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Just thought I'd pass this along, since the question often comes up about which transmission to buy in the F56 JCW. I'm not wanting to start old discussions on which is better! Just passing this along.
I'm a fan of the manual, of course, but I've also seen & felt the automatic in the new JCW and it is quite something for sure. I had already ordered my JCW 6MT, so I was locked in...and with my limited knowledge of the Auto and desire to have the Manual, it didn't bother me waiting for the manual back in the spring of 2015.
It's taken awhile for the reviews of the manual to be put into print, so here goes:
1. February issue of the "Roundel" (BMW CCA's monthly magazine), page 43. I agree with much of what the writer/driver says about the manual, but he gets a few things wrong about the new JCW, and he makes some good points about the tires and the clutch feel being a bit "light" (I have often said this...I'd agree). Bottom line though he loves the manual transmission JCW, but he's waiting for the GP version! Pretty good overall review, but it's not a direct comparison of the manual vs. automatic.
2. Modern MINI magazine (March/April 2016 Edition) This is a better overall review, since the writer also drove the automatic JCW back when they first came out. The article was more specific with regard to the comparisons between the Automatic & the Manual. The title of the article is, "JCW - Manual or Auto?" This article also quotes several other reviews of the manual. The writer says, "So with the manual gearbox, the question you're going to ask is, does the MINI JCW deliver more driving thrills than the auto? The simple answer is yes. In fact it's surprising how just changing your own gears brings another level of welcome involvement to the latest JCW package."
If I was in the market today, hopefully both versions would be available to test drive because that's the only way to really compare for each driver/owner. In the end, it's all about being happy with what you bought. I can see both sides, but I haven't seen much written about the manual transmission JCW, so I put this up for documentation...not just personal opinion.
Happy Motoring (Manual or Auto!),
John
I'm a fan of the manual, of course, but I've also seen & felt the automatic in the new JCW and it is quite something for sure. I had already ordered my JCW 6MT, so I was locked in...and with my limited knowledge of the Auto and desire to have the Manual, it didn't bother me waiting for the manual back in the spring of 2015.
It's taken awhile for the reviews of the manual to be put into print, so here goes:
1. February issue of the "Roundel" (BMW CCA's monthly magazine), page 43. I agree with much of what the writer/driver says about the manual, but he gets a few things wrong about the new JCW, and he makes some good points about the tires and the clutch feel being a bit "light" (I have often said this...I'd agree). Bottom line though he loves the manual transmission JCW, but he's waiting for the GP version! Pretty good overall review, but it's not a direct comparison of the manual vs. automatic.
2. Modern MINI magazine (March/April 2016 Edition) This is a better overall review, since the writer also drove the automatic JCW back when they first came out. The article was more specific with regard to the comparisons between the Automatic & the Manual. The title of the article is, "JCW - Manual or Auto?" This article also quotes several other reviews of the manual. The writer says, "So with the manual gearbox, the question you're going to ask is, does the MINI JCW deliver more driving thrills than the auto? The simple answer is yes. In fact it's surprising how just changing your own gears brings another level of welcome involvement to the latest JCW package."
If I was in the market today, hopefully both versions would be available to test drive because that's the only way to really compare for each driver/owner. In the end, it's all about being happy with what you bought. I can see both sides, but I haven't seen much written about the manual transmission JCW, so I put this up for documentation...not just personal opinion.
Happy Motoring (Manual or Auto!),
John