So we have a 2010 MCS and a 2011 MCCS. The MCCS is mine, the MCS my husband's...

I have always owned automatics, so I am not very knowledgeable about manuals. I learned as a teen with a few family directed sessions, but then never drove one again until we got the MCS (15 years later.) So this is really my only true experience with a manual... less than 5 months of getting to drive the MCS on the weekends I could wrestle it away from my husband.

When test driving to get my own MINI I thought I would again get an automatic, but the manual was just so much more fun to drive. When I tried the MCCS I immediately could tell the clutch was different, but didn't think much of it. I stalled a couple times getting off the lot, then figured it out and was fine. Chalked it up to my inexperience and bought the car.

My husband drove it a few days later and said the clutch felt wrong. So I took it to the service department to have them look at it. Service Guy told me the 2011s have a new lighter clutch, drove it 50ft, and said it was fine. My husband still isn't convinced, but Service Guy seemed sincere.

The clutch works, but just isn't as smooth as the 2010. It is hard to shift smoothly between gears, especially 2nd... but then I was a little bumpy there too in the 2010 so it could still just be that I don't know what I am doing. My husband drove it again the other day and once again complained about the clutch and it even stalled once on him and was noticeably less smooth shifting between gears than when I ride with him in the 2010.

So... has anyone else compared the 2010 and 2011 clutches? Is something really wrong with my clutch like my husband says? Or is it really just that different from the 2010?

 

I test drove a 2011 MCS yesterday and also found the clutch to be super light with vague shift points. It seemed to engage high, and there was still a fair amount of torque steel, which had supposedly been addressed by software.

I was super impressed with the Nav and tech integration, but got back into my 2002 R53 feeling a bit wanting..... I'm actually a bit lost in my car purchase choice, I may just have to go with the Z4M

 

Z4M sounds much nicer! I just test drove a 2011 MCS and found the clutch to be super light as well. The interior with NAV is SO much nicer than my 2008. The motor did feel pretty weak, slower than my S with stock tune, maybe because the car wasn't fully warmed. Also couldn't get the pop and burble to work.

 

My 2011 MCS is the first MINI I've owned, so I have fewer points of comparison, but I found the clutch better than an R53 I drove a few miles in previously--that may just be the super-charger vs. turbo at low revs, however. I've found the 2011 clutch to be pretty predictable, although the gear box is a bit tighter than i would've expected.

As to the pop and burble--it has to warm up to hear, and I think it gets better after a few hundred miles. Mine does it all the time in sport mode now, it's fun!

It also took my feet a little while to not snag anything--the space is a little cramped down there and I found my right foot on the gas sometimes rubbing the brake or more often the center column panel. My one surprise was that I have to apply a bit more force to the brake pedal than I would've expected.

 

My '10 MCS hardtop clutch felt different from other '10 MCS clutches for some reason. Pushing it down or letting it up, it is hard to explain but it had a wavering feeling. My '11 does feel slightly lighter and it is smooth, without the high frequency wavering feel. Also, I only drive in sport mode and I've found it far easier to drive than with it off. I'm sure my clutch will last way longer because of that.

 

Has anyone been able to compare a 2011 JCW to a previous year, or even a 2011 MCS? If so does it suffer from the same light clutch feel and lack of road feel as the 2011 MCS? I would consider a 2011 JCW with the JCW suspension, but it seems kind of unfortunate to spec out a 37k car to try and get the road feel of my 2002 R53.....ugh

 

I haven't driven a 2011 JCW, but all the updates to it were cosmetic. It probably uses the older pressure plate and clutch disc, so it shouldn't be as light.

 

I too have noticed that the brake pedal requires a bit more travel then I would have expected. It seems to have become more pronounced with me breaking in the car.


My old 2008 GTI had a very spongy pedal but so did all the MKV GTIs...

Im not sure if its bad idea or not but I'm leaving the Sport mode off all through the break in period. Cant wait to try it out in another 1k!

 

Hey all,

Can't comment on the new clutch feel becuase I'm still waiting on my baby. However here is some info from Motoringfile regarding 2011 LCI transmission changes.
Same Post on MF but a reprint of the official MINI press release
See the whole post about the 2011 LCI changes here

 

That MF page doesn't seem to specifically say anything about the JCW from skimming it. Seems like it applies to the engine listed under the "engines updated" section, which doesn't apply to the JCW.

I'd guess that it's still using the old S pressure plate and the JCW specific clutch disc.

 

You may be right there but I would imagine the 2011s will at least make us of the new carbon based shift cables.

 

phaetton, if you are trying to stay below the rpm limit on your break-in, that would be the only reason to not use the sport mode if you have auto trans. If you have a manual, no problem.

 

That would be the singular reason. I have a manual but the temptation is already hard to resist....

 

Some say drive it like you stole it from the first day but I wanted to it right per the manual. I don't blame you for not using it.

 

...

 

I just bought a MCS Clubman yesterday after owning a 2009 HT. I immediately noticed the "soft" clutch driving it out of the showroom. It takes MUCH less force to depress and does not have the feedback and predictability as the 09. The folks at the dealership confirmed this was expected (as others have mentioned) but it certainly will take some getting used to.

 

I sorta suspect its not a problem with the 2011 clutch but the fact its "different" from what you're used to. My 2011 S is in fact the only Cooper I've ever driven so I cannot compare to older ones. But I can say that in 40 +years of driving manual trans in cars and motorcycles, the 2011 MCS has the finest, best trans/clutch of any vehicle I've ever driven. Its just a pure joy to shift.

"Lack of road feel" ????? You've got to be kidding......