Question for owners of factory Navigation option.

Would you recommend the factory Navigation option now that you have had a while to use it?

What do you like and dislike about the Navigation option?

Are the radio controls more intuitive then the regular radio?

 

Yes, I would recommend it. It's a bit pricey, but iPod playlists, etc. display in a much friendlier way on the larger screen. Radio is easier to use with the volume where one would expect it. Whenever I get a non-nav loaner, I invariably change my radio station with the know I think should be the volume.

Also, the interface for the user-programmable features is easier to use.

Those with park distance control get a neat graphic, but I don't have that. I do have the TPMS picture...

What I like least is inputting new addresses. Plenty of threads on that...Using saved addresses is a breeze and the real-time traffic is a nice feature, albeit time-delayed by a few minutes.

One positive is the fact that you can see the screen with polarized glasses, and also that the sun doesn't wash it out.

 

I like it a lot, though it's a massive ripoff at $2k. About $400 would be more like it. It's a far better interface/display for the radio/CD/iPod than the standard radio display, the nav itself is pretty decent for a factory setup, the screen is trans-reflective and is very easy to read, even in the middle of a bright afternoon. Side benefits - the speedo looks a ton better with the screen in the center, rather than the standard setup (at least to my eyes), and the audio controls are all in one place along with the volume control, eliminating the silly floating-in-the-middle-of-nowhere situation of the standard setup.

 

I have the nav in my 08 MCS. If I get another MINI I'll probably get the nav in that too. There are many advantages to the built-in nav and a couple of significant disadvantages. I'd agree with the previous posts regarding advantages. The best thing about it seems to be the integration with everything else in the car. The guidance function is pretty good too.

Here is what frustrates me about the built-in nav:

1. It is very expensive. There are lots of justfications for this, mostly to do with the fact that it isn't just for nav, but for lots of the car's systems. Still, the price feels steep.

2. The map is next to useless. When you are driving with guidance this is not a big deal. The directions are quite clear. The way I like to use the nav though, is I like to leave it showing the map even when I'm not using guidance. Sometimes I'd just like to be able to glance at the map to confirm where my turn is, or whatever. The problem is the map does not display street names is a useful way. It places all names horizontally, not aligned with the streets, and it doesn't label the most pertinent streets, like the one you're on and the ones you're approaching. Rather, it names random streets where there seems to be room for names. The many random, pointless street names obscure the street lines. Also, the bug indicating your location is dead centre in the screen, instead of lower centre, so you can see as much map of what's behind you as what's in front of you. Furthermore, the bug is big and obscures the streets in your immediate vicinity, which are likely to be the ones you're most interested in, making it even less readable and therefore less useful.

I've had $200 and $300 portable units with much, much more readable mapping than my $2,000 built in nav. BMW has opted for style over substance, which is too bad because all of the other features of the nav and the way it integrates with the car's systems make it great to have.

OK, I just thought of number 3...
3. I'd like to choke the guy that designed the menu navigation/data entry user interface. Twist/Push/Click??? In no particular order and according to no consistent pattern?

My advice to you is to swallow hard, buy the nav, but manage your expectations if you don't get a chance to look at it in action before you buy.

 

The radio interface / display sounds nice. $2K is a lot for a Nav option but like you said, it is more then just a Nav.
Thanks

 

As others have mentioned - At GREAT length - the point-of-interest (POI) search leaves a lot to be desired.

 

It is not the best nav. But I would not get anything else. This is my second MINI Cooper and on this 2010 model the nav is a major improvement. The big benefits to me are:
- full integration with the screen and other components (car info, ipod, satellite radio, phone bluetooth)
- makes the speedometer look 10 times cooler
- Excellent in the sun
- No touch screen crap. I hate driving and using touch screen on a gps (ok I know you aren't supposed to use it while driving). The ****, while you have a lot of features to fumble through, is a lot easier to manage while driving.

Overall it is a solid GPS but more over, it has a lot of benefits to having it in your car esp if you are picking up the sat nav and ipod functionality (the fact that you can view a huge playlist on a screen is big IMO.

Also, I am a firm believer that if you are buying a MINI, you aren't buying it because you are trying to save a buck. The features are overpriced but I got them regardless.

