its not like the automatic is now the only tranny available… enthusiasts can stick with the 6 speed… adding a auto allows those with disabilities yet the same passion to drive the S… look at it from that angle!

i can agree that tho… i will start seeing 18 year old spoiled little girls driving cooper S at straight line at 90, turning at 10, or post SUV drivers cutting and wheezing their way around other cars…. (actually.. i do that… and that's what the mini's suppose to do anyways!)

the above is meant to be a joke, apologies if it offended anyone

She preferd the manual…she learned to drive on my turbo miata and loved it.

we are both pleased that there is a auto MSC now. we wanted more power than the CVT offered and we will be ordering her chili red rag top soon.

BCNU,

Rob in Dago

Let's Motor, indeed. :)

What more could be said?! (except that the auto F1 car is quicker on the shifts than its manual counterpart…nanner nanner!) Hahaha… ;-)

The MINI does not have the history of a Ferrari or Corvette or Mustang or even Volkswagen New Beetle, just to name a few. What this car “is” and who it is “for” seems to still be very much up in the air. Yes, it is related to the original Mini, but the MINI is also very much its own car (witness another violent debate that sometimes flares up between Mini owners and MINI owners).

What might be at stake in the manual/automatic argument?

For those who feel the soul of the MINI must stay on the side of performance (which seems to be the loudest argument coming from those advocating the “manual”) perhaps it is a worry that by adding the automatic option to the “top-of-the-line” MINI, the BMW execs are indicating that, ultimately, they don't intend the MINI to be a “pure” sports car (whatever that means). Perhaps they view it as diluting the brand, as opening the door just a little too wide to allowing the MINI to become a “chick car” ala the Volkswagen New Beetle and PT Crusier. (No offense intended to female owners and drivers, but statistically, those cars are bought and driven overwhelmingly by women). That there appears to be such a thing as “men's” and “women's” cars is another issue altogether, but I have a feeling this divide is contributing to the clamor.

For those who feel the soul of the MINI must stay on the side of choice (seems to be the loudest argument coming from the “automatic” crowd), perhaps the concern is that if MINI DIDN'T offer an automatic, the whole “customize the car and make it yours” philosophy would be proved a lie. A manual-only at the top of the model line might suggest: “MINI is all about choice– up to a point” A choice that isn't open to everybody might create a level of elitism within the brand that seems to fly in the face of the “make it yours” philosophy, which many obviously feel is a part of what the MINI is.

So what is the “soul” of the MINI?

The MINI image that Crispin, Porter and Bogusky created was designed to appeal to a lot of different people. I believe that what they effectively did was start something that hasn't happened often in automotive history; they found a way to connect the “soul” of the MINI very strongly to their owners.

What is a MINI? Ask ANY MINI owner, and you will have the answer. The soul of the MINI is a diverse, multi-faceted, often CONFLICTING thing. Is the MINI a “pure” sports car? YES. Is the MINI about choice and individuality? At the same time, YES. Is the MINI a “chick car”? If someone wants to classify it like that, then YES. Is the MINI just another way of getting from point A to point B, like a Honda Civic? (Sadly, I think) Yes. MINI is all these things at the SAME TIME, because these are (some of) who MINI owners are!

And so, just like any time a diverse community struggles to be together, there is conflict. There are arguments. This is who we are as human beings, and more so than perhaps any other factory-fitted vehicles, our MINIs will reflect this.

But can this conflicting diversity be good? I think it can. Might it mean that what MINI is, is alive and well? When the arguments stop, when new information about our beloved vehicles is greeted with a shrug, THAT will be a truly sad time, because that might mean that the DIVERSE COMMUNITY of what MINI is has died, or at least that the connection between owners and vehicles has been broken. That is a day which I hope never comes.

So argue away. Shake your head at the maturity level of some of the comments. Defend your views. Speak your mind, because your mind is the mind of MINI– not exclusively, but inclusively. MINI is performance, MINI is individuality and choice, but perhaps most of all MINI is DIVERSE COMMUNITY.

