Mini adds a manual gearbox on more models

Mini removed the 6-speed manual from its options list early last year, citing supply problems at the time and promising a return of the gearbox at a later date.

It lived up to its promise last fall when it reintroduced manual transmission as an option on its signature hardtop.

Now the option has been added again for two more models: the 4-door hardtop and the convertible. The manual can be retrofitted to the Cooper and Cooper S models. The alternative is an 8-speed automatic.

Mini recently conducted a survey to find out how much interest there was in manual transmissions, and the results for the old stick shifter were positive. Around 63% of respondents agreed that learning to drive manually is a rite of passage and an important life skill.

2023 Mini Convertible Seaside Edition

In terms of specific age groups, Mini discovered that nearly half (49%) of all Gen Z respondents said they didn’t know how to drive a manual. When asked if they would be willing to learn, 53% of Gen Z respondents said they were interested in learning to row with their own equipment. This proportion increases if you count all age groups up to 34; in this case, 67% said they were eager to learn.

Anyone who is actually willing to learn to embroider can do so through Mini. The automaker has been running a manual-transmission driving course since last fall at the BMW West Coast Driving School, located at the Thermal Club’s private racetrack in California. The current cost of the course is $499.