[Brucehs]

'ello all,
I'll be test driving a CVT MC tomorrow and was wondering if anyone had suggestions on things to pay attention to and/or types of roads to take it on (I'd also be glad to hear specific recommendations if anyone knows the Philadelphia region).

Thanks. And apologies if this isn't the right forum. First post and all.

-Bruce

[Aurel]

Bruce ...

First of all welcome to the forum .. you will find it a very friendly place with lots of cool people and invaluable information.

I bought a CVT Cooper myself almost 3 months ago here in NYC and could not have been happier. Having owned 4 different Automatic Transmission cars before the Cooper I thought I will be able to make the best of the CVT Cooper right off the bat ... boy was I wrong. This is a totally different beast that is a blast to drive and requires some learning to fully appreciate it.

There is a great thread here about driving the CVT "properly" that is really informative and thorough. Check it out here:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/cvt-automatic/25028-cvt-driving-technique.html

It's 185 posts deep and there is a lot of great info, so you might not go into it all tonight, but I will tell you a couple of things I learned from it that might help you on your test drive.

First of all, many people "complain" of the CVT hesitating off the mark at a light or when driving in the 5-15 mph range that is bucks. As we all come from regular Auto tranny cars I learned that in those cars we ususally never press down on the gas as we start from a standstill as when those cars go into 2nd we get a head kick as it changes gears. So what we all do is basically play with the gas pedal (flutter it, as someone in that thread mentions) so we do not get this head snap effect when the car switches gears.

Well the CVT does not do this as there are no acutal gears at work so the best thing to do is give it steady acceleration from a standstill without this "fluttering of the gas pedal" that we "old school" A/T drivers are used to. This might not make sense to you know but you wll see what I mean tomorrow ... so basically steady pressure on the gas as you get off the mark, not letting your foot off and then on again.

The other thing is the Godly Steptronic mode, which is really a clutchless manual mode that even shifts up for you if you forget to. This you should really try to play around with on your test drive as I am sure will have you sold on the car. It is like having the best of both worlds, this CVT beast, the comfort of an A/T and the fun of a manual.

This is all I can say for now and hope you give us some feedback tomorrow.

[jsteine2]

I'm not near Phillie but we've been driving the wifes CVT for 15 months...

First, be sure to have the sales person explain the three shifting modes... D, SD, and steptronic...

Second, be sure to drive from start to stop in each mode... all the way through the gears... 0 - to breezeway speed. I find the differences significant. Don't be afraid to downshift, especially at slower speeds, when in steptronic. And take it everywhere, city stop and go, breezeway, and twisties if you can.

Third, I would certainly do the same test drive... or very similar drives, in each mode... get a feel for what the car is really capable of... which is more than many will give credit. Also, be sure to drive with the air on and off... in all three modes. The AC can be a power grabber.

Hope this helps... if you have other questions, please ask.

John

If you want some "sport" you can get it in this CVT... if you want it for the convenience of not shifting... you can have that too. The wife is the the primary driver of our Liquid Yellow, and she is "easy" on it. Rarely, if ever, takes it out of drive. Me, on the other hand like to use it a litlle freer. She started out getting around 30mpg, and is now around 34- 35mpg.

[Brucehs]

John and Aurel,
Thanks for your suggestions. They really helped me make the most of the test drive. And you're right, the Steptronic mode is Awesome. Never had so much fun driving an automatic . Moreover, my fears that the CVT wouldn't be quick enough were completely aleviated. I was quite content with the pickup even though there were four people in the car (the salesman, Mark O'Neill; my two parents; and me) and the A/C was going. While it certainly wasn't the fastest car off the go I've driven, it was plenty quick enough. And fun!

While I didn't get to take it onto a freeway (Mark directed the drive and kept us close to the dealership), I did get it going fairly fast on some back twisty roads. Handled like a dream even though the ground was still pretty damp from the rain this morning. I tried all three driving modes, and you were right, it really doesn't feel like driving an automatic. Sort of weird without any shifts in D and SD, but I liked it.

I was also impressed with Mark's attitude. Not pushy at all. Plus when I asked about options, he gave me a good honest answer, not just recommending the more expensive ones. And as he had put 24,000 miles on a MINI he bought with his own money, I thought his response to deserve some weight in my thinking.

Moreover, while my Dad was just there to enjoy my first new car shopping experience (and as the money behind said experience), after I gave up the wheel (grudgingly of course) to give him a shot, he started talking about getting one for himself! He has a RWD car, so he and my mom always fight over her SUV in the winter. If he gets the MINI as a third car, some marital strife can be avoided. (Chalk up two points for the ol' Brewster, as the WiFi network I set up has already eased their arguing over the computer ).

