I am getting ready to order a Clubman S and need to know how to tackle the stereo option. On my current GM Trailblazer SS the premium sound package was a no brainer and sounds great. On the Mini what do you get when you check off the Hi FI instead of the reg stereo? I do not want to have to tear into a new car to upgrade so all you mini owners please chime in. I checked out a Clubman S with the Hi Fi package at the dealer and it sounded OK but not as good as the Trailblazer. I could live with it but how much better over the regular stereo is it?

Thanks

 

If you dont want to "tear your car apart" and do a retrofit then i suggest that you go with the HI FI. It is not the best in the world, but it is a lot better than the standard. I like mine.

 

Here is my $0.02.

I have a Clubman with the Hi-Fi system. It is currently in the shop minor glitch, but my current loaner is an '07 MC with the standard audio. Is the stock system so awful? No... Is it worth the price to upgrade? No.

If I was ordering my car (it was a showroom launch vehicle) and I knew now, I wouldn't have bothered with the Hi-Fi. I just isn't that much of an improvement. The way I see it is that the Hi-Fi gets you two things. One is front and rear channel wires from the head unit with wire that return to the speakers allowing for easy amp installation in the rear of the car. Two, you get the tweeter mount position pieces in the A-pillars.

If you are looking at the Hi-Fi and a good solution to audio that you don't like in the standard configuration, you will be disappointed. If you are getting the premium package, go for it. The Hi-Fi in the terms of this option is a bit of extra volume with tweeters up front. The actual quality of the system doesn't change that much. In the end, if you care enough about the audio to pay $500 extra, you will be better off served purchasing a nice set of separates with the stock system and getting the A-pillar tweeter housings from the dealer.

 

I agree. I think my Hifi upgrade sounds just fine, but I never listened to the stock system. One thing's for sure: doing mods on the stereo system (speakers, amps, A pillar inserts, etc) will eat up $500 so fast you won't know where it went. A simple speaker upgrade with a decent amp will cost you at least $2000 if you have an installer do it.

 

Actually, the HiFi system has an amplifier that is considerably more powerful than the standard system's head unit. The amp in the HiFi is located in the boot. The standard system relies on the very poor amp in the headunit. That being said, the real problem with both systems is the horrible quality of the speakers. If I had it to do over again, I would get the HiFi (just to get the amp) and replace only the front speakers with a quality component set. It is easy to change out the fronts. Adding an amp and/or changing out the rears is considerably more difficult. The standard system's headunit is not powerful enough to drive decent speakers even if they are fairly efficient. Good luck.

poyzin

 

Thanks for all the info. I think I will go with the Hi Fi option and look into speakers later on.

Mike