2007 MINI Hardtop 2 Door manual transmission

Cockpit
12
Displays
1Tachometer44
>Indicator and warning lamps13
2Display for
>Clock44
>Outside temperature44
>Current vehicle speed44
>Indicator and warning lamps13
3Resetting the trip odometer444Display for
>Position of automatic transmission
*37
>Computer
*45
>Date of next scheduled service, and
remaining distance to be driven49
>Odometer and trip odometer44
>Initializing Flat Tire Monitor55
>Settings and information46
>Personal Profile settings18
5Instrument lighting62
6Speedometer
>Indicator and warning lamps13
7Fuel gauge45
8Radio display, refer to separate Owner's
Manual
9Radio, refer to separate Owner's Manual

Driving
36
Starting the engine
Do not allow the engine to run in enclosed
spaces; otherwise inhalation of the nox-
ious exhaust gases can lead to unconsciousness
and death. Exhaust gases contain carbon mon-
oxide, an odorless and colorless, but highly toxic
gas. Never leave an unattended vehicle with the
engine running, otherwise such a vehicle repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.
Before leaving the car with the engine running,
place the transmission in idle or move the selec-
tor lever to position P and apply the parking
brake to prevent the car from moving.<
When starting the engine, do not depress the
accelerator pedal.
Do not let the engine warm up with the vehicle
at a standstill. Move off immediately at a moder-
ate engine speed.
The engine is started immediately when
you briefly press the start/stop button and
depress the brake if the car has automatic trans-
mission, or the clutch if the car has manual
transmission. Do not depress either the brake or
the clutch until you are ready to start the
engine.<
Manual transmission
1.Depress the brake or apply the parking
brake.
2.Depress the clutch.
3.Briefly press the start/stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain
time, and stops automatically as soon as the
engine has started.
Automatic transmission
1.Depress the brake.
2.Move the selector lever to position P.
3.Briefly press the start/stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain
time, and stops automatically as soon as the
engine has started.
Special starting conditions
In the following situations, press the accelerator
pedal halfway down when starting the engine:
>If the engine does not start on the first
attempt, for instance when it is extremely
hot or cold.
>If the engine is started at very low tempera-
tures, below approx. + 57/–156, at high
altitudes above approx. 3,300 ft/1,000 m.
Avoid frequent starting in quick succes-
sion or repeated start attempts in which
the engine does not start. Otherwise, the fuel is
not burned or inadequately burned and there is
a danger of overheating and damaging the cat-
alytic converter.<
Switching off the engine
Always take the key with you when you
leave the vehicle.
When parking on a downhill incline, apply the
parking brake, otherwise the vehicle could roll
away.<
Manual transmission
1.Depress the brake or apply the parking
brake.
2.With the car at a standstill, briefly press the
start/stop button.
3.Shift into first gear or reverse.
Automatic transmission
1.With the car at a standstill, move the selector
lever to position P.
2.Briefly press the start/stop button.
3.Apply the parking brake.

ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
37
Parking brake
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked; it
brakes the rear wheels.
Applying
The lever locks in position automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and lower
the lever.
In exceptional cases, if the parking brake
has to be used to slow or stop the car, do
not pull the lever up too hard. In doing so, con-
tinuously press the button of the parking brake
lever.
Otherwise, excessive force could lead to over-
braking and loss of traction, i.e. fishtailing, at the
rear axle.<
Manual transmission
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear, press
the gearshift lever to the right. Otherwise
the engine could be damaged if you inadvert-
ently shift into 3rd or 4th gear.<
Reverse gear
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
When the gearshift lever is pressed to the left, a
slight resistance has to be overcome.
Automatic transmission*
with Steptronic
In addition to the fully automatic mode, you can
shift gears manually using Steptronic, page38.
Parking the vehicle
To prevent the vehicle from rolling, always
select position P and apply the parking
brake before leaving the vehicle with the engine
running.<
Removing the key
1.Move the selector lever to position P.
2.Switch off the engine.
3.Remove the key.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in the tachometer
P R N D DS M1 to M6
The selector lever position is displayed, or the
current gear in the manual mode.
Changing selector lever positions
>With the ignition switched on or the engine
running, the selector lever can be moved out
of position P: interlock.