Let's Motor.

Thanks again for keeping us up to date.

I am impressed by the Britishness of that article. The words tend toward the euphemistic. The mellifluous tone recalls adverts for Schweppes tonics. I sense the Union Jack fluttering in the background. The lengthy article implies a lot, but delivers very little.

It's deceptive; filled with evocative equivocations. For example, the auto shifter might be quicker than most drivers with manuals, but it does not mean (nor state) that the car is quicker than a manual trans version. Let's wait for the road tests.

Despite my complaints I am delighted to read so much about another interesting variant for the Mini roster.

I too hope people will stop knocking the auto MCS–except perhaps in jest. As someone (sorry, I could not find it again) wrote above it would be similar to drivers of the original Mini complaining that the current model is too bloated and cushy to be worthy of the name.

That just reminded me that my old Austin Mini Cooper S had straight cut gears (graunch and whine) that seemed suitable only on the rare occasions when I could wring out the little monster on undulating two lane backroads. And (as JT wrote) I had no idea what I smelled like when I arrived (the spare tire was in the backseat) nor could I hear very well either.

In the 30+ years since I had that car I have gained 60 pounds (ordering too many options with my meals). Could I even fit into an original Mini? If so, how would I get back out? So I sure am looking forward to getting an MCSa.

Happy motoring to everybody.

I drove a 1964 Corvette like this for 7 years in South Texas. Great if you're a kid who doesn't care what you look/smell like when you get somewhere…

It's not as if an army of black-clad BMW/MINI mechanics (actually, most of them wear dark blue) is going to descend on your garage in the middle of the night and switch the transmission in your car.

BMW isn't going to remove the manual shifter option on any car in the MINI lineup. If they do something like that, maybe you'll have something to complain about.

(For the record, I have a 2003 MCS, and most of my past cars have had manual trannys either by choice or non-availability of anything else. I don't have a problem with an automatic transmission in a car as long as it drives reasonably close to the manual transmissioned variant.)

Pros and cons of this particular automatic vs. other automatics tranny's? To read the PR it does indeed appear to be a good auto (but I don't know that much about autos having driven a standard my whole life). Of course I bear in mind that it is a PR, not an objective review.

I really can't wait to hear a review of an actual drive in this thing. I bought a MCSa sight unseen and I am curious / nervous about what I bought.

Edge

That's the only problem with censorship – one person's opinion of wrong does not equal anothers. Hard to find that fair balance.

Back on topic… in the interest of finding a middle ground, I want to remind all anti-auto people that the JCW package is not available for the Auto. So in that regard, it remains a manual-only option, at least for now. (yes, yes, I know – aftermarket is still there)

Something to be happy about for manual exclusivity. Since I am also a Mustang fan, it reminds me of the Cobra models being rarer and stick only, while the V8 GT models are both auto & manual. Similar comparison.

An auto MCS was inevitable. This is the USA – the market spoke on this issue a very long time ago, whether some of us like it or not.

Be warned, however, this kind of spurious classification is just like counting the seats to figure out if you're looking at a sportscar. Tell that to a 911 owner. If you feel threatened that your choice of an 'S' will be cheapened by adding an automatic to the line-up, I'm sorry you feel that way, but it's been known for years that this was going to happen, so you went in with a blindfold on if you bought with wishful thinking. “I'm shocked, Ricky, shocked!” said Captain Renault.

Those that have an exagerated opinion of their talents are the only ones who will suffer by comparison, so all of those who choose an Automatic 'S' be forwarned – sadly, overcompensation is now no longer reserved for those who drive SUV's, but will soon start affecting the MINI community, or at least those that don't mind posting about their…. shortcomings, so to speak. I'd much rather see more MINIs, than more of those lesser vehicles that crowd my freeways, and trundle on my twisties.

   BCNU,
 Rob in Dago

btw, they (original mini cooper s drivers) are all laughing at you and treating you guys like you treat us auto drivers….