 

A good point, the factory nav is worthwhile for the phone integration and MP3 (I use a USB stick, not an iPod). I don't have satelite radio, but I imagine that it would be a big plus for that too.

Beg to differ with respect to the touch screen. Phone list selection and destination input would be vastly better with a touch screen keyboard in my opinion.

It's probably best to think of it as being the car's GUI, which happens to have nav, rather than as the built-in nav unit.

 

Some love the touch screen. I just dislike it. I have an iphone and have used garmins with touch screens. I just hate having to push on a touch screen to navigate music. I always hit the wrong artist or album because while driving, it is not the easiest thing to do. Also while wearing gloves (which I do frequently when it is cold), the **** is the only thing that works.

 

I don't have it, but have read many comments and threads. Many of the pros/cons are mentioned in this thread. The pros seem to be that the Nav makes use of the big speedo space for information about music, bluetooth and other stuff besides the GPs unit. They like the traffic updates, and say that the voice directions are good.
What they hate is the price, the actual street maps and labeling of the streets, and searching for a business or retail venue like you can with cellphones. That feature is pretty worthless as designed. It seems to me to be something you can do without especially if you have a GPS unit or a good smartphone (the Droid does turn by turn and traffic). But it adds some pizzaz to the Mini overall if you can afford it.
EDIT: I rarely use GPS to find where I'm going. I have a TomTom, Googlemaps on my blackberry and Droid phones. I usually use those to find businesses and restaurants on the go.

 

To the OP: in the gallery linked below, there are a ton of pics showing various nav screen displays. They'll give you a good idea of all the functionality built in besides the nav function. Scroll down a ways to get to the nav stuff..

http://bit.ly/babWC0

 

Wasn't sure I needed a NAV when I ordered, but I really hated the look of the cartoon speedo. A friend convinced me to get it, and I'm glad I did. I like it in spite of its archaic menu-driven interface. It is easy to use the joystick while driving because you don't have to look at it. I wouldn't want a touch screen.

Car settings, trip computer readout, audio interface, PDC graphic, and phone control, make it more than just a NAV.

 

Nice Gallery! My wife gets hers saturday. We both have MCS without Nav now but we ordered it on this one. Hope the learning curve is not too bad cause her technology patience is not very good and I kinda talked her into it!

 

Excellent!

Thanks!

 

I like the option of having both the factory nav and a Garmin. The newest Garmins will receive engine temp info and more from a wireless $150 sending unit. Depending on what kind of driving you are doing, the options are now greatly expanded. Keep the factory Nav zoomed out to 5 miles to keep an eye on free real time traffic info, and the Garmin zoomed in tight for navigation. Or flip the Garmin over to monitor engine info, and use the factory nav. for mp3 lists. This gives you lots of info without having to flip through different screens when you should be driving.

 

Please, what model Garmin does this? I'm interested.

Thanks,
Keith
07 Cooper S

 

FWIW, if you're going to spend $150, get a Scangauge II - gets you water temp, IAT, MAP, and all sorts of gauges (4 at a time.) It will also read OBD-II codes.

 

I actually enjoy using the on-board navigation system. I'm so used to it now that I can find locations, enter addresses, etc. very quickly. Everything in a MINI gets getting used to, but once you master it, it becomes second nature.

If you can afford the nav, get it. If you can't, don't get it. You will not regret having it there.

 

I had a loaner with factory Nav for a few days... I still wouldn't pay that much money for that particular Nav unit unless I got bluetooth,pdc and whatever else it may integrate. The biggest boon for me would be the aesthetics; looks much better than the serving plate speedo. Only downside besides the price are those JoelBrown mentioned above.

Would be nice if it allowed you to customize your car's systems more (m drive, audi drive, ect).

 

Current Garmin models 1260, 1370, 1390, 1490, and 1690 will receive wireless OBD codes. More to come.

I understand the appeal of the Scangauge, but it's considered ugly by some. Doesn't really fit the dash apperance wise as well as a Garmin.

 

Will the navigation system retrofit into the dash if i remove the original mini boost stereo/ speedometer from my 2009 mini coopers dash?

 

I believe you have to remove all four wheels and replace the car.

 

By far the cheapest option, I'd imagine.