One of the instructors at the MINI School our club had this weekend at Lowes Motor Speedway was highly complementary of the CVT after he took it on some laps that made the tires sing.
The Coopers CVT really shines in the sport mode. It is made for fun driving without shifting. It is a cool system in it's own right.
Maybe there should be a MINI Cooper with a supercharger and the CVT, but call it something else so our purist friends like Spycar stay happy
.