I am (almost) totally happy with my new 2011 Cooper. However on my list was a manual transmission but at the exciting time of choosing a MINI, colour choices became priority and...I ended up with an automatic transmission but with paddle shifters.
It is really a different style of driving, to go MINI'ing but it would have add a bit more fun and excitement to drive standard. Guess I wait four more years to return the lease and go for the standard one. Does anyone have the same and how do you like the paddle shifting if you have?

 

My car is currently on a ship. Believe it or not, I've never even driven a MINI of any flavor yet. However, my build is pretty unconventional: I chose the automatic tranny for my S, and added the JCW tuning kit and JCW suspension.

I've never driven a manual car of any type and have no desire to do so. I know the common MINI wisdom says go for the manual, but I can't see personally for me what I would possibly be missing out on. I've even read many times that the current 2nd-gen auto is pretty nice, and in head-to-head tests with a manual, that they are pretty comparable. Some have said that the auto is even a slight tick faster than the manual, but I can't say myself. I just know that I chose what was best for me and went with it with no regrets. I did lose the paddle shifters because I chose the JCW appearance package, but I can still use the manu-matic shifting on the gear selector.

Not sure whether that helps or not. If you are dead-set on a manual being better, then I can see why you might be disappointed. Personally I'd take the auto and run with it, but I can't speak for what you will be happy with. I'm sure my opinion will not be the popular one!
Jon

PS Just so I understand, was the transmission change caused by error, or did you choose the auto in order to add other features, price-wise?

 

I think this is simply a case of being honest with yourself in how you plan on using the car. Is it a daily driver where you're looking for some fun or do you plan on taking the car to an autocross or hpde? In the case of the former, I don't think there will be too much disapointment unless you really like driving manual transmission cars. For me, I wanted something that I could heel and toe with and that's just my preference. Will it be faster than the auto? I don't know. Is this a better car because I change the gears? Absolutely not. It's simply my preference and that was all, so just give it some honest consideration and when your lease is up, you can decide what to do for next time. Since hindsight is 20/20 I'm sure we all have regrets with our cars for one reason or another. Just enjoy that you have it and go find a corner to carve.

 

Thank you NJ Mini and Subzero! Oh I am totally in love with the Cooper, its not that I regret that manual would go faster because I think it is a pretty peppy car. Honestly I always thought to get a Cooper S but testdriving the base one amazed me. If this is already fast (coming from a four door luxury sedan) then the S version only will add speeding tickets
So instead of an S I got the base one. It is lately that I think maybe I should have...
Not really dead-set on a manual, Subzero, I can only say ' hey its a Cooper, so no matter what....'
I enjoy every mile in it and I will keep smiling every single time I am driving it. Maybe it is that I compare the automatic(paddle)shifting with a standard one. Anyways, thanks both, I am happy and it does help to hear your opinions!

 

Prior to purchasing an '06 MCS several months ago, my 4 previous cars had manual trans. My wife & I fought over whether or not the Mini would be auto/manual. Guess who won? Nice thing is I kept my 2000 MR2 Spyder which has a manual, so that allows me to gt my fix of clutch work...

Your post is something I have wondered about with the Mini's. I figured with enough searching, maybe I could find some spirited debate on the differences between the 2 trannies offered. For the Spyder, the car only came with a manual for several years and then was offered with a sequential man. trans. which I believe is like the MCS's auto. There is a huge debate on Spyder forums about the pros and cons.

Regardless of how close the 2 trannies are in the Coopers, I use my "auto" in the shift mode almost all the time. Still doesn't feel as engaged as the manual, but like a previous post says, if your car is a daily driver, the auto is fine. My MCS is my dd and it is nice after buying a cup of coffee to actually not worry about spilling as I let the auto do the work! I still feel that the only way to really be totally in tune with the engine and driving is with the manual, but the choice of mini with auto versus no mini wth a manual, I let the wife have her way!

 

We only had one car with an automatic, my wife doesn't drive a stick, and we wanted a car she could drive if her automatic car was down for repairs, so we got a Clubman S with an automatic. I love it! In manual mode, it feels just like a manual only I don't have a clutch to push.