Driving
38
>Before moving the lever away from P or N
with the vehicle stationary, first depress the
brake; otherwise the selector lever will
refuse to move: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping
after you select a driving position,
depress the brake until you are ready to
start.<
A lock prevents accidental shifting into selector
lever positions R and P.
Overriding the selector lever lock
Press the button on the front of the selector
lever, arrow.
P Park
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
The transmission locks to prevent the drive
wheels from turning.
R Reverse
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral, idle
Select this when you are in a car wash, for exam-
ple. The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are selected automatically.
Under normal operation conditions, fuel con-
sumption is lowest when you drive in position D.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables you to achieve maximum
performance. Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point.
Sport program and manual operation
M/S
Move the selector lever from position D to the
left into the M/S shifting slot:
The Sport program is activated and DS is dis-
played.
Shifting with the selector lever
Push the selector lever forward or pull it back to
activate manual operation. Steptronic shifts the
gear.
>Pull the selector lever in the + direction.
Transmission shifts up.
>Push the selector lever in the – direction.
Transmission shifts down.
M1 to M6 is displayed in the gear indicator.
To use the automatic mode again, move the
selector lever to the right into position D.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only when
they will result in a plausible combination of
engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, a
downshift that would cause the engine to over-
rev will not be executed by the system. The
selected gear is displayed briefly, followed by
the actual gear.
Shifting on the steering wheel
With the selector lever in position D, automatic
drive, you can shift gears using the shift paddles
on the steering wheel. The transmission auto-
matically switches to manual mode.
If you do not shift gears with the shift paddles or
accelerate for a certain amount of time, the

ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
39
transmission automatically returns to D, auto-
matic drive.
>Pull one of the shift paddles.
Transmission shifts up.
>Push one of the shift paddles.
Transmission shifts down.
M1 to M6 is displayed in the gear indicator.
Overriding the selector lever lock
Should the selector lever refuse to move out of
position P although the button on the selector
lever is pressed, the selector lever lock can be
overridden:
1.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
until the sleeve is inside out. Disconnect the
cable connector if necessary.
3.Depress the brake.
4.Pull up the loop on t he passeng er side w hile
at the same time moving the selector lever
into the desired position.
Sport button*
Pressing the button causes your MINI to respond
even more sportily.>Engine responds more spontaneously to
movements of the accelerator.
>Steering response is more direct.
With automatic transmission:
>More rapid gear shifting in Sport program
Activating the system
Press the SPORT button.
Deactivating the system
>Press the SPORT button again or
>switch off the engine.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1Turn signal indicators
2Headlamp flasher
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the resis-
tance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator
lamp indicates that a bulb has failed.<

ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
77
that the radiation which results from transmis-
sion will be dissipated from the vehicle inte-
rior.<
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge
of water can form between tires and road sur-
face. This situation, known as hydroplaning, can
cause partial or complete loss of tire contact
with the road surface, so that the car cannot be
steered or braked properly.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases with declining
tread depth on the tires, refer also to Tread
depth on page91.
Driving through water
Drive through water on the road only if it is
not deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only
at walking speed at the most. Otherwise, the
vehicle's engine, the electrical systems and the
transmission may be damaged.<
Parking brake on inclines
On inclines, do not hold the vehicle with
the clutch; use the parking brake. Other-
wise greater clutch wear will result.<
For information on driving off using Hill Start
Assist
*, refer to page55.
Braking safely
Your MINI is equipped with ABS. If you are in a
situation which requires full braking, it is best to
brake using maximum brake pressure. Since the
vehicle maintains steering responsiveness, you
can still avoid possible obstacles with a mini-
mum of steering effort.
The pulsation of the brake pedal, together with
the sound of hydraulic regulation, indicates that
ABS is actively taking effect.
Driving in wet conditions
When roads are wet or there is heavy rain, briefly
exert gentle pressure on the brake pedal every
few miles. Monitor traffic conditions to ensure
that this maneuver does not endanger other
road users. The heat generated in this process helps dry the pads and rotors to ensure that
Then full braking force will be immediately avail-
able when it is needed.
Hills
To prevent overheating and the resulting
reduced efficiency of the brake system,
drive long or steep downhill gradients in the
gear in which the least braking is required. Even
light but consistent brake pressure can lead to
high temperatures, brake wear and possibly
even brake failure.<
You can increase the engine's braking effect by
shifting down, all the way to first gear if neces-
sary. This strategy helps you avoid placing
excessive loads on the brake system. Downshift-
ing in manual mode of the automatic transmis-
sion, page38.
Never drive with the clutch held down,
with the transmission in idle or with the
engine switched off; otherwise, engine braking
action will not be present or there will be no
power assistance to the brakes or steering.
Never allow floor mats, carpets or any other
objects to protrude into the area around the
pedals, otherwise pedal function could be
impaired.<
Corrosion on brake rotors
When the vehicle is driven only occasionally,
during extended periods when the vehicle is not
used at all, and in operating conditions where
brake applications are less frequent, there is an
increased tendency for corrosion to form on
rotors, while contaminants accumulate on the
brake pads. This occurs because the minimum
pressure which must be exerted by the pads
during brake applications to clean the rotors is
not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake rotors, the
brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating
effect that even extended application will fail to
cure.
When the vehicle is parked
Condensation forms while the automatic climate
control is in operation, and then exits under the

Giving and receiving assistance
114
Front
Rear
Being towed
Check that the car is radio-ready and that
the electric steering wheel lock is not
engaged, otherwise the car would not be steer-
able. If the electrical system fails, do not attempt
to tow-start or tow away the car. The electric
steering wheel lock cannot be disengaged and
the car is not steerable. Jump starting, refer to
page112.<
There is no power assist while the engine is off.
Thus, braking and steering will require increased
effort.
Switch on the hazard warning flashers, depend-
ing on local regulations.
Manual transmission
Gearshift lever in idle position.
Automatic transmission
Tow vehicles with automatic transmission
only with a tow truck or with the front
wheels lifted; otherwise the transmission can be
damaged.<
Towing with a tow bar
The towing vehicle must not be lighter
than the towed vehicle, otherwise it may
be impossible to maintain control.<
The tow fittings used should be on the same side
on both vehicles. Should it prove impossible to
avoid mounting the tow bar at an angle, please
observe the following:
>Clearance and maneuvering capability will
be sharply limited during cornering.
>The tow bar will generate lateral forces if it is
attached offset.
Attach the tow bar to the tow fittings only,
as attaching it to other parts of the vehicle
could result in damage.<
Towing with a tow rope
When starting off in the towing vehicle, make
sure that the tow rope is taut.
To avoid jerking and the associated
stresses on vehicle components when
towing, always use nylon ropes or nylon straps.
Attach the tow rope to the tow fittings only, as
attaching it to other parts of the vehicle could
result in damage.<
Towing with a tow truck
Have the MINI transported with a tow truck with
a so-called lift bar or on a flat bed.
Do not lift the vehicle by a tow fitting or
body and chassis parts, otherwise damage
may result.<
Tow-starting
Avoid tow-starting the vehicle whenever possi-
ble; instead, jump-start the engine, page112.

Technical data
132
Weights
Never exceed either the approved axle loads or
the gross vehicle weight.
MINI CooperMINI Cooper S
Curb weight, ready for travel, with all optional extras
>Manual transmission lbs/kg 2,546/1,155 2,668/1,210
>Automatic transmission lbs/kg 2,634/1,195 2,723/1,235
Approved gross weight
>Manual transmission lbs/kg 3,362/1,525 3,483/1,580
>Automatic transmission lbs/kg 3,450/1,565 3,538/1,605
Approved front axle load lbs/kg 1,929/875 1,984/900
Approved rear axle load lbs/kg 1,653/750 1,664/755
Approved roof load capacity lbs/kg 165/75 165/75
Cargo area capacity cu ft/l 5.7/160 5.7/160