My mind is made up, it's automatic for me!! Mostly Convenience and a little fun. Drove both, really liked the auto. Also saw this article if anyone else is on the fence.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/artic...umentid=656470

 

Congratulations upon your decision. So what color and when?

 

Another advantage of manual trans not mentioned:

Most of your family and friends will (sadly) not be able to drive it. You don't have to share!

 

I just ordered today too! I am soo excited. Opted for Clubman S auto, PW/silver/silver. We took one on a long test drive and the sport button really made the drive more,,, well,,,,, sporty!! the peppier shifting and downshifting on hills was just awesome. It was windy and rainy and it took the twisties like a champ. We had such a fun time. I had to pull into a fast food place and a bank drive through just to see how my mini will accomodate their windows,,, perfect fit!! We didn't order any food,, just drove up to the window and then went on our way!! *L*

Just don't know what I will do during these next 3 months until I get this car!! I know, I will most certainly opt to see a few extra clients to help with cap reduction..........
A big huge thank you to Holly at Otto' Mini in West Chester, Pa.

 

Looks like I am going to order Chili Red/Black top S with AUTO Trans.

I will probably order in Mid/Late December.

Production Schedules are already seeing some OPEN spaces, sales at Mini USA have slowed over the past 2 months. There will be some deals come late 4th qtr and 1st qtr '09. The days of paying MSRP are almost over...hopefully. Patience...patience...patience!!

 

Well,,, shucks,, what a gloomy forecast!! grin I really don't think that ordering now means I am missing some great deal.
I can alter my order up until it goes into production,, I basically just placed a deposit and according to my MA I am ready for the first of November when the dealership will get their December allotments. THEN my Mini will officially be put into motion.

Sooo, I imagine if there are huge deals to be had in the next month or two I can re haggle a bit....?? ..actually I am pretty pleased with what I have on the order form.
For now I am just excited to make a major decision,,, that an automatic clubman will be what I get. Oh, and the convenience package and I have completely ruled out the sunroof,,, these have been hard to make decisions!!!!

 

If the Clubman had been available with a DSG (VW's nomenclature) or a MINI variation on the electronic manual discussed in the other article, I'd probably have gone with it. The benefit is that SWMBO could drive it, which it's not clear she can the manual (muscle issues with her left leg; she had a stick shift in her car until that cropped up). The downside is that I didn't like the MINI auto as much as the 6-speed, and I didn't want the big price hit for the auto.

But, it's whatcha like. Congrats on your car, and good luck with the wait.

 

Hey, thanks, Hoonu,,,
I really wanted a manual, it is my shoulder that prevented me from getting it. Plus I am a massage therapist and when I am not working I need to rest that arm. But,,,sigh,,, I sooo wanted the manual to work for me. I took one out for a full hour of driving and I really felt the strain in the shoulder.
Going out today and using the sport button really sold me, of course I WANTED to be sold. Test driving these cars and using the configurator has been so much fun......
But I really was hoping to get a justa 6 speed and save some money,,,,

 

Enjoy! you will love it either way!

 

cabwy, "I feel your pain" or perhaps "weakness" is more the word regarding your shoulder. Used to drive a stick and had to switch to automatic - but I've no regrets in regard to the MCCa. Wait until you go on your first MINI run and see that you can keep up with the best of 'em. And, if you live in a busy area, you'll find it's much more relaxing, too.

Let us know when the count down begins!

 

I don't know what I will be doing for the next few months,,,,, going crazy I suppose!! And Otra, you are right, I live in a very congested area that is riddled with stops signs on almost every street corner. Add to that I multi task in my car constantly. I see most of my clients in their homes so I make appts. return calls, eat my lunch,,,,all in the car. So I am stoked to have this fun little honey to make my days a little more exciting!! I think the packages will really help with this too, esp. the hands free options.
Cybergypsy, you are correct, I WILL enjoy it either way!!
Thanks for the encouragement!!

 

I used to be a die hard manual fan. I still love a manual in a sports car when driving 'sporty'. But, driving in traffic is a PITA. But, the wife won't drive a stick. So, her Clubbie has an automatic, BUT, ah ha! It has paddle shifters that really work!!!! So, now I get to shift for myself when I want to be 'sporty' and have an auto when in traffic.

Before you get too excited, the paddle shifting isn't perfect. There is a 'big' delay in downshifting (so, ok, a small delay). Once you get used to it, it's really OK.

The bad thing...I had confirmed to me that the automatic in sport mode shifts better than I do

charlie

 

Funny thing about the auto: I didn't drive one long enough on the test drive to get the habit of which way was up/down. But, the shift direction on the stick is opposite from the VW I had previously, so between that and the paddles it was a real comedy. Not dissimilar to putting the manual into sixth when I think it's reverse...