I have an old Soviet military motorcycle with a semi-automatic transmission in it. The clutch is only used when starting from a dead stop, the rest of the time it is shifted sequentialy and clutchless. The MINI in manual mode reminds me of that motorcycle.

The MINI's auto transmission is the best I've ever had.

Dave

 

I learned how to drive in a stickshift. After that I spent over 20 years driving manual cars. My Mini and the car I had just before the Mini were automatic and I have not regretted it for even a single second. I like driving manuals but for me, the bottom line is that 80 to 90% of my driving is stop n stop rush hour traffic in Miami and a stickshift is a HUGE pain when doing that kind of driving. Not to mention, the other 10 to 20 percent is highway driving and if you know anything about driving in Florida you'll know that all of the roads are straight and flat. There is absolutely no driving enjoyment to be gained by driving a stick. I suppose if I lived in a place where driving was more interesting then I'd probably want a stick once again but for the driving I do, give me automatic all the way!

And if I ever feel like shifting manually, the Mini has a manual mode so I can just switch it to that and it's almost as good as a stickshift.

 

According to MINIUSA's published numbers the auto is slower to 60 mph than the manual for all models.

base hardtop 8%
base Clubman and Convertible almost 15%
S hardtop, Clubman, and Convertible 3%

However, if you aren't using wide open throttle you can just open the throttle a bit more with the auto and make up the difference anytime you want. Also, I find gear selection in the manual to be rather vague and regret that SCCA autocross rules won't allow me to increase the stiffness of the motor mounts.

But what I really regret is not getting the stereo upgrade.

On the other hand, the base is (with sport suspension and non run flat tires) the best handling unmodified car I have ever driven. Motor on.

 

I am trying to figure out if my '06 MCS came with the "sport suspension" or if that was an option offered starting with the '07. My car has the runflat option, not sure if the ZSP package included a "sport suspension". (sorry for the thread drift-just hoping for a quick answer).

 

Am I the only girl here? Haha....anyways, I love love love the Cooper. And of course, like NJ Mini says, there is always something you will regret. For me it is a BIT of a regret, and maybe slowly I am actually going to be glad that I drive an automatic with paddleshifting. My husband thought it would be really cool. Maybe I compared it with actual manual transmission and thats why I was a bit disappointed. Anyways, yes my car is a daily driver and more than that. I drive for my work which is a lot of fun. And I have to admit when traffic is crawling it is nice to drive automatic.

 

Bottom line is enjoy what you have to its max. It is an easy car to love to drive. Somewhere down the line go for test drives of different models, transmissions when you are getting closer to a new purchase if MINI is still in your plans. You have a wondeful car, enjoy it!

 

I learned to drive on both manual and automatic, and I've long preferred manual. I just feel like I have more control over the car with that. And it's more fun for me on some of the twisty-turny roads around here. So I got my S with the Gertrag. But I don't drive to work. If I had to deal with DC rush hour traffic, an auto would become much more appealing. And I probably wouldn't want to learn how to drive a manual on a MINI - it's an excellent gear box, but not the most forgiving for someone just learning how.

 

No I would not suggest to learn to drive a manual in a MINI...I have driven standard for over 20 years. Maybe I'll choose for it again when my lease ends and maybe not...

 

The only regret I may have is not ordering the S but I have been weighing Cold Air Induction for my non S. The reason for not ordering S was the cost. I could take care of that by adding cold air inductuin (K& N or ???) My choice was add in what I want or get a stripped down S, I just couldn't do that.

 

We've had two Automatic MINIs, our first was a Cooper the second was a Cooper S. I had my heart set on getting a manual in the S but like you the color/features/offer led us to another Auto. I can understand your regret, however I like my Auto MINI.

First of all driving in manual mode with the sport button on a regular cooper is so much fun. I did it for three years! I used to always let off the throttle as I shifted to make it seem a little more like a manual. The MINI's auto does not drive like a normal auto even in auto mode, it downshifts to slow the car and likes to hold the gears. The auto is also a godsend when you have just had enough or have a cup of coffee… you can just slide it back into auto and go.


With the S, I'm sure a clutch would have been a bit more fun, but I have to say I do still drive it 90% of the time in manual mode.


Either way… enjoy it! And you will always have a regret… mine was giving up on the MINI connected for the color combo I wanted