To start with. Love the MINI S. One of the most enjoyable cars I've owned. That being said, and so I don't come across as a hater, the car's menu system was so convoluted and inaccessible (by me) I finally gave up and went to visit our dealer yesterday to help explain the control menus and operation.

Okay, so I'm not a rocket scientist, but can usually figure things out if they are logically designed. I read the manual and watched the "getting to know the intricacies of your MINI" video links I got in email. Followed the directions and still could not find what I was looking for.

The navigation control option (menu) was driving me crazy to point of explosion. Trying to find the menu where I can change map views from North to direction traveled to 3D perspective (the side bar menu on the left side of the center screen).

I would follow the directions (Push the "NAVI" button and then push the left arrow on the round center dial to access the side menu) and get something totally different on my screen. It was something like "Learn your voice" and a couple of other options. I would try, retry, and retry again to get to the menu I wanted and only occasionally find it by accident and not know how the heck I got there. I back out and try to find it again and could not.

So here's the "skinny" of my adventure:

Saw the sales manager and asked if he could show me how to change the Nav settings in my car. I showed him what I was doing and brought up the menu I was getting ILO of the one I wanted and he said, "Whoa, I never seen that one before, cool!". He said to get the side menu I was trying to access you have pick up on right side of the center dial (not press down on the left side). He said he'd never seen the menu I was getting by pressing the left arrow. He said he just learned something too.

With that bit of info learned, I can now access my menus without issue, but the question remains what genius designed this bassackward way of getting to access that side menu when any normal person would think the arrow keys shown on the center dial would be how one would access it? Manual pictures appear to show pressing down on the center dial to get to side menus.

I would still be sitting in my car practicing the insanity of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result pressing down when I should be pulling up from the opposite end.

Had to vent a little on this one. Even the Sales Manager admitted that the menu system in the MINI is pretty "techie" and doesn't always follow the logical path. The owners manual isn't very helpful unless you understand the mechanical manipulation of the center dial.

So if anyone else is having an issue with accessing menu is their car, hope I shed a bit of light on "How To".

 

Glad that you got help and have a handle on it. I've never understood how people call these systems logical or intuitive or the opposite and failing to be so. A logical system would be voice activated and you'd simply say give me directions to Disney World or whatever. Everything else is really just learning how the system works, which can be pretty dangerous in a car. If my home stereo was in my car I'd be dead already from crashing while driving.

 

My MINI dealer has hired an associate just to answers questions and teach owners how to operate the nav system and associated electronics.

It kind of tells you that it's a problem.

 

I'm glad you're getting things sorted out. I went from a BMW X1 - with the same iDrive setup - to the MINI to find that the control **** behavior changed. I turn the **** clockwise and my menu options scroll 'up'. On the X1 this would scroll 'down'.

Did you know that most functions that you can select by pressing down on the **** can also be saved as one of your six 'presets'? I've done that with split-screen, for example. If you found yourself wanting to switch map orientation often, you should be able to set that as a preset as well.

 

I think that there are very few people out there who own cars with an infotainment system (incl. nav) that love their system. My wife has a Ford Edge with the MyTouch screen. Most reviewers hate that system. While it isn't immediately intuitive, it is fairly simple once you get used to it. I don't have the infotainment system on my MCS (just the lowly radio), but even there, there is a bit of a learning curve. Good luck!

 

Glad to use my HTC One for NAV! I remember the horror stories from the R56. To fine a hardware store they had to select from a menu of locations that didn't have one that said Hardware Stores. I think you had to select Restaurants!

 

Give it a bit more time. I've had the car a month now and I think I can navigate around it just as well as the MINI genius guys at the dealership.

I have my second date this afternoon and I can't really think of any questions to ask them. That being said, I am a techie so...

Keep at it

 

...you have questions? We've been doing the second date appointments since sometime last year and not once has anyone ever had a question. They come in for the free gas and carwash, then leave.

 

You think you have it tough now, try coding the menus/navigation to use the UK English voice/language, the navigation system becomes even less intuitive! Although, when you do successfully select an address you get that awesome British accent, so it's all worth it.

 

AKA "the dominatrix British chick" in TomTom circles.

 

Is it the same voice?

 

Well, all I can say, since visiting the dealership and having him show me the little secret of picking up on the center dial rather than pushing down on it to access that side menu my motoring experience has been nothing but fun.

I would, however like to meet the engineer who devised it for heart to heart or least have him explain the color of the sky in his world. Keep him out of the design depart of doorbells where you'd have to pull on the button rather than press it to make it ring.

Man I do love this little car. Peppy, comfortable to drive and ride, cool looks and great on fuel. Averaging 38 MPG and when I stop for gas the tank gets filled so fast, I think the auto stop on the pump is malfunctioning. I couldn't be happier.

Puts a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel.

 

How in the world are you getting 38mpg?

 

Dunno, not "lead footing it", I guess. Just normal driving and watching my MPG average keep increasing. Running in mid mode and not using the auto-shut off.

 

Ok gotcha. I figured you must be playing it pretty conservative and staying in mid mode quite a bit. Well done! I have gotten a lot of the 'lead-footedness' out of my system but I have been in sport mode quite a bit. Though I do appreciate green mode now for the stop and go traffic.

 

38 MPG! I've averaged 26.3 mpg in my MCS over six months. Driving mostly in mid-mode with the auto start stop on.