Working up my spec sheet (which would be surprising to you if you located my first post on NAM...) and was debating on the Magic Steering Wheel with audio and cruise. I get better mileage with cruise and drive 120 miles of highway per day, so it's handy. But I'm wondering how well it works with a manual trans. My current cruise can get aggressive on hills to maintain speed, including downshifting (twice on a big hill.) Since the cruise can't shift on a manual, does it just bog the engine until I intervene, or what?

 

Cruise control just controls the throttle input to maintain speed. So its effectiveness would depend on what gear and speed you select. You might see that it needs to feed a lot of gas to the engine to maintain speed on an incline when downshifting would be more appropriate, but so long as it can feed enough gas to maintain it, it will do so. When it can no longer maintain the set speed, it will deactivate.

On my R53 and my old Sentra, I never had an issue with the engine lugging in the mountains if I had cruise control active. (Both manual transmissions, incidentally.)

 

Mine isn't here yet (and Houston has no hills) but I ordered MFW and the manual. I would say use the cruise until the car starts slowing down or working too hard then kill the cruise and downshift. Once you crest the hill hit resume. When I do drive out of town for work, that's how I do it.

I really don't like cruise on hills too much anyway. Maybe it's just my truck but it seems to hammer it going up to maintain speed and then idles down until the next hill then it hammers away again. I prefer to carry my speed from one hill to the next. That depends on traffic around me but if I'm the only one around, I'm slow going up and fast going down.

Besides, cruise is handy went you really don't want to speed and it's a life saver on road trips.

 

How could you order a car without cruise!? I've driven loads of manuals with cruise and they work just fine. Most of the places you use cruise (i.e. highways) don't have steep enough grades to really require downshifting anyway. I don't mind if the car slows slightly on a steep hill -- I hate automatics that will downshift at the drop of a hat to maintain set speed.

 

Get the cruise!

 

DEFINTIELY gets the MFSW. Cruise is great, and you also have the audio buttons. Even if you don't listen to the radio or music a lot, it's VERY handy!

 

Cruise control works perfectly in the manual, and is a huge asset for long-distance highway driving.

 

Cruise control is good insurance against speeding tickets, and they work very well with the manual transmissions. I wouldn't buy any car without it. Have fun!

 

Cruise control is one thing on these cars that will be very difficult to add later, if not impossible. 34mpg actual, not OBC estimate, at a steady 70mph, just so I can roll right thru all the radar traps they have down here on the interstate highways. I require it be on any car I buy now, too bad my motorcycle doesn't have it BUT I think it is unsafe to have on a bike anyway!

 

my 03 manual has it its amazing

 

The cruise control in my Mini does better than the one in my old Honda Civic. The Civic's wasn't bad, it's just that this one is better. Both cars came with manual transmissions.

On steep grades, I'll shift down to fifth from sixth before starting uphill, but I find it keeps up quite well then.

I would heartily recommend the cruise. I'd have a hard time living without it. Good Luck.

 

Cruise is really affected if you have STEEP hills that would slow your Mini. For the most part, don't worry about it.

 

I dig it.

 

I may have read that pushing the clutch momentarily doesn't deactivate cruise, so you can even downshift when you feel the need (without braking, obviously), then upshift back to 6th (or whatever you're cruising in) when you've crested the offending hill.
I haven't tried it, but it makes sense that you could also downshift to pass, then upshift to continue cruising without messing around with all the buttons.
Oh yeah, and I have cruise on my manual and I've actually never felt the need to downshift - Michigan isn't too hilly where I drive. But the MCS has a lot of torque from 1800rpm on up, so as long as you aren't lugging it below that (and since the MINI is so light it really does just fly up hills) you'll be alright.

 

The cruise control (at least according to the manual) disengages when the clutch is depressed.

 

Get the cc-- I love mine when I hit a school zone that's 15, I just set it at 14 and all's well

and very steady on the highway as well. GET IT!!

 

You...set the cruise control for a school zone? For real?




--Dan
Mach V

 

In 2nd gear? 1st? I've never seen CC that will set below 25. Hmm... good to know, I suppose.

 

I recommend the MFSW, cruise is a great asset.

But, to tell the truth, I bet I haven't used the volume control on the MFSW 15 times. Sheesh! The volume **** is like 4 inches from the shifter. I dunno? I guess I am just too right handed.

 

The cruise control works well on my manual transmission 2006 S.

 

lol so true, you have to be seriously focused on driving not to just reach over to the volume ****. But the again if you are, then why are you listening to the radio?

Cruise control is a very good thing, especially for long boring unevetful highway runs, works just fine on standard.

 

If you come to a grade that requires a lower gear you are going to have to shift anyway. If you don't like that, you need an automatic transmission.

I've used cruise control with manual trans. for a very longtime. I wouldn't have a car without cruise. Shifting isn't a big deal. Just make your shift and hit the resume button on the steering wheel.

Even if the Multi-function Steering Wheel wasn't required for cruise, it would get it just for the audio controls. I'm constantly adjusting volume on mp3 CDs I make. I mix songs from different albums and they often are recorded at different volumes. Or, some sound better loud, other don't. It is also nice to be able to skip tracks, or repeat songs by just a flick of the thumb.

 

+++ on cruise control, surprised it is not included w/base equipment.

I have a Cooper Automatic and noticed that it is extremely aggressive when you use 'Resume';
it goes nearly full throttle and downshifts transmission.

'66 Oldsmobiles used to do that, but recent versions are smoother, usually.

I now move selector to manual shift, and then it stays in sixth gear on resume.

 

Every car I've ever driven with cruise does that. It's one feature of automatic trans I find infuriating. And yes when I drive my mother-in-law's Passat on the highway I leave it in TipTronic so it stays in 5th.

 

Thanks for all the replies. You've all convinced me to get the MFW, and now I'm optioned up to within an inch of my budget limit.

MINI offer anything for four bucks you want to try to talk me into?