Tiny Gear Indicator - 2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited November 2014 in MINI
imageTiny Gear Indicator - 2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop Long-Term Road Test

Those statistical wizards at Edmunds have determined that the manual gear indictor in the 2014 Mini Cooper is one of the smallest on the market.

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Comments

  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    That's excellent - I thought the ergonomics were supposed to be so improved with this redesign.

    The glare on the gauge crystals is a nice touch, too.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I agree Mike. It's way too small; plus it should be located in the tach, not the speedo.
  • yellowbalyellowbal Member Posts: 234
    Maybe it's not that small but the speedometer is huge.
  • bonzjrbonzjr Member Posts: 44
    You could have avoided this "problem" by specifying a manual transmission. Just sayin' ;)
  • darexdarex Member Posts: 187
    edited November 2014
    I'm glad it has an indicator at all, but I have the manual transmission. I never really thought about it, in terms of size. The clarity of the supervisory cluster is excellent, so I have no trouble seeing it at all. I've never had a glare issue off of the cluster, in real life. I think it's just the photography here.

    It's a pity that you guys didn't get the heads-up display in your Cooper though. It would've made a nice contrast for you to compare it with the Mazda3's. Hint: it's SO much better than the Mazda3's.

    I rarely look at my actual speedometer, or the tach for that matter. My speed is in the HUD, and that's what I refer to. Experienced manual drivers don't really need to use the tach, but I *DO* look at the shift indicator frequently. On rare occasions, you need confirmation of which gear you're in, and/or confirmation that you ARE in reverse, and not 1st. Also, it gives shift recommendations; such as, "4->6." It's useful.
  • bankerdannybankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021
    Nonissue issue. In a daily driver the owner would quickly adapt and be able to find and read the gear position easily.
  • chol92594chol92594 Member Posts: 208
    A wider photo of the IP might give a better idea of the size of the indicator relative to the entire instrument cluster. But it does seem like a common trend that many manufacturers are giving their cars small gear indicators. VW/Audi have been putting it on either the top or bottom edge of the trip computer screen for awhile. I like layouts like on my dad's 2007 Tundra and my 2009 Civic where there are different positions listed individually (P,R,N,D,D3, etc.) and the selected gear is indicated by a light. It might not be the most attractive layout, but it's easy to read at a glance.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    The average non enthusiast driver probably never uses manual mode.
  • corrodesdafilmcorrodesdafilm Member Posts: 1
    I guess Mini has done away with any pretense of sportiness in this new model seeing as that tach looks like a tiny afterthought.
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