I use the sport button 100% of the time and in the city get 33 mpg average running 93 octane zero ethenol gas. Got 520 miles on a tank runnin to kentucky and back to alabama runnin 85-110 MPH pretty much the whole trip on a MINI rally trip.

 

If that's true it must have changed for 2011, my 2011 MCSa goes into 6th gear in SPORT mode on the freeway. It holds the shift-points longer up the rev range, and downshifts sooner to keep the engine spooled up, but cruising at steady-state at 70mph it shifts into 6th. Easy to verify by just flicking the paddle-shifter to up-shift and the dash display tells you what gear you're in.

 

Having just got my MCSm last week with only about 550 miles on it, the car is more fun to drive, easier to rev match down shifts and I don't lose mileage according to the computer, what is not to love? I hope to see what it fills up at tomorrow to see what the mileage is compared to the computer, but i havent seen it less than 32 mpg. No regrets getting another MCS.

 

Love sport button. 2011 mini Cooper hardtop manual. No loss of mpg from sport. However same as others 1st gear is pure mush with it off, almost stalled a few times cause of the throttle mapping being so different. It was so bad I thought there was a problem with the 1st gear. Now I just keep RPMs near 2k when I shift to 1st.

 

Yup same here. The quickest way for me to see if I forgot to turn on the sport button is taking off in first at a red light. I'll nearly clonk out with it off each time.

 

Sport button off - drive with your foot

Sport button on - drive with your toes

 

Perhaps I should have chosen better wording. What I was trying to say is that with an automatic, the transmission won't shift on its own into 6th gear when in sport mode. Not that sport mode stopped use of the gear completely. At least that was my understanding.

 

I have been running with the sport mode engaged on my MCS "07" for the last week and my travels to work consist of half highway and half city driving, total mileage per day is 70 miles round trip. I am getting about a 1.5 mpg less when I don't have the sport button on.

 

After my first week of driving the Mini, I found myslef frantically pulling parts together to mod the sport button to be on all the time. I HATED driving the car in a non-sport mode.

And when I would forget to push the button...ugh!

And I still managed an average 28mpg. and could get 36mpg on the highway.

So that's what prompted me to put together the auto on sport button kit.

 

Yeah I'd have to agree, sport button on does little to none for mpg. Though the wife prefers no sport for the sake of her neck.