For the owners that have the Auto MCS, do you feel any less performance than the stick version?

Or do you feel better? You do get almost full on boost with autos, little drop off compared to a stick.

I swear my next car will be an auto, just want to find out if the auto in the MCS is good. Are there any problems people have had with these?

The auto in the 335i is a ZF, and is considered to be a must have when looking at buying, its that good.

So any feed back on the auto in the MSC would be great.

Thanks!

 

The way I see it, autos are for drag racing and rock climbing vehicles. I couldn't see myself ever buying another automatic especially in a fun, great handling car like the Mini.

 

you may want to pose your question here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ners-club.html

you may get a lot more answers. But I do like my auto...since it's a daily driver, and lots of street driving. it's a great road tripper. I don't feel any power loss, and the paddle shifters are great.

 

Or here https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-new-post.html

 

Thanks,, looks like the auto is pretty nice,, and takes to a chip,"toon" well.

 

Personally I'd never buy a MINI without a stick (maybe with a dual clutch), but the autos I've had in 2 of the 3 MINI loaners I've had were really nice. The first car was beat on a lot, so it left me with a bad experience, but the other 2 were fantastic.

Pros:
Great gearing, at 80 rpms are about 500 lower.
Feels quicker than the manual.
Pretty smooth.
Quite reliable.

Cons:
Couldn't get as good mileage with easy driving.
Don't like the paddle layout.
One of the loaners was jerky shifting another surged a little when stopping.
I have to keep my foot on the brake at a stop light.
Don't like how DS mode won't shift to 6th without going to manual mode.
Doesn't like to skip gears quickly.

OK seems like there's a lot of cons, but in general I don't like autos! It's really quite nice for a more relaxed drive.

 

Get a stick.

 

While my MCS is an '06 with the auto, I like it a lot. It's my daily driver, Dragonslayer and HPDE car. I get about 31 mpg for daily driving and about 12 mpg when at the track. It's responsive, tracks well thru the twisties, and, after having gone thru the stick shift route with many cars, would not go back to one just to wear out my left leg...especially in stop and go traffic.
I only use the paddles when in local traffic, and rely on the stick shifter when on the track and in the twisties. I hardly ever use the "D" drive and I never use the "SD" drive, as the stick shifter gives me the best mileage and performance.

 

Again, absolutely nothing constructive to contribute to what the OP asked. If U think your sticked MCS is so damned hot--or more fun, which it is not--why dont U find a MCSa with similar mods, go to a track, and think hard about how that other driver is laughing, looking at you in his/her rear view mirror as he/she smokes yr sticked ****.

 

Again?

But sorry... In my experience with auto MC's and MCS's, it wasn't half as fun as driving stick. But then again, I don't like driving any car that is auto. The auto MINIs I drove never shifted when I wanted them to, were never smooth, the gas mileage was bad compared to my 6 speed, and the paddles made it feel more like I was playing a video game rather than driving a car. If I drive a car that's supposed to be a family sedan or something just to get from A to B, then yeah, auto would be understandable. But, if I want a car for more than just that, I'd get the 6 speed.

Obviously this is just my opinion, but I would get a stick. To me, an automatic transmission is just a $1250 option that I would be very unhappy with.

 

I drive a MC so not an S but I have driven both auto and stick and I really think stick is the way to go unless you are going to be doing all city driving with a lot of traffic.

 

Let's face it. Yes, manuals involve you more. But daily driving cars are about 95% of the time just not about involvement. Autos are safer IMHO too (consider a panic situation).

Otoh:
second car?
Cooper, not S?

Trying to get a MINI on the cheap? (although resell will be a bit trickier)

then manual.

Personally, I like the auto. 6 speed (so no penalty there), paddles etc makes a great auto IMHO

 

Autos are torquer, do not drop boost between gears, more reliable (they're built by japanese maker Aisin). The car is controlled by gears you select in manual mode. I don't get more than 25-26 mpg with my driving style: never in D or SD and always in Manual mode shifting at arount 3.5-4.5K rpm. When I first got the car I was going to trade it for a manual but after 2 years of driving I'm not going back.

 

No need to be rude as you comments also do not add anything to this thread except to incite others to be rude back.

