MCS automatic test drive

[beekman]

Today I went my dealship to test drive the MCS 6-speed and automatic back-to-back. I have a 5-speed MC that I'm thinking of trading in. I was somewhat dubious about what the steptronic would be like, having driven a VW passat equipped with a fairly bad example.

I drove the manual first. I know it's been discussed ad nauseum elsewhere, but in all the ways that matter (gearbox, throttle response, power, handling, sound, even driving position), it was like driving a different completely car to my 5-speed MC. Whether different means better is up to individual tastes.

We then moved on to the automatic. There was a bit of initial confusion about how to get car into "S manual mode", so once I got it I left it there. In this mode gears are held until you change them with the stick or paddles. I didn't try shifting with the stick, or drive the car in automatic mode, so I can't say what these are like. The car sounded just as good as the manual at idle.

Once one the road, I found that shifts using the paddles happened far more quickly than shifts using the manual transmission. Because they happen so instantaeously, they synchronize perfectly with the "click" of the paddles, giving the whole action a nice mechanical feeling - I haven't driven an SMG, but it "felt" similar to discriptions I've read.
I found the paddles very intuitive and easy to use - I was surprised, because my intial thought before driving the car was that they should have made one paddle for shifting up and the other for down. But it felt spot on - and the fact that paddles curve down behind the steering wheel spokes was an especially nice touch.
Also, there was almost none of the spongeyness of feel or rubber banding that there is in many torque converter transmissions. I thought they did an amazing job dialing that out.
Nor did the system seem overly nannying - I accidently double clicked the paddle and sent the engine howling against the rev limiter (fortunately my MA was completely non-plussed!) and it held the gear until I shifted up.
The test course held one sharp second gear corner - I took this at speed in the wet (encouraged by the MA). I didn't find any noticeable difference between the auto and the manual, either in terms of performance or weight/handling. Personally I found executing shifts in full and half lock tricky because one's hands don't always end up where the paddles are - but this is obviously just a practice issue. On the straights I found they worked really well.

I found the throttle a slight bit more responsive on the manual, but I suspect this was probably due to the fact that the auto only had 30 miles on the odometer to the manual's 400. I'm sure after being broken in, and once the computer adjusts to your driving style, this wouldn't be an issue. Both were in a totally different league to my MC.

One oddity I found was that when I came to traffic lights having used 2nd gear initially to engine brake but then having used the brake pedal to come to a full stop without bothering any further with the paddles, the car would pull out from stationary in second gear (according to the digital readout). I had expected it to automatically go into first. I only noticed this at the end and didn't have a chance to confirm it. The ratios certainly felt very different from the manual, maybe just a touch more "vague".

In general, the car felt every bit as sporting (at least in the mode I drove it in) as its manual counterpart. I can't imagine it would feel any better if it was a true SMG than it does now - I also can't imagine that anyone who ordered one will be anything less than totally thrilled and surprised by it. A lot of thought and effort has obviously gone into it - in no way did it strike me as a slap on job.

In fact, my only real criticism would be that maybe too much thought went into it - I found it somewhat excessively complicated to have so many driving modes and shifting methods to choose from. This is obviously purely personal, but to me it can make things seem gimmicky, like they're trying to cover every concievable base they can - I understand offering so many modes in the CVT, but if the MCS is the sports version, then why not offer it with only the manual and automatic sport mode. It is also competeing with one of the best features of the manual, ie the gearbox. I thought the six speed manual gearbox was fantastic, with a wonderful short, accurate throw, and very easy to use - in a different league from my cranky midlands unit.

All in all I thought the automatic version was a truly terrific car, and one that would really reward the thoughtful driver who takes the time to master it.

And just got to add: l really love that supercharger whine!

[Kaelaria]

So which one is quicker?

[MrV]

I believe the official MINI's numbers show 0-60 at 6.8 for the manual and 7.2 for the auto. Road and Track supposedly got the manual to do it in 6.4.

OP... thanks for the great long review. It's the longest and best yet on this transmission. Thanks for taking the time to write it up.

[Cooper76]

Great write-up!!!

[Frogeye58]

[plugot]

[quote=MrV] OP... thanks for the great long review. It's the longest and best yet on this transmission. Thanks for taking the time to write it up.[/QUOTE

Second that!

[Sejanus]

You know I think the CVT starts out in second when it's steptronic mode as well. Anyway, thanks for the great, detailed review. Now if only we can get SpyCar to read it.

[Paul]

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Looking forward to more of these as more people get to drive the Auto S.

[newyorkcitymini]

thank you so much for the first REAL review - now i am even more excited for my s to arrive!

fyi - the cvt cooper starts from 1st at a red light ; )

cheers - drew

[mshock35]

Great write up. Thanks!
I pick up my MCSa on Feb 12th...... I can't wait!

[eVal]

Thanks for the thoughtful review. Knowing how the BMW step software adapts it should be even better after some hearty driving time with an owner The starting in second from a stop is an annoyance that BMW dials in for some reason (better fuel consumption?) I found that Dinan software on my 2000 328ci corrected this, however you do get used to ticking it down into first manually if you want the off the line power.

So, I'm dying to know - does the auto make the same 'pop pop pop' exhaust noise as the manual? (and while i'm on it, do the JCW's also keep that sound?)

[nonsequitur]

Quote: Originally Posted by newyorkcitymini

fyi - the cvt cooper starts from 1st at a red light ; )

ONLY if you Select "1" manually. In Steptronic, allowing the car to shift down on it's own, the gearbox resets to "2" and starts from that indicated ratio position.

The ZF CVT is very different from the Aisin automatic because it launches and drives forward at very low speeds in separate programs called Pull-away and Crawler. There is no analogy for these in the stepped-automatic of the MCSa.

I'm interested in performance of the MCSa when launched in each of the different modes. As an example; What is the difference between leaving it in "2" or manually selecting and then starting out in "1"?


While we're asking questions...

1.
What are the available Selector positions?
Drive
SportDrive? (If you simply select Manual but don't manually change; what happens?)
Steptronic (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Is there a hidden SportDrive third position (like we found in the CVT; a super Drive)?

2.
Does Drive introduce a computer-managed acceleration, or do you get full power all the time in Drive? I think we'll this to be a Yes. Since it is fitted with adaptive controls, the shift points will adjust some based on your weekday patterns. This is also why I'm curious about the SportDrive idea.

3.
Are there any e-Throttle goofies? How does the Kickdown detent switch affect the functionality of the gearbox, performance, and reaction times. What happens in each of the possible throttle positions (if there are different throttle positions)?

4.
We'll need to wait for the dragstrip stuff until the cars have miles, but I'm also curious about 0-60, 40-70, 1/8mile, 1/4mile etc in each of modes.

5.
I'll stop now.

[Jo-Man]

Quote: Originally Posted by nonsequitur

What are the available Selector positions?
Drive
SportDrive? (If you simply select Manual but don't manually change; what happens?)
Steptronic (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Is there a hidden SportDrive third position (like we found in the CVT; a super Drive)?

i think reports said there r D, SD n 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.... didn't it???

[Sejanus]

Quote: Originally Posted by nonsequitur

I'm interested in performance of the MCSa when launched in each of the different modes. As an example; What is the difference between leaving it in "2" or manually selecting and then starting out in "1"?

Good question. I find it's pretty siginificant in the CVT.

[beekman]

For those who are interested, there is now a review of the automatic MCS on:

http://mini.uglydoris.com/

in addition to a review by a reader on:

http://www.motoringfile.com/