I just bought my 3rd Mini since they came to the states and have loved them all !!!! (1 cooper hardtop , 1 Cooper S Convertible , and now a 2009 Cooper convertible). I have had the Nav system in all of them . I never LOVED the past Nav systems but I thought they did a good of getting me around especially in the default non guidance mode . It displayed your current location , street , town/village and was laid out in a very intuitive way . Maybe I'm foolish but in this age of technology I just assumed every new release or update of ANY software should either BUILD or IMPROVE upon it's prior release . With that said I am completely EMBARRASSED in front of myself for buying this sight unseen . I can't believe I have to look at this thing for the next 3 years until my lease runs out . You have to actually leave the map view and go to another screen in order to find out what street your on !!!!! Shouldn't your current street be a high priority on ANY SCREEN ? EVERY street name is MISSING in DRIVER PERSPECTIVE view . In map view EVERY street name is laid out horizontally so you can't tell which name goes with which street . I am totally FLABBERGASTED as to how this product passed any real world driver testing !!!
I'm writing because I'm REALLY UPSET over this and I want to do something about it !!! I'm retired and have lots of time to fight to somehow get this fixed by MINI . Thanks , cjp240

 

Guess they figure that you know what street you are on.

I like the split Map/Arrow screen for navigation. I can glance over and see the name of the next street, and direction to turn, as well as having a map overview.

I've tried using a friend's Garmin in another car, and prefer the MINI's NAV.

 

I used to use the old Navigation system frequently when I was in a normal driving mode ( NOT DURING GUIDANCE !!!! ) . Many times I've needed QUICK info and just looked over and gotten it . Now I feel I have to pull over to the side of the road and STUDY !!!! I hope you are familiar with the BMW and last generation Nav systems before commenting . Since 1998 I've had 4 BMW's and 3 MINI's . I'm a big and loyal fan but I just can't believe more people aren't complaining about this .

 

Some more issues:

• The split screen that shows you your coordinates as well as altitude is only available after a guideance route has reached it's destination. I can't figure out a way to get the split screen all the time.
• This is not about the NAV, but in general, the TPS system doesn't display the actual tire pressure number on the screen, instead it only tell you when there is a significant decrease in tire pressure. I wish it told you the actual numbers.
• Another one not about NAV, but in general, you never know if you've enabled the Automatic Wipers unless it's actually wiping the windshield. It would be nice is there was a warning light, or maybe an icon on the LCD display that told you that Automatic Wiper has been activated

Ironically, all of these are just software fixes, and I'm sure that Mini and or their parts manufacture can correct each of these problem.

 

Try this: Re-posted from a couple of months ago.

1. From the Home Menu, take the "Setup" option, go to "Language" and Un-Check the "Arrow Display"

2. Go into Navigation, choose a destination, and Start Guidance.

3. Go back to home, setup, language, and Check "Arrow Display".

4. Return to Navigation and the split screen should be there.

Once I accomplished all that, I see the split screen and arrow every time I start guidance. It goes away if I stop guidance or reach the destination.

On the map/arrow display, joystick to the right, select the arrow-pointing-to-a-dot icon, and press the joystick. The icon will show a slash mark over it, and the latitude/longitude/altitude appears instead of the arrow.

Good luck,
Keith

 

It is bad that it doesn't show you which tire is low. The system has to have that info available, if programmed properly.

As for pressure numbers, you'd need much better sensors in the wheels. As it is, the tire can lose as much as 30% of its pressure before you are alerted. Perhaps they could give you numbers, but with a margin of error of plus or minus 10 lbs.

That would be nice, but it has always been fairly obvious to me when the auto wipers were operating.

As is not uncommon with big hardware companies, software seems to be something they don't understand well. BMW has been notorious for software problems that they had great difficulty resolving. They seem to be getting better with time. Nikon is another example. Some of their software for the high-end DSLRs has been buggy, and they were very slow to resolve the problems.

 

But it does. It only shows all yellow when the low tire has become a flat tire.

 

Except what Robin and others are saying is that the system should know which tire is low and should be able to report that to you. I.E. "RF Low", "LR Low" or a picture of the car with a green wheel at each corner that is good and a yellow or red at the corner that has the low tire.

The current MINI system lonly tell you that you have a low tire, but not which one.

 

funny... when i was test-driving/picking out what i wanted in my 09 MCSC, i vowed id never have a new car without navigation...... until - i saw how crappy it was in this car. unfortunately, the size of the screen and the way it works was a waste of $2000 to me.... glad i saved my money.

navigating from my iPhone works just fine for me...

 

It does. Page 76 of the owners manual:
"One Yellow Wheel
There is a flat or substantial loss of pressure in the indicated tire."

"All Wheels Yellow
There is a flat or substantial loss of pressure in several tires."

(emphasis mine)

I absolutely agree that it would be a good thing to have an actual value displayed.

 

Sorry to take this post away from the NAV discussion, but if we're talking about other areas that need improvement via software, how about these

(1) There is no auto up on the windows in the new R57. Auto down yes, but no auto up.