So now for my .02 cents. There are very few auto's out there that will beat a stick if driven properly. Problem is most people do not know how to drive either one properly.

If you are driving for fun MHO is that the stick is what would do the best as unless it is slipping there is a better transfer of power to the wheels from the engine. There is no slippage due to transmission oil as there is with a auto.

If you are using it for a daily driver in the city then the auto would probably be the best. It will take a lot of work out of the driving.

Now onto my personal experience with the Auto vs. Stick. My car is a stick and when in the shop I get a loaner that is always an auto (dealer does not want to deal with people burning up clutches).

The automatics have never been able to pull away form the line like my stick be it from a stop light or on the drag strip. Yes they may shift a bit faster but do not allow you to shift when you want to. The auto will only really shift when it thinks it should and that is not always the best timing.

Personally I know how to drive a stick properly and when to shift for the best benefit of power. This makes it fun to drive and easy to use for me.

Of course this is just my opinion and do with it what you will but I think you would be better off with the stick unless you are doing mostly city driving.

 

Well yet again I have no shame in saying an automatic soul sucking slush box has no business on a sports car. It's a night and day thing. You also experience power loss because you need to drive a torque converter. Sequence has just had very bad experiences with a couple of MINIs and he's very biased toward the automatic. But then again look at what I just wrote.

It all comes down to this...

Soul sucking ****** transmission Vs. 6-speed Getrag for most enjoyment and true MINI fun

 

 

I gotta agree with all of this, but then I too have always been more of a fan of manuals than autos. In my experience, shift points on automatics are usually a compromise. I've yet to drive one that shifts exactly when I want it to, either up or down. Can't say that for sure with a MINI auto, 'cos I've only driven one once, and not for very long. But still, even using the paddle shifters in 'manual' mode, I've never felt a solid connection between my shifter inputs and what the tranny is actually doing. For me, when I throw mine into second gear, stomp the gas and dump the clutch, I know exactly what the car is going to do. I've never felt that kind of control with any automatic, but that's just me.

 

my son has a automatic , mine is manual his auto was getting slightly better gas miles then my manual think cause i drive a little more aggressive so really no difference at the pump. depends on what you like i prefer the pure driving experience in my sports cars there is one difference thats when your going to work trying to drink coffee in it and have to shift it takes practice

 

It's all just preference, the auto is a good unit for what it is. Of course to those of us who've grown up driving manuals, you always miss that sense of connection to the car... For everyone else used to autos already, I'm sure it's the best thing ever!

 

You wouldn't enjoy a stick then, although they're much more fun to drive as everyone knows.

 

 

I hate auto but my next commuter car will probably be some sort of auto regenerative braking hybrid/electric kajigger with a fun car on the side. Good mpg and no more brake changes! I'm sure my clutch (and everything else) isn't happy with everyday 50 mile round trip 0-20 mph stop and go traffic!

 

I wish mine was a stick but then i woke up a realized i live in about the worst place in the world to drive one. Tri State bby!!!! No point when my average speed is 4 miles per hour it kinda takes the fun out of a stick. I still love the auto and never looked back i actually prefer it now.

 

C'mon, countryboy - quit pussyfooting around and tell us how you really feel!

I test drove both manual and auto MINIs before I got my '08 Justacooper. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance and feel of the auto MINI with the shift paddles, much better than I expected. I also really liked the shifter - clutch feel of the manual trans - no big advantage to either, just different.

But I chose a 6-spd manual for 2 reasons: #1 reason is my mostly rural daily commute - just made for a manual trans, very little city driving on a day-to-day basis. No need for the convenience of an auto, especially as the manual was so nice. #2 reason: the Canadian government was (in '08 only) giving rebates to purchasers of fuel-efficient cars. The manual trans MINI qualified for a $1000 rebate; no rebate at all for the MINI with auto trans. So that, coupled with the $1300 or so cost of the auto trans option, meant that I saved $2300 by purchasing my 6-spd manual MINI. Total no-brainer decision at the time.

So there are many possible reasons for choosing one option over the other. My decision involved me being a Canadian country-living cheap bastard; someone else's reasons are probably different but no less valid.


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I heard a rumor that auto drivers don't wave

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...egistry-2.html

LOL!!! I am just picking. I wish I had an auto for traffic but the stick is just too much fun to drive.