I have a question because I couldn't figure it out:
Is the automatic transmission different in the 2011 Cooper S from the former models, or is it still the CVT transmission?
Apparently the CVT had some problems and I hope they've changed it now.

Neither Generation Cooper S has ever had a CVT transmission.

Thank you! Couldn't even figure that out :redface:

Just as a further explanation -- perhaps a bit general, but...

Mini used the CVT in the MC (never "S") models from the beginning till 2005. In 2006, they began using the Aisin supplied 6-speed across the whole range of cars.

With the R56 Mini beginning in 2007, the Aisin continued to be the only available automatic. It remains mostly unchanged in the 2011 model.

In my humble opinion, the Aisin transmission is a very reliable unit and I know of many cars equipped with it which have travelled over 100K miles with no transmission related problems.

But the CVT used through 2005 seems to be an almost totally unreliable unit, and almost every one of them that I have had contact with have broken down at well under 100K miles. Ours went bad at 67K. They are very expensive to replace, and there is almost no one, other than a Mini garage, who will work on them. Internal parts are not widely available, and the technology itself is so proprietary that no one I know of has developed a body of knowledge sufficient to allow them to consider repair. When a CVT goes bad, replacement seems to be the only option.

Similarly, the Aisin unit can be repaired if needed. Its used in several other brands of cars -- VW to name just one -- but its needs for repair have been slight. They have shown themselves to be very robust -- some even prefer them to the manual gearbox for autocross use, and they hold up well in that application. The ones with shift paddles behind the steering wheel are, in my opinion, the most desireable of all Mini gearboxes.

I hope I have helped a bit.

Thank you Herleman!
Yes, interesting to know!
I have the one with the shiftpaddels, but I don't think I will use them too often. I got my car yesterday and didn't have much chance to actually try it out on a motorway. Only in stop-and-go traffic. And that made me glad to have gone with the automatic. And now that I know that the Aisin is reliable, I'm glad even more! :D