Two questions:

How useful is the navigation system?

Is it better to have the speedometer in the middle of the dashboard or above the steering wheel?

 

>>Two questions:
>>
>>How useful is the navigation system?
>>
>>Is it better to have the speedometer in the middle of the dashboard or above the steering wheel?

Here's a follow up question I have about the speedo with the NAV. Does anyone else think the speedo might look too small?

I had to take a little motoring adventure on Friday west of DC to 81 and the Nav system would have removed alot of the suspense. I also had a mean trick played on me by the good folks at PennDOT who managed to put me on 81 south and west of Harrisburg as opposed to 83 south and west of the city. Luckily, I had the good sense to take the gamble of the southern beltway and only lost about 20 minutes.

I love the nav system when I drove it in a Jag X-type, but I also think the Mini speedo is a critical part of the Mini's interior styling and I would really miss the $1,600.

 

I love the nav system. I like having a map open in front of me so I can see what turns are coming at me. It is also very useful in finding alternate routes when traffic sucks. The best thing is that it gives my girlfiend something to take her mind off the fact that I never let her drive.

The speedo is just fine. Personally, I like the small speedo in front of me better than the big one on the centerline of the car. I understand the nostalgic bit and all that but I don't give a rat's *** about nostalgia.

IMHO, the big drawback to getting the GPS is that you have no water temp gauge. However, I will be getting water temp and oil press gauges and putting them in the center console (under the A/C controls)

 

I love my NAV. One option Im DAMN glad I got.

 

My $0.02.

You can buy a lot of road maps for $1,600. And monitoring local radio stations can advise you of traffic congestion. Spend that money you save on gasoline and tour a bit in your MINI.

 

I don't even use it on my boat so I can't imagine
needing one in my car. IMHO.
I know where I am.

 

The Nav system is definately not without its issues, however I'm really happy I have it. Kinda wish we didn't spend the money on the CD changer in my wife's car (not a MINI) so I could put a system in that one too.

 

I have a nav system in my Honda Odyssey and all I can say is the nave system is indispensable. I live in NJ and the nav system makes it incredibly easy to find locations in cities and out in the weeds. An although you can buy alot of maps for 16K, the nav system removed the yelling that often accompanied a missed turn when the wife wasn't quick enough with the map. With the nav system, if you miss a turn, it recalculates and gives you a new route. It really give me peace of mind when traveling in unfamiliar territory.

I'm still debating whether to get the factory installed nav system in my mini. There are GPS/map options available for my PocketPC for $200-$400, and I'm going to look into those before making a decision. With the later option I can take it in any car, on walking tours of cities (-some features allow you to locate points of interest such as restaurants, theatres, etc.).

My two cents... :smile:

 

>>My $0.02.
>>
>>You can buy a lot of road maps for $1,600. And monitoring local radio stations can advise you of traffic congestion. Spend that money you save on gasoline and tour a bit in your MINI.


You sure can buy alot of maps but then you have to store them and fold them and read them as you try to drive. The big difference between a map and GPS is, in order to use a map you must first know where you are. Sometimes that ain't so easy.

I think the nav is well worth the money, especially when ammortized over the lentgh of your loan.

 

If I were you, get a Pioneer Navigation System. I bought mine on pricegrabber.com. Here's a picture of mine.



I have navigation and I can play DVDs too!

It has a motorized screen which folds down too.

Places will charge around $200 for installation.

Here are my model numbers if you're interested

Pioneer AVIC-90 DVD Navigation System
Pioneer AVH-P6400 CD Display

It's well worth the money, plus you can watch movies too. The navigation is voice activated too.

 

>The best thing is that it gives my girlfiend something to take her mind off the fact that I never let her drive.

Nice "fact"

I like having the Speedo infront of me, and not where everyone can see. That was 1/2 the reason I got the NAV. It works very well for "seeing" what's ahead, and finding alternate routes.

Now if you want a NAV and not modify the look of the MINI, then go with the Pioneer system posted above. It's sweet, and you can use it when you need it to play a DVD it can.

 

I like the Nav, it is a fun toy and useful tool and I like having the speedo behind the steering wheel next to the tach. With the new DVD based Nav, you now get detailed mapping of the complete USA and Canada on one DVD. That’s a lot of maps! Plus you now have displayed your current elevation as this GPS is 3D and is quite accurate. Plus maps don’t tell you your present location. This Nav does considerably more then the Nav in my BMW’s of just a few short years ago. However, I don’t like not having a temp gauge or the outside temp not displayed while in the Nav mode. If I were to buy another MC, I would get the Nav again. As for not having a temp gauge, if the factory isn’t worried, why should I. I don’t plan on keeping the car past its warranty anyway.
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2003 Chili Red/White top and wheels MCS, black leather, anthracite dash, packages 2 & 3, DVD based Nav w/OBC, PDC, HK, MFSW, rain sense wipers w/auto dim mirror. Production date March 11, 2003-Delivery date April 12, 2003.