Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

I’m on a bit of a back foot here!! Mrs C wants a Mini. She’s made her mind up, knows the spec she wants and has even found a car that fits her wish list! I have suggested that maybe we should look at a few cars but I’ve been told, in no uncertain terms, that “you always have what you want” – meaning the Porsche! And she’s right.

Mrs C wants an auto – she had a knee op earlier in the year – but I don’t know what the Mini CVT is like. I’ve read a few reports and features and the odd forum comments.

Has anyone owned or driven a Mini with CVT Transmission?

Appreciate your comments

By Mini I assume you mean BINI not proper Issogonis Mini. The engine in the BINI is a PSA one (Peugeot, Renault) & I'd have thought the box was as well but not sure, looks like the very latest is AW Aisin Warner & although Steptronic is not CVT, I know the pre-2004 manual models were prone to complete gearbox failure which is very expensive to fix.
HJ Forum with it's dire journalisim is here :-http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=253

My wife’s Mini Cooper is a great little car. Manual though, never driven a CVT.

The New Mini Scotland website has a good crowd of people on it—you could try asking there? http://www.newminiscotland.co.uk

I think you need to register for their forum before you can read anything on it.

I got my brother a mini cooper auto 54 plate and he thinks its the best car ever and the only problem he has had in 7 months was the gearbox has some kind of user memory and the previous owner had only pottered around town in the car and when my bro started using it on the motorway to travel to work the fuel consumption went out the window and the car would no go into the top gear so I called a favour from a mate who works for BMW, they serviced the box and did Oil change and reprogram and its been fantastic ever since and the fuel consumption improved by a 3rd

This is probably the same advice all the married men would give you - just let her buy what she wants, then when it goes wrong she can't blame you.

Anything for a peaceful life!

But if she asks if her bum looks big in it.......

She'll ask "Does this make my bum look big?"

and the correct answer is not
"No, your bum's big anyway"

or if it was sarah asking me if her bum looked big with the porsche? i'd say...


what porsche? can't see it for ya bum!

never had an auto but now on my second mini, a cooper s. had first in 2002 and chopped it in for civic type r, mrs m cried when it went. fast but characterless type r only lasted 18 months then back to mini. i'm now looking for boxster and mrs m is planning third mini, possibly an oil burner, next year.