I'm working on my build and wonder if I should bother with the HUD. I really want it just to fill the space for the toggle . I'm not planning on getting the NAV system as I have it in my '11 MCS and hate it. I use WAZE or any other app on my phone instead of the built in NAV. Here are my main reasons for no NAV, 1)it always finds some really weird, long route and I am forever overriding it. 2)it doesn't give street names when telling you to turn. "In 800 feet turn left.", well I don't drive with a measuring tape and at varying speeds 800 feet is hard to judge. So in Atlanta there could be 2-3 streets all crammed together any of which could be 800 feet, so I'm forever just taking a wild guess. I could have done that for free!

Annette

 

Edit. I was wrong.

 

The minimum package you need for HUD is the basic 6.5" display (Connected + Visual Boost - $500). Without Nav, the HUD allows you to monitor speed and things like song selection, radio station, etc.

EDIT: The nav in the F56 is much better. In conjunction with the HUD, it will actually give you street names along with directions. I can try and take some pictures if you'd like to see the HUD + Nav in action, or if you'd just like to see the other things you can do with it, besides the navigation.

 

I love my HUD, and I'm really glad I got it. I look at it 85% of the time rather than the actual speedometer

 

The F56 nav is much better than previous versions, especially when you have the HUD equipped. As mentioned above, it will show street names in the HUD as well as distance as well as a diagram of the turn.

If nav still doesn't interest you, the HUD is still cool and useful, but not as useful as if you would have had nav.

If you do decide to get nav, I would suggest NOT getting the visual boost nav (6.5" screen) and spend the little extra to get the XL radio (8.8" screen) which includes nav and a few other features over the visual boost headunit (bigger screen, split screen option, built in hard drive for music, touch input for typing)

 

Thanks all, I haven't been able to see an actual HUD in action. The only one the dealership had that we could find was out on a test drive. I'd love to see the HUD unit. I was worried it was a flimsy piece of plastic or something, or that it would just be a place to collect dirt and such.

Annette

 

I love the F56 NAV. I live in the suburbs and the 3D rendering of the downtown where I live is very useful. Oh yeah, love the HUD to. The speed monitor is also very convenient on the HUD and of course going through the music collection.

 

Here's a quick video I found on Youtube... Again, nothing beats seeing and experiencing it in person. At first I was on the fence, but now that I have one in Toaster, I can't live without it, especially at night. Remember that in the video below, the perspective is completely off, the elements projected onto the HUD are much much bigger in real life, getting that just right on camera is virtually impossibe, so I don't want you to think that the digits and characters displayed are tiny.


Be aware that polarized lenses will affect what you see (or don't see) in the HUD, as has been posted before.

 

I would get it. And I don't really care for the Nav, I too use my phone. It looks pretty cool and everyone who has it says they love it. Which is rare for a Mini option.

 

What I found interesting was last week at the Dragon I had no cell service (like always) but the Nav in my R56 still worked. As I've been to the Dragon many times, I didn't really need it to get around. I just like looking at the crazy view on the screen . But it occurred to me that had I not been familiar with the area I would have been screwed if I had to rely on my phone. I guess for that reason alone it is worth having Nav built in since it works on satellite and isn't relying on cell service, right?

Annette

 

Phones and the built-in Nav both use GPS satellite to determine position (longitude/latitude coordinates). The difference is in the maps and data. The built-in Nav has maps and data already preloaded. It can show you position on the map, look up destinations, and calculate a route, all standalone without a data connection.

A phone will normally use a data connection to provide those functions in real time. However, you can download maps in advance and have some functions while offline. Google Maps can show your location on a map but not navigate routes while offline. http://maphappy.org/2015/01/how-to-e...ogle-maps-app/

 

Great info. fellow Mini lovers!

So Annette ordered a Hard Top: Volcanic Orange with the 6.5" screen & HUD. I ordered a Hard Top 4 Door: Electric Blue with Black trim, XL screen & Nav....Our thinking is the 4 door will be our tripping car. With one of us driving and the other navigating we usually use an iPhone or iPad but also follow on the Nav systems in our current cars.

It sounds like the HUD & Nav system may solve a few current challenges we often face. The HUD may solve the issue with the driver not being able to see exactly what the navigator is talking about in terms of where to turn, particularly on those streets and traffic circles where there are several roads close together. The diminishing distance assistance on the HUD appears to work very well in the video. The HUD appears to save the driver from having to look away at: a map, speedometer, music list... which alone may be worth the price of admission. We have removable mounting units for iPhone 6 +s that we can mount on the dash but they tend to require lots of fiddling to keep in place and visible, which kinda defeats their purpose. It looks like setting the XL Nav map zoomed out will provide the navigator the larger view while the HUD will provide the driver the detail of exactly where the car is in relation to turns etc., bonus! The iPhone/Pads can show any additional close up pictures Google may have to offer. Nice combo.

If there is no navigator then we are thinking the driver should be listening and following on the HUD, not looking at the picture on the Nav screen. If the driver isn't using the Nav screen, maybe the XL screen is wasted on solo driving?