wow interesting threadd.

 

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to use my 3rd generation iPod, with just the Y cable, and without Connected. I can navigate through artists, albums, tracks, playlists from the screen, ans also advance or go back with the steering wheel buttons. I thought I would have to get an iPhone or use my bulky iPad to get those features. I'm glad I didn't spend all that money on Connected. Even though I'm sure there are some very cool features, this is more than adequate for me, and a big step up from my last vehicle.
Also, I'm realizing that Sirius is really cool - for about a week. I find that they just recycle the same songs over and over again. My own collection on my iPod is much deeper. Once in a while they'll play an obscure song that I don't have, but then I realize why it's obscure - because it's not very good. I put on the Bruce Springsteen channel every so often, and once in a while they have on a decent live version, but usually it sounds like bad bootlegs. I was also looking forward to listening to Howard Stern again, I used to listen to him on K-Rock before he left for Sirius. I've realized that what made it so funny back then was how he would have to come up with new and funny ways to say something vulgar without crossing any FCC lines. Now, it's just vulgar. I thought I was going to have to come up with reasons to tell my wife why I NEED Sirius after the year runs out, but I'm pretty sure I can live without it.

 

Had this sounds like an identical conversation I had with the wife. I was digging on getting the year free, but find the sound poor quality and they replay songs more frequently then my local top 40 station.

Very disappointing, I don't even know how they can make money these days. Unless dealers are subsidizing them.

 

Husband seems to like it more than me, but he only uses the Sirius on long trips (his vehicle doesn't have it). I find myself flipping thru my presets a lot. Deep Cuts? usually the second or third best known song off an album or else one that should never see the light of day again. But it is truly nice on the longer trips. I'll have to see what kind of retention deal I can wrangle

As for dealers subsidizing them--I understand it is no longer a "free" option on the 2013s so you could be right.

 

Yes, for 2013 Sirius/XM radio is now a $250 option. However, Bluetooth/USB is now standard on all 2013s, so it's a wash if you want both.

Part of the "sound quality" problem with Sirius is they use less bandwidth for their music stations (especially the rock channels) than XM does. Yes, they are still separate, incompatible technologies even though the two companies merged a few years ago. XM radios are listening to the XM satellites; Sirius units are listening to the Sirius birds. Both services are broadcasting identical programming, however.

I have an XM receiver in my other car and the sound quality of music on Classic Rewind or 80s on 8 (for example) is audible. Sirius sounds "bubbly" and XM does not. The difference is bandwidth allotted to the channels. Think of the Sirius audio as being much more compressed than the exact same stuff from XM. That's the diff.

 

My issue is more with the content than the quality (other than the poorly recorded live stuff on the Springsteen channel I referred to).

 

Interesting. I've had Sirius now for about 7 years. I have three subscriptions on my account, my A3, New Beetle, and my partner's Frontier.

I've never had an issue with the sound quality. Maybe a tad with the New Bertle since it uses the FM transmitter.

They do replay songs, but so does every radio station. But if I get tired of what they're currently playing, I have hundreds of choices with Sirius so I can listen to something different.

You also can't beat driving anywhere and being able to keep your same stations without having to constantly try and find something you like in a town you aren't familiar with.

 

It might be worth it for me for just that reason IF it didn't have the iPod connectivity. I can set up playlists, listen to a particular genre, artist, album, etc., and skip past a song if I'm not in the mood for it. It's like having my own set of radio stations that you don't have to worry about losing signal, and you know you like all the music. I don't travel out of my area too often, anyway, just back and forth to work and carting the kids around here and there. If we go on a long-distance trip, we take my wife's Honda Odyssey.
I'm not saying it is not worth it for some people, I just can't justify the added expense. I'll listen to it occasionally while the trial period is in effect, but probably won't miss it much when it's gone.

 

Copy your itunes library to a USB thumb drive and shove it into the center console USB plug.

(I get a bunch of free ones as advertisement from work and have some others lying around...)

You can interact the same way you do with the ipod and get album art too. The interface is very fast even on a cheap freebie 2gb drive. And you can leave it in the car without worrying about losing a several-hundred-dollar gadget.

 

Great idea, thanks!

 

good to know! thanks!

MCJoe - we also have a honda odyssey and the kids prefer it over the countryman . you can't beat the room, vents above their seats and the DVD player. so i pretty much never get to drive the countryman

 

For short trips, my kids love the Countryman. For longer trips, we use the Odyssey because of the space and the DVD player. Every year, we drive from New Jersey to Florida in the Odyssey. We remove one of the second row captains chairs and replace it with a camping toilet. Cuts down on rest stops (especially for the youngest, who has to go about every hour), and we get there in 18 hours flat. It is definitely a good vehicle to have for a larger family, we just didn't need 2 vehicles that large.

 

For music only MOG works brilliantly.
The app integrates well with connected and the search modes are very intuitive.You can find any song or album and listen to it immediately.
There's a 30 days free trial and monthly subscription of $9.95

 

Initially I really enjoyed Sirius, but I couldn't deal with the tinny audio quality.

Then I couldn't stand the DJ's.

