to pull like a freight train all the way to redline.

Having said that, I am very impressed with the Clubman S. The Prince engine simply has more torque down low and gobs of torque = Impression of faster acceleration.

The Sport Button only changes the throttle mappings and tightens the electric steering. It doesn't give the motor or turbocharger anymore power. If you have an automatic, the sport button also makes the shifting points more peaky and aggressive.

 

All second gen MINIs (US spec) have the sport button standard. Interestingly, the sport button is optional on European market MINIs.

 

Will I be beaten with a rubber hose if I say I haven't hit the sport button yet.
The S already hauls ****, so I haven't hit the button.

It's hard to keep her under 75.

 

Nope you won't. I don't use the Sport button that much In city driving the shifting points of the automatic are a little too peaky for my tastes with the SB turned on.

The car is no doubt fast. Hard to keep it under the speed limit for sure.

 

I want the sport button on perm. Any way to do this?

 

Not that I know of.

 

Some people have figured out how to do it:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=103258

 

Haven't taken Red above 5,000 RPM yet (well, except yesterday, but that was bus avoidance, and I was too busy trying to not get run over by the behemoth changing lanes right into me to pay all that much attention to what the engine was doing), but the way it pulls up to 5K, I don't think I'll mind if it runs out of steam at 5.5K.

When I was breaking in my R53, it was hell keeping the RPMs down. Just about the time things started to get fun, you'd have to back off. And don't get me started on the "punch it, Chewie" tendency of the R53's autobox to drop to 3rd and fly to the redline when you wanted more go speed. There's a reason I stuck mostly to the paddles/manumatic mode.

With Red, none of that. You were right, the AISIN fits extremely well with the new engine. I haven't gotten in too many situations demanding the accelerator to be floored, but the two or so I have I haven't noticed that same jarring "punch it, Chewie"-ness of the R53. Instead, Red just goes. No fuss, no muss, no lag, no jarring shifts.

 

me neither and I don't even have an S ... for now I call it the "when gas prices drop" button

 

I have driven the R53 S with the AISIN and the shifting programming is different from the programming in the Clubman S with the same slushbox.

It helps that the Turbocharged engine has more torque down low, making it a better match for the AISIN.

My R53 S is a manual 6-speed and my comments were based on how awesome that car pulls all the way to redline.

 

The first thing my husband did when he got in the car was hit the Sport button (even though I was the one driving) . I usually leave it off (I do mostly city - er, town - driving too), but have switched it on a time or two just to try it out .

I was curious if it would have any effect on mpg...

 

Yes it will have a slight impact on MPG just because the shifting points (If you have an automatic) are a little more aggressive than in normal mode. Basically what the sport button does is re-map the throttle settings, tighten the electric steering system and if you have an automatic, the shifting points are higher up in the RPM band for faster acceleration.

 

I have a Clubman non-S automatic and use the Sport button when driving with the air conditioner on. Without it, the throttle response can be "iffy" and I was once almost hung-out-to-dry making a left turn across an intersection during that brief window before on-coming traffic gets too close.

 

Attempting to keep the Sport Button on at all times will VOID your warranty faster than you can say, "Super Delegate!"

Start it up and hit the button.

Be careful with that.

 

That and it takes all of 1/4 second to hit the button...you don't even have to hold it like the DSC button...

 

Sport mode on my Manual Clubman S is great but my E46 M3's sport button had a much more pronounced effect on the throttle; it would leap out of its own skin at times, how quickly it responded to the throttle!

I was given an automatic AISIN equipped R56 loaner when I took my clubby in for its 1,200 mile oil change ($59.99) and I loved the auto. I do concur with ClubmanS about the jumpiness around town in Sport mode.

 

Hi Ed, so sorry to see you had to sell the SSR but do understand loving the MINI as Mrs. LOP loves hers as do I. Glad to learn from the "other" forum you picked up your clubman...It looks great. See ya.

 

Dude turn it on, it's worth the gas money.