This is my first post - I've wanted a MINI since BMW announced the car, but had never driven one until this week. My present car is an Integra.

I happened upon a MINI CVT and its owner in a parking lot the other day - I mentioned that he equipped it just as I would if I had one (Chili Red/white, Premium pkg, armrest, spoiler, bonnet stripes) and that I'd probably need a CVT for my wife. He showed me around the car (which also had a baby seat in the back) and told me they were considering selling it since it was a p.i.t.a. to get the baby into the back, so I gave him my card.

He got back to me a week or so later and offered the car (w/ <28K miles) at a fair price, so we arranged a test drive.

I was expecting lurching and other low speed issues from reading forum postings, but it was smooth. The little MINI was surprisingly quick in SD and in kick-down from D... Steptronic was interesting in the twisties, but my natural tendency was to lift off the throttle when shifting, so I need to re-learn some driving behaviors.

My wife drove it over some back roads and we picked up our 5'9" son, his amp and 2 guitars for the ride home... with the sunroof (and throttle) open, she grinned the whole way.

I later drove an 06 MC with the 5-speed Getrag - it was also very nice, but was not noticeably faster (and was probably slower due to my poor shifting skills). While I didn't compare the cars on the track or the Dragon's Tail, I have to generally disagree with reviewers that have stated that the CVT drains the fun... if anything, it makes the MINI even more like a go-cart. I find the fun is in the handling and the thrust - and the MINI CVT has plenty of both (for most people).

I really noticed that the CVT keeps the engine in the power band... but also noticed some vibration/pulsing (5-10Hz) though the steering wheel at max thrust (~25-30mph @ 5400rpm) - is this tire slip, torque steer, or something else? Is this typical of the CVT (w/ 15" all-season tires)?

but also noticed some vibration/pulsing (5-10Hz) though the steering wheel at max thrust (~25-30mph @ 5400rpm) - is this tire slip, torque steer, or something else? Is this typical of the CVT (w/ 15" all-season tires)?

I've got about 100,000 on mine now and I've never noticed anything like that.

Agree with Sejanus, I've not spent much time with CVTs, but I've never noticed steering wheel vibration.

Thanks for the info - the original owner is having things checked at the local MINI dealership before the sale, so I'll let you know if they find anything.

I'm also not sure if I described it well - it was sort of the feeling you got while watching Star Trek when Scottie is telling the captain that he and the warp drive are "giving it all its got" and the camera is shaking...

It happened in D and SD - I may have been in drop-down mode and what I felt may have been the engine being limited to keep RPMs below 6K (my 5400rpm statement above was an estimate - I wasn't watching the tach) - I thought I read that the rev limit is done by engine control software retarding the spark...
...except for the short period during when I had it floored, the acceleration was "turbine smooth" - which is why I noticed the shaking/shudder/vibration.

So, any noticeable lack of engine/CVT smoothness when up against the rev limit?

As a long time Trekkie I can say without any doubt I've never felt that sensation. Really the only "roughness" I've ever felt with the CVT is the much discussed lurching between 5 and 10 mph. That's it.

i'd run.

Well, I didn't run... the price was good and the MINI dealer who checked it over claimed it is an issue with a tire that was replaced under warranty (so one front tire has more tread than the other) - I got it in writing before the car was purchased, so if I have an issue - I can go after them. The vibration/pulsing is rarely noticed (1x during test drive, 1x in three weeks ownership) since I only use the car to commute and am not regularly thrashing the throttle.

I'm having fun with the "new to me" MINI... but slightly regretting getting a CVT (well, until I invariably get stuck in traffic or my wife needs to drive it).

I'm a little disappointed in the gas milage (26-27 mpg in non-highway commuting), but I've also been playing with SD, running the A/C, and making lots of stop and go trips, so I'm hoping that I'll do better on my next tank.

The sunroof has started making some clicking noises when opening (that weren't there when I bought the car) so I've been popping it up (instead of opening it) the last few days - I'll get it checked out at the next service interval.

Overall, a VERY fun car with a few issues that still need ironing out.

i love the cvt when it works, but my current experience with one is where its going bad, and the dealer quoted me 8500 for a replacement, and there really is no other option than to just bend over and relax ur bottom end. at 50,000 miles, this really should not be an issue, and honestly i wouldn't care that much, but i've never heard of a transmission replacement costing that much, its not a ferrari or anything.

Well, I didn't run... the price was good and the MINI dealer who checked it over claimed it is an issue with a tire that was replaced under warranty (so one front tire has more tread than the other) - I got it in writing before the car was purchased, so if I have an issue - I can go after them. The vibration/pulsing is rarely noticed (1x during test drive, 1x in three weeks ownership) since I only use the car to commute and am not regularly thrashing the throttle.

I'm having fun with the "new to me" MINI... but slightly regretting getting a CVT (well, until I invariably get stuck in traffic or my wife needs to drive it).

I'm a little disappointed in the gas milage (26-27 mpg in non-highway commuting), but I've also been playing with SD, running the A/C, and making lots of stop and go trips, so I'm hoping that I'll do better on my next tank.

The sunroof has started making some clicking noises when opening (that weren't there when I bought the car) so I've been popping it up (instead of opening it) the last few days - I'll get it checked out at the next service interval.

Overall, a VERY fun car with a few issues that still need ironing out.

The gas mileage sounds about right or at least similar to what I get. You should get 30+ on the freeway. If you want a bit more fun with the CVT try using the steptronic mode (instead of just SD), if you aren't already.

i love the cvt when it works, but my current experience with one is where its going bad, and the dealer quoted me 8500 for a replacement, and there really is no other option than to just bend over and relax ur bottom end. at 50,000 miles, this really should not be an issue, and honestly i wouldn't care that much, but i've never heard of a transmission replacement costing that much, its not a ferrari or anything.

Transmissionr replacement really is too expensive on these models although the price you were quoted seems about $500-1000 more than I've usually heard reported.

1000-500 dollars on top of 7grand doesn't matter to me when its that high, i mean if the car were wrecked and it would cost that much to fix it they would total the thing, its crazy

The gas mileage sounds about right or at least similar to what I get. You should get 30+ on the freeway. If you want a bit more fun with the CVT try using the steptronic mode (instead of just SD), if you aren't already.

I did my first highway miles in the MINI this past weekend - a trip from Virginia to Connecticut and back with my son for a waterpolo tournament.

On the way up, we had some traffic, rain and darkness - so with an average speed of 57mph we got 37.7mpg.

For most of the way home, the average speed was over 70mph and the mpg was lower - 34.3... the final 40 miles were in agonizingly slow traffic on the DC Beltway (after a Redskins game), so the final numbers were 54.1mph and 32.7mpg.

Other impressions...
The MINI is fun to drive on roadtrips, but is less fun for passengers when the pavement gets bumpy;
...a center armrest is a must (the prior owner installed a Euro one);
...my iTrip that works fine around town did not work as well on a long trip - I will spring for the $40 Aux input before my next long drive;
...the standard seats are fine for padded butts like mine (I felt fine after 10+ hours of driving over 2 days), but my thinner son thought they were like concrete after a few hours... and the leatherette does not breathe, but wipes down easily;
...the OEM wipers are so-so;
...it is easy to accidentally turn on the seat heaters;
...the standard Cooper with CVT has plenty of power for 70+mph cruising and (with a nice road surface) is surprisingly quiet and smooth at high speed;
...the boot will easily swallow a couple of overnight bags and a waterpolo bag; and
...the upper right portion of the central speedometer is a fine place to mount a GPS (TomTom One).