Well, I should stop rambling on. As you may have guessed I'm sold on the car. Now I just have to decided which options I want (which should be a long, long process and I'm sure this board will help), and survive my senior year of college so I can collect my MINI as my graduation gift.

[stryder]

Great you had a good experience!

I know there's tons of people who support CVTs and they're not a bad thing, but now that you've test drove one, is there a reason you're only looking at CVT's?

My experience is the people who enjoy the CVT most drive in really annoying traffic, have some reason they can't shift (bum knee, etc) or the person who drives the car most refuses to learn a standard. If you don't fit into any of those (I know several MINI owners who learned to drive a manual on their brand new car) and you save $1250 if you don't get the CVT.

Just to set the idea in your head, but not in a 'automatics suck' kind of thing.

[Spy Car]

I too had to wonder why you are ONLY looking at the CVT, after I read you are in college (so I'm assuming young and ablebodied).

If this assumpton is wrong and you have a bad hip or bum knee I could understand the CVT, but if the decision is based on your being inexperienced with a manual, I would strongly urge you to consider learning to drive a stick. It's not that hard. And would pay HUGE rewards.

The MINI is part of a great British sports car tradition. Outfitting it with a manual will maxamize you driver involvement and really bring out the driving enthusiasm in you and the vehicle. You are young, you deserve to have the most joy you can with the car.

Why drive a car that has a mode that pretends to (sort of) emulate the feel of a manual, when you can have the real thing?

Leave the automatics for grumpy 60 year olds.

Oh hey Sejanus, CooperS4us....Johnewald

[Aurel]

Bruce ... glad you had a good test drive.

Quote:

I was also impressed with Mark's attitude. Not pushy at all.

he does not have to be .. the car sells itself. I believe MINI sales people are probably the most succesful sales people out there with the easiest jobs

[Aurel]

Quote:

Leave the automatics for grumpy 60 year olds.

or 32 year old 6'7" guys with their knees hiting the shifter and dealing with NYC traffic all day ...

while I do enjoy your enthusiasm towards manuals, you guys have to consider that people don't just drive for "fun" all day long.

for me a CVT gives me the best of both worlds.

[CooperS4us]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spy Car

I too had to wonder why you are ONLY looking at the CVT, after I read you are in college (so I'm assuming young and ablebodied).

If this assumpton is wrong and you have a bad hip or bum knee I could understand the CVT, but if the decision is based on your being inexperienced with a manual, I would strongly urge you to consider learning to drive a stick. It's not that hard. And would pay HUGE rewards.

The MINI is part of a great British sports car tradition. Outfitting it with a manual will maxamize you driver involvement and really bring out the driving enthusiasm in you and the vehicle. You are young, you deserve to have the most joy you can with the car.

Why drive a car that has a mode that pretends to (sort of) emulate the feel of a manual, when you can have the real thing?

Leave the automatics for grumpy 60 year olds.

Oh hey Sejanus, CooperS4us....Johnewald

Thanks for sending me 33 years into early retirement....

[Spy Car]

Quote: Originally Posted by CooperS4us

Thanks for sending me 33 years into early retirement....

Yea right

You have a Cooper S coming in what...3 days?

Are you getting ANY sleep? I know I'm getting excited for you.

Wait...I just did a little math, are you only 27? gasp Can't be, 32 maybe. Even so I figured you must be a little (read a lot) crustier than that

Boy are you gonna be a grumpy old man

The MCS should help that a wee bit

Holding our breath with anticipation.

[CooperS4us]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spy Car

Yea right

You have a Cooper S coming in what...3 days?

Are you getting ANY sleep? I know I'm getting excited for you.

Wait...I just did a little math, are you only 27? gasp Can't be, 32 maybe. Even so I figured you must be a little (read a lot) crustier than that

Boy are you gonna be a grumpy old man

The MCS should help that a wee bit

Holding our breath with anticipation.

Just turned 32. Yeah I am getting very little sleep in anticipation of my MCS...really I am very excited. I haven't owned a stick shift car since 1997, so it is nice to be back to the "Clutch" workout I had day in and day out for 8 years. But during those days that I get tired of the clutching, I can slip into the CVT and fly away..

One thing that I really liked about the MCS during my previous 2 test drives was the fact that I could drive away in it so smoothly even if I hadn't touched a manual transmission in over 6 years....you never get rusty at it.

