We just received word that MINI is currently experiencing a shortage of CVT transmissions from the manufacturer. This is affecting production of all R50 and R52 Coopers specced with the transmission. No word on when availability is expected so be sure to give your MINI Sales person a call if you have a MCa or MCca on order.
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The MINI’s CVT-1 transmission is made by manufacturer ZF in Belgium:
Here is a link to their website:
<a href="http://www.zf.com/defaultz.asp?isOpen=1&lang=1&id=134" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.zf.com/defaultz.asp?isOpen=1&lang=1&id=134</a>
Some MINI owners I know would say “good” that you can’t get the CVT 😉
We love our ’02 MC CVT, the most badmouthed MINI in the lineup. Great car, great pickup, Turbine smooth acceleration, superb fuel economy and rock solid reliability.
A car that has been misunderstood from day one. But one heck of a fun ride!
I am one of those people, Ian.
I have to agree with Frank. My 2002 Cooper CVT was thoroughly enjoyable with few if any flaws. I traded up to a Cooper S, but that was a “pull” not a “push.”
Maybe I was just lucky, but that’s hard to believe.
I have a dream … that one day readers of this fine website will rise up and live out the true meaning of the MINI Cooper creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all MINI drivers are created equal.”
I have a dream … that one day on the shores of Lake Michigan, the sons of former MINI auto drivers and the sons of former MINI manual drivers will be able to drive together on the motorway of brotherhood.
I have a dream … that my four little children will one day drive on roads where they will not be judged by the automation of their transmission but by the content of their character.
I have a dream TODAY! … that one day I will read a post on MotoringFile about automatic transmissions without a single comment that descends into that most banal and predictable of debates: auto vs manual. Let it go, my people. We are better than this.
I have to agree with Stuart. I simply cannot understand the ‘I don’t like it, so you shouldn’t be able to buy one’ nonsense.
You can get an automatic in a MINI? Why didn’t someone tell me? If I’d only known!
Stuart… the day you get ALL Auto vs. Manual types to hold hands and play nice 100% of the time is the same day the die hard R56 vs. R53 people do the same. We auto-enthusiasts are just an opinionated bunch.
I am an enthusiast also but I’ll tell you that CVT in manual mode is a real blast. Try one sometime and you’ll most likely agree. It shifts wonderful and responds really well together with the engine. Sounds a little loud but is eager to work.
i’ve driven every model of mini from base cvt to fully loaded jcw – they are all fun in their own way.
i drive a paddle shifting mcsa because i secretly wish it was a lambo gallardo with e-gear ; )
ok, just kidding on that, but seriously folks – to each his or her own!
I like the fact that anyone, bound or free of any impediments are able to enjoy a MINI. Good for them. Me, make mine a manual.
For me only a manual…. For her (wife)…. an automatic!
The best of both worlds!
Now if we can just convince people that the MC and MCS are equally enjoyable.
amen stuart;
however the chance of this happening is slim. it’s hard to teach people who have mastered ancient technology(manual) that new technology is the way of the future. i amsure many people 100 years ago would have preferred a horse or mule.
>however the chance of this happening is slim. it’s hard to teach people who have mastered ancient technology(manual) that new technology is the way of the future. i amsure many people 100 years ago would have preferred a horse or mule.
That’s an odd thing to say considering the MINI’s manual is both more efficient and more powerful than the automatic.
<blockquote>That’s an odd thing to say considering the MINI’s manual is both more efficient and more powerful than the automatic.</blockquote>
I agree with Gabe. I prefer driving a manual for many reasons; I just get weary of the auto-bashing comments.
I’ve got a MC-CVT and like it a whole lot. Yes, it’s not as much pure fun as a manual when driving the twisties, but it does come into it’s own on stop-n-go highway driving and city driving. If I owned a MINI for only fun, I would have a GP. But as a quick, great handling city car – the MC-CVT is wonderful! And, as an added advantage, you can have one hand free to sip your coffee, hold a cellphone and more while going nowhere in city traffic…