 

+1
I've discovered this as well...someone bragging about getting better gas mileage with their manual had me scratching my head...when I floor the clubbie, it shifts and accelerates more accurately and smoothly than I could possibly do it myself, with over 25 years experience driving sticks.

 

My '05 R53 S is manual..... And I love it!!

But my '08 Clubman S is automatic.... And it is superb!!!!

Conclusion: My next MINI will be auto.

 

Smoothness and "accuracy" of the transmission itself has nothing to do with MPGs. For any given driver/car combination, that's going to be a function of the overall gear ratios and the efficiency of the torque converter. Witness the current EPA numbers for the MINI: Auto: 34, Manual: 37. In non-DSG-type transmissions, unless the overall drive ratio is higher in the automatic, I'd be stunned if the fuel economy wasn't better with a manual.

 

My problem with fuel economy and a manual. I drive more aggressively with a manual than an auto, all the time (even when I was driving my Jeep). I will usually run up the engine hard through all the gears and often not ever shift to higher gears. With the auto I tend to let it do it's thing (in non-sport mode) when in town, so, most of the time, my mileage will be better than if I had a manual.

On long trips the lock up converters make the difference between a manual and auto almost a wash. So, overall, my driving would make the manual have less gas mileage than an auto.

When on a good twisty road it won't matter much. Mileage will suck
An example. When I had my WRX I normally got 24mpg. One one of my favorite 'twisty' roads I would get 11mpg

If you drive the stick the same way as the auto, ie, gently, then you can have better gas mileage with the stick. I don't.

Attitude while driving is just one of those things not really tested in the EPA stuff.

charlie

 

Nonsense. How the shift points are tuned (for example, standard vs. Sport Mode) indeed play a role in fuel efficiency, in varying degrees as much as everything else..driving habits/tire pressures/gear ratios/overall vehicle weight/wind resistance/highway-city/etc.etc. No one item controls mpg...it's made up of many factors, some fixed, some user-manageable. My comment was relating to a fellow convinced he could shift earlier and get better gas mileage by doing so (lower overall rpm's). All other things being equal, an auto will have the advantage of consistency; while a manual may have better mpg on any particular test or trip, a properly tuned auto will come out ahead over time.

I partially agree with the first statement..the Steptronic is geared differently, most noteably on final drive...interestingly, 6th gear is almost the same between the two. EPA numbers are guidelines and nothing more..and sit down now, because you're about to be stunned..my mpg's exceed both EPA numbers, and many fellow stick Clubman owners. Was at 37.4 mpg OBC tonight, which has been surprisingly consistent with my manual calculations.

 

I am lucky my spouse drives manual, so it was manual all the way. We love driving manual great fun factor..

 

Truly. Mine is scared of autos, too! The Steptronic is no replacement for the manual, but it's a decent compromise.

 

Mileage will still depend more on how you drive than which version you have.

I do agree that if you are very good with a stick and shift properly to get good mileage, then you can exceed the automatic. It does require a lot of thought and knowledge in how the car is set up and when to shift for any given circumstance.

Me, when I have a stick, I drive hard. Just the way I am. If I have an auto, it encourages me to drive slower.

charlie

 

Okay, this is pretty OT relative to the first post, but it ain't advanced math.

Same driver, same driving style, same trip, factoring out weather, if you shift at essentially the same revs with either tranny, the ONLY remaining variables are the efficiency of the torque converter vs a clutch and the FD ratio. If the FD ratio of the auto is the same as the manual, you're down to efficiency, and if the TC is a lockup type it's going to be pretty close.

You can disparage the EPA numbers all you want, but if you look across manufacturers, if the only variable is auto vs manual, manuals get better MPGs across the board. You can thrash or baby either one and skew your own mileage in either direction. But the math of one transmission vs the other really is that simple.

 

yep, agree, if everything else is the same.

 

"Perhaps the only argument left for manuals that holds any water: A stick is simply more fun. It makes you feel like the pilot, in control instead of along for the ride. I’ll agree with the purists that a stick is more “involving."

so ironically, "the only argument left for manuals" is in fact the most valid. Especially for those of us who value the actual driving experience over other things.

 

Inclusive of the TC efficiency, I also believe AT are tuned for 'driveability' (a balance between comfort and performance relative to the vehicle's other attributes) and fuel efficiency is just one among many factors in the final map. I'm amused when the Clubbie shifts sometimes, because I would have gone well passed the point it chose. I'm pleasantly surprised that MINI chose a fine balance (that errs on performance with the Sport button), and in the dog-eat-dog mean streets (me vs. cabbies in EssEff), the Sport button serves me better than I could do myself with a manual.

Yep...I didn't mean to divert the topic at all, and it appears the bottom line we all can agree on is a stick is more involving, and more fun. YMMV remains, as it always will.