I was going to get the basic stereo but I wanted to get the back up camera for all the times I'm in the city and our garage has tight quarters so I ended up with the smaller screen. I don't fiddle with it often so it's not a distraction for me.

 

THIS. No manufacturer has nailed "infotainment" in any car to date because these tech features have a much shorter life cycle than the cars themselves. We get new iPhones and think they're dated a year later, and until 1-year leases become a thing you'll generally find the advanced gadgets in cars to feel stale before your second oil change. I think getting the base is a smart move. Your cell phone is a better NAV system than anything a car brand will overcharge you for anyway.

 

Exactly, NAV either standalone or phone based, was my choice as well. MINI could have given the base stereo a more integrated look, but it works well and that is all I care about. As far as "nailing infotainment", I suspect it will be a long time if ever before we see a flexible solution that serves our needs as they change. That is a subject for a different thread.

 

Maybe your lucky. I've become addicted and thought I was gonna go crazy not getting my daily fix of the fish while my car was in the shop for three days.

 

Exactly this. Only when there is a "hole" in the center console, literally or figuratively, where a company whose strength is UI / NAV / Entertainment can plug into a car's systems (I'm not talking Apple's Car Play, or the Google solution either). That is when the public will get what they deserve.

I excluded CarPlay, et al. because even with the non car-manufacturer's solutions, they still have to play along with the car's environment / tactility. Each manufacturer's implementation is slightly different based on what they've "allowed" in the way of user interaction.

There needs to be a new standard, again, maybe a pipe dream for now.

 

All valid points about technology obsolescence and UI integration.

However, I find the basic radio such a hideously bad design that I'd spend the extra money just so I wouldn't have to look at it. Really, it would have been easy to design something that looks appealing and better integrated. Did they do it on purpose to push customers into getting a screen?

 

The Germans seem to have problems with what intuitive means.

 

Exactly! It looks like a grinning muppet :(

 

Thanks for this thread, basic looks good enough for me. It was kind of a tough call for me as the more beautiful screen costs $500 more.

I only added $1250 automatic trans (wife needs to drive too) and $1500 Sports package (wife wanted larger tires, I wanted the LED lights).

I bought a 2014 Mazda CX-5 GT last year, and the infotainment system is just terrible. I do like the blind spot monitoring and the backup camera a lot. I know Mini is small so it wouldn't be that much a problem, but still, I wish those features came standard. It's not that expensive anyways. Maybe $100 more?

Another thing I realized is that 2015 Mini hardtop comes with Automatic Climate Control as standard, so the interior control looks nicer. The 2014's climate control looked too primitive, but I guess that can be said for the basic infotainment system too, lol.


While waiting for my car to be built, I kept looking for details on the basic display, but couldn't find much. Does anyone know where I can get more info? 2014 user manual doesn't talk about the basic infotainment. Is bluetooth streaming possible with the basic?
Now I kind of wish I added the $500 optional display and the $250 storage package.

 

Can anyone tell me what you can display with the basic infotainment system?
Can you have it to display real time trip information on the screen all the time? Or digital speed meter with tachometer? How do you use it normally?
I'm guessing there's no bluetooth streaming, is that right? That's a big bummer.
Can you check engine oil level with 1% increments?
I'm curious what else you can do with the basic screen.

 

No fish. I do have a bulldog....


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...0/IMG_3877.PNG

 

Basic info-I can check the oil, check the tire pressure, control my iPhone once its plugged into the USB, set some of the light functions (DRL), check to see when my next service is due, set the "mood" lighting, radio/audio settings and a host of other things. I was going to replace it with an aftermarket unit but was counseled against this as then I would not be able to control any of the above info. It sounds fine for what i need. Next time I'll get the fish....
p.s. No Bluetooth streaming although it does have regular BT (view contacts, make/answer/drop a call)

 

Thanks for the info. Do you have Parked Car Ventilation, where the fans turn on for a set time even after you leave your car? I thought this would be useful for drying the vents after using AC, and not for anywhere else. I know the upgraded models have them, but I don't know whether the basic infotainment takes that away. I think this also requires Automatic Climate Control, but this is standard on 2015 model.

The basic infotainment is really ugly though... I wish they added at least a worm (using less pixels) in place of a fish.

 

Although I haven't fully checked I believe my car does have the auto climate control. Whenever i start the car the auto climate control is on and the fans are on although you can't hear them you can feel air coming out of the vents. I have to shut it off if I need. I think it's part of the winter package along with the heated seats/washer fluid/outside mirrors. My Navi app (Waze) also streams through BT. I don't understand why they didn't just throw in the audio streaming BT profile. It would've taken away some of the ugliness of the basic info center.

 

Without a doubt, yes.

I opted to get the seamlessly integrated Click & Play phone mount instead, and a WiFi backup camera (displays on the phone). That way I get the "info" part of the infotainment on my own device, which will remain current as I upgrade when I need to.

My only regret is that BMW decided to implement 2 levels of Bluetooth support. Bluetooth streaming and vehicle stats on connected devices would be nice.

 

Talking about Basic Display:

A while ago while trying to familiarize myself with the car, I got the TIMR to show in the basic display in about 1/2 inch high numbers.

Now it no longer does that and I can't figure out how I got it.

Can anyone tell me how? - I've sat there with the manual (Pg 65) and can't seem to figure out "the combination".

-Oly

 

What's a TIMR?

 

It's a special, technical thing, commonly known as a "Typo", wherin the letter "R" is hit by an incompetent typist (yours truly...) when the next key over ("E") was intended.

My bad

What I'm looking for is how to display the TIME in large numbers.

Thanks for pointing this out,

-Oly

 

Ahh.. lol. I thought it was something really special. On my Mazda CX-5, if you press certain combo, you can get in to a service mode on the infotainment system where you can have the reverse camera kept on while driving on the highway. It was a hassle though and I no longer remember the combo input for that.

How did the time appear? I looked up a photo of mine and the clock is on the upper right corner.


The base radio is not too bad, but I think the more ugly thing is the fuel gauge. It looks so bad, I wish they just used a digital display.

 

I don't have the car at the moment but I'll reply once I do - it's not complicated but it's specific.

 

It was just nice, bright white numbers more or less in the center of the Radio screen. Apparently I somehow "pressed a certain combo" that one time & got it.

I have difficulty seeing the time, temp and all that on the speedometer screen, but I can live with that - it's really nice to have an easily read time, to keep the eyes on the road as much as possible.

The radio? not quite as sensitive as the one in my '04 MC although the HK sound is great - I think I read somewhere on the forum that a better antenna is available - I live/drive out in "the sticks" some 75 miles south of San Francisco, not much good radio, so I miss the CD player on my '04, as well.

I kind of liked the "Fuel Gauge" on my first car (bought new for $1,800 cash), a 1959 VW. There was a lever on the passenger side 'firewall' - you drove until the engine sputtered, flipped the lever down and you had 1 gallon of gas left (35 miles). And ALWAYS remember to re-set the lever!

-Oly

 

That would be GREAT!

Thanks in advance,

-Oly

 

I'm OK with the basic display. I have heard many reviews with high praise for the Mini infotainment system though, some say it is the best they have seen. I personally don't like fooling with gadgets while I am driving.

 

Menu->Options->Show Time.

Menu Button, Options Button, then you can select Show Time.

I thought you could have that at the default display?

You may be able to save that to one of the memory buttons.

 

Thank you - WOW, EASY when you know how!

I would like it as the default display, but it turns off every time the car is shut down - must be something else I need to find out. (??)

OR... how would one save it to one of the memory buttons?

Somehow these sort of things are not what I ever imagined would be the problem with getting Old

-Oly