The MCS' clutch pedal is very low effort in comparison to my yesteryear Hondas and Acuras. The shifter is very precise, did not find it notchy and I can't tell it is nearly impossible to "grind" the gears in this baby (Thanks to the dual cone syncronizers supplied by Getrag). The only thing I was not very thrilled about is the engagement of the reverse gear...this is where you can tell this is truly a classic European car.

Anyway, I know it will be fun. Only wish I had access to all those "dream" canyon roads of yours as here in Florida all you get is flat and straight roads (But if you look hard you can find some very nice backroads).

So Spy, have you booked that rental CVT for the weekend, yet?

[Sejanus]

Don't listen to Spy Car. He's just a cranky old man (Hey, if you can call me 60, two can play) who hates change. He's never driven a MINI CVT and hasn't a clue as to what he's talking about. In fact I heard he didn't give up the horse and buggy until the mid' fifties. He kept grumbling about those new fangled automobiles that made getting around too convenient and didn't give you the same feeling of control as the reins of a good horse.

[Brucehs]

I do have a couple reasons for favoring the CVT. Tops among them being the 405, the 10, and the 110. After I graduate, I plan to head out to Los Angeles, and just the thought of sitting in the downtown interchange with a manual transmission makes my left leg hurt. While I want to learn stick and would love to on a MINI, I just don't think it makes sense in an area with such dense traffic.

On the other hand, if anyone has arguments to the contrary, I wouldn't mind hearing them.

-Bruce

(I thought I had saw everything in terms of traffic, then I saw the 110 north out of downtown jammed at 1 AM.)

[MiniMan7]

Drive it like you stole it!

-Adam

[stryder]

Don't move to LA? Northern CA is much prettier and if you're in the correct spots, less traficky....

Anyway, it depends how much traffic you expect to encounter, honestly i'd shoot myself if i had to drive in stop and go traffic every day, so I don't have that worry, I can handle driving 40 or so, but if it gets so backed up its stopped, well then its just not worth it on a regular basis.

[Spy Car]

Quote: Originally Posted by CooperS4us

The only thing I was not very thrilled about is the engagement of the reverse gear...this is where you can tell this is truly a classic European car.

Have you given any thought to getting a Whalen shifter? They make overcoming the resistance going into reverse much easier. And they are things of beauty.

Quote: Originally Posted by CooperS4us

Anyway, I know it will be fun. Only wish I had access to all those "dream" canyon roads of yours as here in Florida all you get is flat and straight roads (But if you look hard you can find some very nice backroads).

I hope you someday get the chance to drive a Cooper S through the backroads of Malibu. It will give you a whole new appreciation for just how great our little babies really are.

Quote: Originally Posted by CooperS4us

So Spy, have you booked that rental CVT for the weekend, yet?

Not yet life has been hectic on weekends, but believe me I would love to take a CVT on some of those same roads. You will be the first to know when I do.

[Spy Car]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sejanus

Don't listen to Spy Car. He's just a cranky old man... who hates change. He's never driven a MINI CVT and hasn't a clue as to what he's talking about. In fact I heard he didn't give up the horse and buggy until the mid' fifties. He kept grumbling about those new fangled automobiles that made getting around too convenient and didn't give you the same feeling of control as the reins of a good horse.

Scary just how true this is

Especially, the part about the reins of a good horse

[Spy Car]

Quote: Originally Posted by stryder

Don't move to LA? Northern CA is much prettier and if you're in the correct spots, less traficky....

The prettyness factor may hold true, but the traffic in the Bay Area now puts L.A. traffic to shame.

[Spy Car]

Quote: Originally Posted by Brucehs

I do have a couple reasons for favoring the CVT. Tops among them being the 405, the 10, and the 110. After I graduate, I plan to head out to Los Angeles, and just the thought of sitting in the downtown interchange with a manual transmission makes my left leg hurt. While I want to learn stick and would love to on a MINI, I just don't think it makes sense in an area with such dense traffic.

Hey I live in LA, yea there is potential freeway traffic...but also some of the most awesome wide open MINI roadways in the world. I think you would enjoy the car a lot more with a 6 speed manual.

Quote: Originally Posted by Brucehs

On the other hand, if anyone has arguments to the contrary, I wouldn't mind hearing them.

-Bruce

Uh oh. Sounds like he's given us an opening. Ready for another round boys?

And I could use a little help in here

[pxlmxr]

The first time you do a canyon run in LA with your CVT you'll wish you got the stick. Trust me.

The traffic in LA is overrated anyway- just avoid the freeways- the local roads are twisty and fun anyway