Interestingly one of the reasons BMW decided to not go with a DSG type of auto-manual (which is much smoother than SMG in auto-mode) in their new V10 7-speed M5 was that it made the car less sporty. The quote I read from the Roundel reportedly from an M engineer was “It's too much like an automatic.”

Which I think gives you a good indication of what some engineers within the M division think of automatics in very sporty cars. Not sure if they would consider the MCS in the same catagory but it's interesting to know nonetheless.

Thanks Gabe. Yeah, this morning I remembered that I thought I had seen the BMW Z4 with the SMG and the dealer said it also had a fully automatic mode. For some reason I was thinking of the Toyota MR2 Spyder with SMG which doesn't have the fully auto mode.

Yeah, I'll concur with that. I think the CVT is a smart idea, and it eliminates the inefficiency of a torque converter. I haven't driven a CVT MINI, so I can't say for sure, of course. The only issue I have with it is longevity, considering the sort of driving I do.

As for street driving, most folks don't shift at race levels or even close, and blipping the throttle to match revs is hardly commonplace. That's why Porsche type synchros are the norm – they can handle even the baulkiest (hehe) ham-handers to the most sublime shifters. If you were truly great, you wouldn't need synchros at all. ;-) Yeah, I wish the 'S' had a more advanced automatic design, but there are plenty of potential MINI owners out there who would benefit from the one BMW chose. The more the merrier!

      BCNU,
    Rob in Dago

Gabe, do you think the R56 MCS will offer a SMG? Is the Aisin slushbox a “Stop Gap” measure until a suitable SMG or a beefier CVT is made available to the MINI?

loki — SMG's do not come in an automatic mode. You have to use the gearshift or paddle shifters to shift all of them — there just isn't a clutch for your left foot to have to push.

I still go back to my initial premise..a CVT Mini-S would be a perfect alternative to the slushbox MINI-S if BMW would just follow thru and develop it. Audi has a continously variable trans that can handle 200 hp..why can't BMW????

The point is simple, the act of shifting the gears manually verses having a transmission that does it for you is what's being discussed. Yes, sequentials don't have the performance robbing torque converter but in the end you are pressing a paddle or slipping it into “auto” mode to have a computer change the gears for you.

For the debate at hand, manual shifting vs automatics, there is no difference between what you do in a SMG equipped car and the Step Auto, performance reasons aside. Heck, SMG is only enjoyable on the track, on the streets it's a cumbersome gizmo based on my ownership.

I just find it's unfortunately that there are those (and I use the term loosely) “purists” who feel so snobbish as to shout sellout whenever they feel their driving manhood is threatened.

The mini is by no means a limited production sports car, it's for the masses. Buy the version you like to enjoy and have fun driving alongside those who enjoy shifting it their way.

Can't we all get along?!?!?! :D

However, I do take issue with this comment:

“I think its ridiculous to think the offering of an auto Mini-S diminishes the breed. I wouldn't order a paddle shift 360 Modena BUT does that make it any less of a sportscar? How many of you hard core stick shift guys would toss back the keys to that car if they were handed to you?”

This reflects a lot of the other posts, in that some of you don't seem to understand the different types of transmissions.

A sequential manual gearbox, as is found in the Ferrari 360 Modena, BMW M3 SMG, and many others, is nothing like an automatic gear box. Power is connected and disconnected via a dry clutch, just as in a manual gear box. The difference lies in the actuation, which is modulated by a computer-controlled electrohydraulic system instead of your left foot. It shifts faster than you'll ever be able to, and is more efficient than a manual transmission.

An automatic, as found in every minivan, SUV, and now the MINI, is an entirely different animal. Power is transferred through a viscous coupling, the torque converter. It uses hydraulic pressure to multiply torque, and as such, creates many downfalls in performance. Total efficiency is much worst than a dry clutch, as is evidenced by the reduced 0-60 times. Shifting speed, though improved from previous automatics, still is not on par with a manual transmission in the hands of a skilled driver. The worst part, though–is that downshifts are not rev-matched. This creates a large jerk due to a huge weight shift when downshifting. Shifting weight uncontrollably is not only bad for performance, it's downright dangerous when driving spiritedly.

Manual transmissions can match revs in the hands of a skilled driver via heel & toe. Sequential manual gearboxes match revs with near-perfection, depending on the manufacturer. F1 cars (Yes, the one Michael Schumacher drives) use sequential manuals. Suggest putting a slushbox automatic in an Schuey's F1 car and see what he does. Chances are, you'll be laughed right out of the garage. ;)

Just because it has paddles to select gears does NOT mean it's endowed with the performance of a sequential. Don't be fooled! Ever see a sponsored road racer with an automatic transmission? If so, how'd they do? ;)

This is an old debate that is very emotional for most MINI driver's but in my back to back experience with both I personally don't have a problem motoring down the road on a stick shift/CVT/ and now the new Aisin 6-speed automatic slushbox equipped MINI.

There are way too many “Closet Racers” in these forums and that is fine with me. People that are narrow minded and elitist can't help it because every time they type a post their little issues become evident.

The truth of the matter is whether you are a seasoned manual driver or an automatic driver (CVTs are a very different beast for those that have the tendency to lump them together with hydraulically operated slushboxes), you are motoring in one of the finest European motocars in the American road at ANY price.

You are not less of a “Motorer” or an “Enthusiast” or whatever you wanna call it because you pick a Cooper S Auto over a manual version and viceversa.

This is such a divided country in ideologies that even this divisionism is blatant in the choice of one's car transmission.

Motor on and move on!

Posted by iDiaz.

Hey iDiaz, let me give you a historical tid bit that may completely take you by surprise. Alec Issigonis, the “Father” of the original Mini was the number#1 promoter of the creation and development of “Gearless” automatic transmissions (Read CVTs). Issigonis was onced interviewed by Car Magazine in the UK back in 1979 (Probably before you were born) and he referred to the manual transmission as the “Barbaric Stick” and back then he envisioned a future MINI with a “gearless” automatic transmission as he called them the “Wave” of the future. Remember that Issigonis was a man of vision and an automotive genius and for this “enthusiast” to promote an automatic transmission sure would have raised eyebrows during that time.

Today's MINI Cooper CVT goes in line with Alec Issigonis' vision of what the ultimate MINI should be. Issigonis died in 1988, so obviously he did not get to see the current Cooper CVT carrying on his wishes.

Issigonis believed in pure “Raw Motoring”. This is a man that completely hated radios in cars, A/C and even seatbelts because he believed that ammenities distracted the driver from the business of “driving”.

If you ever get the chance, sit down in a classic Mini, to fully understand Issigonis ideologies.

Elitist drivers v. “car as appliance” convenience drivers