2005 Mini Cooper S Automatic

Sad but true: Less than 10 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada have manual transmissions. Yet Mini's performance-oriented S model has always bucked the trend. While the standard Cooper or Convertible offer a choice of CVT or five-speed manual transmissions, until now the only way to row the S's spirited supercharged four has been with a six-speed stick.

That changed this year: Mini has opened the door to a broader scope of customers by adding an optional six-speed automatic on hatch and convertible S models.

The S automatic handles and steers just like the manual-equipped version and is in all other ways essentially the same--instantly likable styling, surprising headroom in front, tight rear seat. The only difference is in the shifting. Leave the lever in D, and the six-speed Aisin automatic will do the work for you. In M mode it does the same--more aggressively--or you can move the stick or blip the wheel-mounted paddles to shift for yourself. Unlike a manual, the automatic will never stall the engine, nor will it spin the tach into the red (leave it alone in M, and the 1-2 shift occurs at about 6250 rpm, just sniffing at the 6800-rpm redline). In both D and M, shifts are fast (quicker in M, of course) and smooth.

The trade-offs to this shifting ease are the automatic's $1350 tab, 143 added pounds, and significantly decreased performance. The auto takes 1.3 second longer to get to 60 and is 6.5 mph slower in the quarter mile than our last manual S, which had a 6.4-second run to 60 and nailed the quarter in 14.8 seconds at 95.2 mph.

The automatic is for those who crave the speedy maneuverability and 168 horses of the Mini S but want a car that's easier to drive in rush-hour traffic. Despite being slower than the stick, it manages to be nearly as much fun to drive. For the car-attuned 10 percent, though, a manual transmission is still the best way to experience a Mini S.