Then my subscription ran out and I signed up for Pandora One ($36/yr) and have been so happy with it.

I had totally forgotten about Web Radio (from Connected), and will start listening to that more, too.

One of the downsides we had with Pandora is that you couldn't run Mission Control and Pandora at the same time, but we figured out how to this weekend (during MTTS2012):
Car must be off, key not in ignition.
From iPhone, open up Pandora and choose your station.
Let the music play out through the speaker.
Now go into the MINI Connected app and open it up. Pandora will pause.
Once Connected is open, plug the iPhone into the Y-cable.
Start the car.
Now go into the CD/External connections menu item and your phone should appear as a USB source... select it and Pandora should start.
And The Voices (Mission Control) should also be along for the ride.

however: you cannot control Pandora at all. if you decide to skip a track, it will take you to your iTunes library.

(sorry if someone else has figured this out, but we just managed to over the weekend)

UPDATE: This no longer works with the updated Pandora/MINI Connected app :(

 

That's as easy as pi. (Not a typo.)

 

Yes, the black mats show everything, so I got the Coco Mats, and they are amazing -- they never show dirt and look like the bees knees. Seem like they will last forever. I've attached a few photos.

 

Those do look nice. and I know they are functional. Something for my Christmas list.

 

I just ordered the exact same ones, how long did it take for your mats to arrive?

Michael

 

Can't exactly remember...maybe a week. I spoke with the owner on the phone. He sent me some samples, so I could see what I liked best. They are also located not too far from me in SC, about three hours away.

 

Tried this and it WORKED! So cool!!

 

I find the sound quality to be better than average but then again we opted for the HK sound system much better than the base sound. I think I know why there is a $250 additional charge on the 2013's. Sirius upgraded their system to over 200 from the current 130 channels and supposedly better sound quality as well. Still on the fence for our next build.

 

I discovered that there is a way for the car to be started without the keyfob inserted. Presumably, this is to allow (although not eco-friendly) the car to be left locked and running with AC or heat on while taking the key with you.

I think this is illegal in some countries, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

Comfort access doesn't require the keyfob to be inserted to start the engine.

It also doesn't shut it off when you leave the car running and walk 100 yards from the car. which is weird.

 

Off topic, but interesting regarding keyless remotes...from Yonkers, NY:

For at least six months now, business owners say, a mysterious force has been locking people with keyless remotes out of their vehicles or preventing them from starting their engines near Yonkers and Page avenues.

But the cars revive after they are pushed or towed away.
An expert hired to investigate the problem said Monday that localized radio interference is to blame for disrupting the signals sent by keyless remotes — but he was still pinpointing the exact source of the “offending signal.”
“It’s not a common phenomenon,” said David Maxson, a radio-frequency communications specialist and owner of Isotrope in Medfield, Mass. “I only get a handful of these quirky types of complaints every year.”
Ronald Squiers of Enfield, Conn., notified The Journal News about the problem after, he said, he was unable to remotely unlock his car while leaving a wake at F. Ruggiero & Sons Funeral Home at 732 Yonkers Ave.
Owner Michael Ruggiero said the problem arose again July 15 when a woman making funeral arrangements for her father got locked out of her car. Weeks ago, he said, his brother had to get his car towed off the lot.
“I’ve had constant complaints,” Ruggiero said.
Yonkers police Detective Lt. Patrick McCormack said the department has not received reports of electrical interference. Ruggiero said he doesn’t want to bother police with the problem.
Employees at Marden Hardware, 741 Yonkers Ave., said when the problem first arose, customers assumed the batteries on their keyless remotes had died while they were in the store and bought new ones on the spot. When that didn’t work, store employees began pushing stalled vehicles down the street, out of range of the apparent interference — which did the trick.
Maxson was hired by the owner of an antenna installed on a utility pole on the affected block who had heard from concerned businesses. Equipped with a high-tech spectrum analyzer, he scanned the area for an “offending signal” this month, ruling out the utility pole and antennas on the building at 733 Yonkers Ave. as culprits.

Maxson declined to identify a specific property as the source of interference, saying he wanted to be 100 percent certain before making a conclusion. But he is confident it’s on the even-numbered side of the street.

Faulty electronics are likely to blame, he said. Keyless remotes are designed to transmit quick, intermittent signal “bursts” over radio frequencies shared by other low-power devices such as garage-door openers and meter readers. It appears that an unknown malfunctioning device in the area is sending out a more powerful, continuous signal that drowns out others.
Life-saving medical electronics such as pacemakers should not be affected, he said.
Maxson said he has experienced a disruption similar to the one on Yonkers Avenue only once before, when he found himself locked out of his car in a parking lot at a military base equipped with high-powered communication systems.
Drivers who experience the problem should try bringing their keyless remote as close as possible to their car’s antenna, minimizing possible interference, and pushing “unlock” again.
Marden Hardware employees just hope the problem gets resolved soon.
“We lose customers from this,” said clerk Ernal Bailey. People “know they can’t come here unless they park blocks away and walk.”

 

I have 80gb of music on my iPod. It'll be a while before I can copy my iTunes library to an affordable USB thumb drive.