Oh and Babalouie - thanks but no thanks for the psychoanalysis. Nothing more arrogant than assigning someone a Freudian ego and fabricating a suitable child history, complete with rival siblings.

No, no...if you don't have something nice to say, say it nicely. Its just more civilized and polite, something that is sorely missing in forum etiquette.

Yeah, I may have been a bit heavy on the analysis part. You may have the last word. You do have a very nice looking MINI.

Thanks BabaLouie. Incidentally, I am a big fan of a well-tuned Mustang - and of the compact 5.0 dropped into miatas! Truce.

First, let me apologise for an un-kind remark, it was uncalled for.

However, how would you react if the Dealer loaned me a stick {actually I would enjoy 'different' for a short while}
and then started a new thread with this sort of attack on the getrag:

OP's first postSo severely degrading a lot of users preferred choice can offend some people.

For me, it was simple, no autoMINI, noMINI for me to buy.

post #4 Well I have never had a loaner, but I pointed out that all though there were lots of others who agreed with him on that other thread, I was pleased with mine and saw none of the issues he had raised. The most negative response he had received was just that it might take more time to love an automatic
__________________________________________________ ________________

Believe me goat, I do know your love of Manual Shift, have had and enjoyed many of them and even waited months on a special ordered 'stick' for a new car (that was seldom seen w/stick).

The Most fun Manual Shift I ever had was an MGB, but with the Front Wheel Drive or Rear Engine Manual Shifts that I have owned, I have always been too aware of all the linkage.

For me today, this Aisen Automatic is such a nice match for my Cooper, that it makes it much more enjoyable to drive, For Me. I would never expect you to prefer an automatic because of that fact.

Be Happy that we have a choice. Did you realize that the first few Years of Corvettes (1953-1955), not only was automatic the Only Choice, it was the horrible two speed PowerGlide™ at that. (Corvette was not alone, other 'performance' models also were auto only and this was long before there were any automatics that I would even want to drive except perhaps the Fabulous Hudson Hornet which drove a lot better with HydraMatic™ (it fit that "Twin H-Power's torque curve far better than the Olds & Caddies that it was developed for.)

DING-DING-DING-DING!!!

Correct answer!

Peace!!

Thanks pilotart, all good... have a great Halloween weekend everyone.

As I wait for my new MCSa, I was wondering if the assembled throng has a good idea if the MiniCooper auto is "adaptable". I know other makes have automatics that (supposedly) "remember" your driving style, and they adjust the shifting accordingly.

Part of the question goes back the original post, and wondering if the loaner had been driven in a less than spirited manner by previous driver(s).

Again, I'm looking for good input before my new 'beast' arrives in a couple of weeks. Always looking for ways to maximize my driving enjoyment. If I wasn't I wouldn't have gone back to Mini for a replacement. My '06 MCS (stick shift) was a blast, and would never had sold it if I didn't have to.

The auto does do adaptive control. Who knows what that really means. I'm sure someone can find some MINI marketing material on it.

I know that mine when new, would start in 2nd gear from a stop (Sport off).

After 1200 mile break-in, it would downshift to first if you 'stepped-on-it' and now always starts out in 1st gear.
(Sport still usually off.)

Chrysler Automatics have 'learned' from their drivers for past twenty years, so I would expect MINI's to as well.

I wish it would "learn" to put itself in manual mode every time I hit the start button. I can't remember the last time I let it shift for itself. Having two manual cars I even let off the gas before shifting on occasion before remembering it's an auto.

Interesting opinions....it's kinda like republicans and dems these days...each are relatively polarized and truly believe that they know the way forward. In some ways, both have good points though this is getting to be debatable lately. Anyway, I learned to drive on a stick, always rent a stick on the other side of the pond but bought an auto MCS last year. Why? One, because traffic in Atlanta can be horrendous at times and the auto is a huge help in stop/start traffic. Mainly though, when I tested the MCS I absolutely enjoyed the smoothness, relative crispness and feel that the auto had...much better than auto boxes I had driven all the years before. I absolutely believe that the Aisin is a superb piece of kit, not perfect but very very good.

Will an auto ever give the true sense of control of a manual? Not anytime soon I suspect, but it is undoubtedly smoother, more comfortable and gives the driver an opportunity to devote every ounce of effort into steering input. The Aisin is surprisingly quick and a lot of fun to drive. My friends on the other side of the isle will probably never agree with me but both options have some distinct advantages. To their credit, autos have come a long way since the 50's when they started to gain popularity in this country. From my experience with MINI loaners I can say however that the regular MC automatic is not recommended for aggressive driving and a manual would be a lot more appropriate However, most performance oriented drivers would get the MCS or JCW anyway. The regular MC desperately needs more of a low-end kick but I guess MC's are not bought for their tire-smoking performance so this misses the point.
What can I say? The auto in the MINI has made me see a these "slush-boxes" in a whole new light....

Nice post

On a side note. After driving all slushbox's for 5 years until I got my manual MCS. I drove it for several days while letting my Explorer sit. I got in the Explorer just to back it out of the garage and tied to press the clutch 3 times in 15'.