hi mini fans, i will be getting the mini navigation system for 2,000 dollars for my new mini cooper S Clubman, i was just wondering if anyone has any good feedback on the mini navigation systems in general and most importantly for the mini clubman..

thanks alot for your feedback

dan white

 

The Nav is the same in all the MINIs. Check this thread for some detailed info, and that forum (Navigation & Audio) for various threads/info on the Nav.

 

thanks alot for the info!! i appreciate it..i cannot post on the navigation thread yet as i am new here..all the best!!

 

i am trying to find out if the navigation has a voice feature?? would anyone know that?? i know i should call up my dealer who i ordered it from, but i figure i would ask here first..

thanks alot

p.s. does the voice come in male or female?? i am also assuming that since i am getting the 2008 mini cooper S clubman, that the navigation might be alot different and all the negativity might be improved greatly

thanks again for your comments

 

No problem.
LOTS of stuff to read so you can fine tune your questions and get the answers you're looking for.

 

Yes, the Clubman has the new Nav with voice activation.
Not sure about the new ones, but the old voice was female. IIRC you can choose between American and British English.

The current tempest is WRT the POIs (Points of Interest) MINI/BMW has an 'interesting' set of submenus and where they put certain POIs. In practice, it hasn't been a big issue for me.

 

THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR FEEDBACK!!

 

You can see the listing of the POI 'decision tree' kindly provided by TheOfficeMaven here. So you know what to expect.

 

thanks eric for all this info! i really appreciate it..i am really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the mini cooper s clubman! unfortunately it wont be ready for me to pick up until feb..i also got a lifetime subscription to sirius in the car...

 

To clarify a bit- the "new" Nav referred to above is the same Nav in the R56 (the turbo powered cars introduced in 2007), which does include the voice activation. From what we've heard so far, the Clubman and the R56 are identical from the front seats forward. The voice is American Male, and there's sadly no Female or British accent available, even the British MINIs now get an American accent.

The POI issues have been blown out of proportion by the volume of the conversation in other threads, although the link Eric listed here is at least reasonable in it's discussion, at least up until about post #13.

 

Well that's a disappointment. I think it was in '05 they added the Brit voice as a factory option - prior to that we had to hack the firmware to get it. In the R56, apparently it's not hackable.
Thanks for the info, though.

 

i am kind of disappointed that the voice is male and even more surprising that i do not have the option of choosing either female or male voice for this 2 grand investment...are you positive about the voice for the clubman?? i wanted female...

 

To be perfectly honest, I haven't followed it all the way through yet- but so far what I've heard is that the American Male voice is the only one available for all English countries (a search for R56 Nav Accent over on Mini2 returns UK complaints ).

So, we're without a compatible system to swap voice files from on the DVD like with the R53 hack- unless someone figures out the voice file formats. Maybe not impossible, but pretty unlikely from the sound of it.

 

ok thanks alot...i guess i will see for sure when i get my mini to drive away in feb...i will post the info then...

 

Well- I don't know for certain that it's identical- I've never been in a Clubman personally. All the reports I've seen don't address the Nav specifically and usually just claim that the car is identical to the R56 right up to the point where the new door starts.

I guess you may be one of the first to find out? Or maybe there's a UK resident nearby that can confirm?

The voice data is on the map DVD- and even though it's almost completely filled, apparently it'll read dual-layer discs. Maybe there's the possibility of a future update with voice changes.

 

I'm not sure about the clubman, but my Mini's Nav has both a male and female voice.

It uses the male voice for voice controls (dialing the phone, changing the radio station, programming the Nav system, entering a destination, etc) and uses the female voice for guidance once you are navigating to a destination you have entered.

 

wow thats perfect..thats what i want...if your mini has it, then i am sure that the 2008 mini cooper S clubman has it and more..i am sure there are major improvements on the navigation..thanks alot!!

 

This video I found on you tube was one major reason I added Nav to my order. You can hear the male voice as she moves through some of the entry part. You can hear the female voice once she uses the joystick to have it start guidance (which can be done with voice, btw).

Also note how she says "cd on" and it starts playing the CD. The music continues to play as it gives guidance, but it's at a reduced volume while the female voice gives you instructions. The volume of the male voice and the female guidance voice is adjustable by turning the volume **** while the voice is saying something. Same with the volume of the phone ringing and calls when using the bluetooth system.

 

i could not access the video, sorry, but thanks anyway..i appreciate all of your feedback

 

Yep, just fixed.

 

thanks again for this video..i can really get an idea now...the one thing i noticed is that the navigation does not mention the names of the streets..for example it says 'make a right at the end of the block' i really dont like that feature at all...the garmin i have now actually tells you the street name or highway etc...i dont understand why the mini navigators do not mention the names or do they??

 

They don't, but for me, "Left turn in 100 feet" tells me WHERE I need to turn, not at which road sign which I may or may not be able to read.
The route list is available (which shows street by street) if you want that.

 

I have a Garmin Nuvi that tells you street names. I find the Mini system is just as easy to navigate with. It gives you instructions like "take the 3rd exit", then as you get closer, "take the next exit." Many times with the Nuvi I've had to check street signs just to make sure.

Also as you approach a turn it shows an arrow indicating the direction to turn and how many feet away you are. It graphically represents the distance and changes the graphic as you get close so you know when to turn. These are both in addition to it the voice instructions Eric_Rowland mentioned.

 

These were posted by someone else. I don't remember who so I can't get them credit.

They give you an idea of what can be voice controlled.

Attachment 27498
Attachment 27497
Attachment 27496

 

One thing to remember is the male/female voice:
If a woman is talking to you, she is telling you where to go.
If a man is talking to you, he is responding to what you told him to do.

(Women tell us all what to do, Men take orders).

I love it!