Automatic gearbox pick-up

[lear]

Hi, I'm new here having just purchased a Cooper convertible for my wife. It is a new July 2011 model with auto. I'm very happy with the car except that the pick up from standstill seems very ponderous when pulling away. I had a previous generation model which we both recall being much quicker off the line. I don't mean 0-60 dash but more the 0-10 when pulling out of a junction or roundabout for example. It seems sluggish in both normal and sport. Now I don't know whether this is just not what I'm used to - I have an xkr too which tries to light up the tyres every time - but the fact my wife complains about it suggests not. Do they by default start off in second gear? If so, is there any modification to the gearbox software that would give a quicker pick-up? Obviously as the car is new I would need to make sure the warranty is not affected. Many thanks for any help.