(2) There is no setting for automatic unlock when you turn the vehicle off. There is a setting for Autolock, but automatic unlock.

(3) When using the automatic lights, and the sensor detects that it is dark enought to turn on the exterior lights, it will never auto turn off the front fog lights, even though it was on before. you have to manually turn it on each and every time.

(4) What about a screen showing all the volumn settings (ie, radio, NAV, Bluetooth Mic, Bluetooth speaker, Warning Beeps, etc...). Right now, you can only control those volumes when those items are actually being used.

(5) What about having a setting that would reduce the volume of the audio playing when the NAV guidance voice comes on and then return the volumne of the audio playing back. This way, both items aren't competiting with each other.

(6) What about displaying a "FB1" and "FB2" to identify which Key Fob was used to unlock the vehilce, and therefore identify which settings are being used? Many times both the Wife and I are in the car, and I always wonder who's key fob settings are being used. Each get their own radio settings and some of the configurable options, but it would be nice if it identified that.

(7) Why not allow us to auto fold in the side rear view mirrors when you turn off the vehicle, and auto fold out when you turn it back on? Maybe a configurable option would be nice.

(8) Why not point down the passenger's rear view mirror so you can see the rear tire when the Mini is in reverse?

(9) Why not save the settings of the side rear view miorrors with each Fob, so that I don't have to change them every time I drive after my wife drives?

(10) Absolutely useless feature, but nevertheless, why not let each FOB set their own ambient light color settings, so that I get blue, and my wife get's what ever color she wants?

Don't get me worng, I love the Mini, but I just wish they would pay attention to some of the details. Nothing of these are show stoppers from purchasing the car, but then again it would add one more reason to get very excited about the Mini.

it would be great if Mini allowed owners to ask for updates, and they actually provided these via software updates. Now that would put them above most if not all other car manufactures.

 

Thanks. I'm going to give that a try at lunch and see how it works.

 

The funny part is that my older Infiniti FX35 displays the tire pressure in actual numbers, and I'd have to say it's almost dead on. I even have tested it out with my wife, where I increase the tire pressure in one tire, and she watches the NAV computer and the numbers increase in near real-time. The best part is that I stop at 35 (or what I believe is 35 on that little needle that stick out of the air hose), and I ask her what it says on the NAV screen, and she sais 35. Unfortunately the Infiniti FX can't tell me which tire is at what pressure, just what pressure is in each tire.

 

The Nav does display which tire is low. See this thread.



MINI went for the minimum requirement mandated by the law, which is an indicator for 30% pressure loss. It is a safety requirement meant to prevent blowouts, not to help maintain proper pressure.

 

Agree on number 4. But I thought the NAV voice was independently controlled from the music and bluetooth. I also thought it lowered or muted the music volume when the NAV voice is speaking much like it does with bluetooth. If this is not the case I am wondering if I adjusted a setting without knowing it.

 

It is independently controlled, however you can only change that volume of the NAV voice when it is speaking, so you gotta be quick to change it.I play lots of music via my USB memory stick, and atleast for that input souce, it does not lower the music volumne when NAV guidance come on. I have not tired guidance with HD radio yet. Maybe I'll give it a try.

 

Anyone actually seen this happen? Doesn't work on my pre-sensor FTM (rotation-based) system with the NAV. The users manual has not always been accurate on how things work.

 

I use the AUX in for an iPod or iPhone. The NAV silences the music while the NAV voice is speaking, or a bluetooth call comes in.

 

I wonder why Mini doesn't work with GARMIN to make a descent navi system? Garmin is probably one of the best NAV companies in the world, capable of making a $200 NAVI that will easily outperform the $2000 NAV in the Mini. It makes little sense? I've seen "Garmin" systems in aftermarket stereos, like Kenwood stereos, so this is already happening. It must be a BWM "I can do it better" or "I must be in control" thing, but unfortunately, they can't do it better. Too bad, because the result is unhappy customers who spent $2000 with a bad taste in there mouth, and spreading the word.

 

I much prefer the MINI's NAV to the Garmin a friend has.

 

i have seen one of the wheels turn yellow on my navigation screen before. when we got a freeze one night, i started my car in the morning and the screen popped up with an alert showing that my front passenger tire was low. when i clicked down on the nav control wheel it brought up the screen with the car showing 3 green tires and 1 yellow tire on the front passenger side. it turned out to be a false alarm due to the temperature. that's the only time i've seen it happen on my car.

 

OMG, the horizontal street names is so annoying!

There is actually a small (one-pixel) black dot on the street with the street name next to it. It is realloy hard to see because the map background is black.

 

And _you_ won't as you have the rotation based system.

 

Yes, with NAV, it does tell you which tire is low. Not just by showing the picture, but also on the text warning.

Back to the original topic, I actually really like the nav system. I have always found it easy to use and accurate with its instructions to me. Plus, you can input destinations by voice instead of typing them with the joystick. Is it the best nav system around? Certainly not. But I'm glad I have the big screen in the car for navigation and everything else it does.

 

Just Start and Stop Guidance. The other steps aren't necessary assuming you normally have "Arrow Display" checked.