hey whats up, so i have had a 6 speed manual for about 4 years now and to be honest im just sick of stop and go traffic with a standard car. im getting the cooper s with the 6 speed auto. what are the performance limitations? and what pros and cons woult i be missing out on and or gaining?
thanks yawl

 

yawl? maybe you should be driving a Buick.

i also don't like driving MT for the commute and for running errands.
how about keeping your MCS and just get another beater with AT?

 

Well the auto definitely isn't on the same level as the manual, but then again, how many are? Unless of course they're tuned by AMG?

That said, it's still a helluva lot of fun to drive. Can I push into the redline? No. Are the shifts as responsive as a manual? No. Is it as fast as a manual? No. But can I still mod and make it go fast? Hell yeah. The bottom line is, realize it's an auto, but know that for it's price, it's one of the most fun autos you can drive, IMHO.

 

i think those butterfly shifters are pretty cool.

 

You know, they are cool, but I don't use them very often. I drive in Manual mode about 75% of the time, and 90% of that, I shift with the gear shift. They just aren't placed in the right position for me. But hey, that's me.

 

from a performance point, except the DSG transmissions, there is nothing faster than a MT, i even don't like the SMG.

It becomes annoying sometimes to drive the MT in traffic, but like Ken said, i would consider an auto car, a Honda or even a Hyundai to run around if you are that sick of it. BTW, this CVT that they gave me as a loaner today is pretty zippy, liking it, wife drove it around the block, wants one

 

the paddle shifters are good when you're going straight, but when going
through the turns, it does get kind of awkward. but at least you have
a choice between the paddles and lever.

berky - yeh, i like those cvt's. i'd get one too, but my current lifestyle with
the kid just isn't going to cut it for me as a family car...thus the legacy...
then Inf came out with that new coupe. ... . .

 

You know, I tested a CVT Cooper and a auto MCS, and I liked the feel of the auto better. I like feeling my shifts a little more than the CVT really allows. Maybe I'm weird...

 

oh you can get a simulated shift up feel on the cvt's too, in manual mode.

 

well this car is my "running around car" i have another car that is mainly my performance car. but i will probably do the normal things such as pully's intake exhaust, etc but i just to see how you guys like the auto. i drove both and though i like both, i think the auto would be a wise decision for me. i can take it to redline with the auto though. i just have to put it in "sport" mode lol. anyway the car was very impressive non the less.
i went into the dealership with a "standard only!" attitude, then they talked me into driving the steptronic, and i liked it. Plus the thumb shifters are fun.
ok, so how much faster is the manual than the auto? and would it be poss to get 200HP out of the auto?
thanks guys

PS: i dont know why i put yawl...i never say yawl...haha

 

with in reason of course. i do relize i could pay big money and get alot more than 200. i just want to be able to take all the honda guys who ride around talking S*#& all day. haha

 

i need to drive Weezers or Gregs before saying something 'cause never drove one

 

Just today I was out and about and had so much fun darting around going through the gears in my auto MCS I can only tell you that it is a very enjoyable and fun car, still has a lot of pep and great handling. (Fwiw I am in manual mode an flipping through the gears with the paddles most of the time, that's where the fun is for me - even managing paddle shifting through the curves as needed )

The performance limits/cons are currently that you cannot get it past 6100ish without it upshifting (which the step bmw never did, annoying fact but in reality I don't need it past there anyway) - I imagine aftermarket software will help change that at some point, that you cannot get it with the LSD, and that you have to shift through gears and cannot skip them (although you can flick through them quickly). Other then that you can do all of the main mods to it like a manual - pully, CAI, exhaust, TB, etc and get good results. Benefits I can think of are pretty obvious - ease of driving in traffic (in sluggish traffic on hills is a big improvement for me ), not needing to worry about clutch wear, no fear of a money shift, and negotiating the twisties with both hands on the wheel is great

The car in any incarnation isn't a mega horsepower sports car so I don't worry about it much in that way, a little lost 0-60 time has not been a factor in real world driving; using the gears and keeping it in the best revs is still possible in the auto so I think you'll enjoy it - you'll definately want to test drive one and wring it out first to get a feel for yourself though. If you spend a lot of time in your commute car you might as well get one you enjoy

Just a note, the car in auto mode is not nec the smoothest shifter from what some have said, so be aware of that and also test that out if you care about that. The thing is the tranny is adaptive so as I found the test drive is not as good as it gets, however it will give you some idea of how it can be in manual and in auto. As I said I use manual mode mostly, and when in auto I like the somewhat manual sensation of the gears shifting - and in any case its so much better then the jerky SMG in auto that its seems just fine - after all its not a Caddy, the car is about feeling all aspects of driving I think

 

yeah i agree. i loved playing around with the thumb shifters. the car was alot of fun. and yeah this is my "get around car" i have another car thats my performance, 1/8 mile type deal. i want somthing fund to drive, reliable, but somthing eye catching. and i think i have found it in the mini. plus not many people say they have "paddle" shifters haha jk. but anyway thanks for the input, it is much aprieciated....i could use some spelling lessons haha

 

the only concern i would have when modding a MCSa is the bigger drivetrain loss, but hell, who cares? i bet it is fun to drive.

 

Dammit, eVal had to one up me on the opinion.

As for getting it to 200hp -- I'm not sure if the usual mods can get you there with the additional drivetrain loss, but a pulley, injectors, plugs, CAI, header, exhaust, and an ecu mod should get you pretty close. After I get my pulley & plugs in, I'd like to dyno to see where I'm at -- I'm guessing the 185 range.

Like I said before, I love the auto for my daily driver -- it's still a lot of the fun of a MINI and a heck of a lot easier on my left knee.

 

It is.Don't let the wife drive it. If she likes the CVT then she'll probably like the auto even more.

 

she is not into speed, she says, she wants one with NAV. man, i should not have done that

 

this is off topic, but i love this forum. response is quick, and everybody is oppen minded and seems really cool. on the focus forum they would just say "thats stupid why would you ever get an "auto" sporty car...
anyway im more than impressed

 

hope MINI makes a NAV unit that's not so rectangular in shape in the
dead center of a round trim next time around.

 

This could be MINI Urban Legend, but, when my transmission guy and I were talking he asked if I had the MT or AT. I have the MT. Good says he - the AT's are failing at around 60,000 miles.
Seems a guy in San Francisco - admittedly hard use - bought a small fleet to use as courier vehicles - all with AT - and they're all suffering excessively high failure rates.

FWIW - YMMV - Yada Yada Yada


Peter
in Denver

 

well warrenty will privale hopefully if it os out. im sure alot of things will have problems around 60,000 at or mt.

 

I think this legend -- if it's true at all -- pertains to CVTs, not the MCSa. I can't imagine many people that have 60,000 miles on their MCSa already.

 

Yup, think those are CVTs, I've seen regular MCs used as commercial cars in SF but never MCSs. (I've also read of some CVT failures below 100k here on NAM, not sure how pervasive the issue is). The 6 speed AISIN tranny used in the MSCa has been used in other cars, VWs among them, with good success I believe.

Addendum: I just checked out AISIN's site again and they have an impressive array of products - working with lots of manufactureres including Porsche for a tranny in the 911.

 

Yup, the belts and pulleys in the CVT could fail somewhat early if driven hard. That is just the nature of the CVT design. The CVT cannot handle a lot of power either compared to typical autos like in the MCSa. The only issue with the MCSa is getting the transmission fluid changed. BMW says it is a lifetime transmission fluid, but if it is never changed it could possibly fail earlier than if it was changed like every 60,000 miles. I believe the AISIN auto has been used in the Audi TT for a while.