OK, I'll preface this with the fact that we own a 2003 MINI and my father is buying a 2011 S after owning a 335i for the last three years. His old car had the BMW bluetooth option where he had to teach the car all the contacts in his phone.

Now he's specing his 'S' and wants to know if connected is worth the $500 over the normal bluetooth option, but I have zero clue as we have neither and I haven't been keeping up with MINI options in the last half decade! His dealer (Inskip in RI) has only sold 2 cars with connected on them and has heard nothing back about the system and they're really worthless when it comes to helping with this...

So.....

HELP!

If you get MINI connected:

• does an iPhone 4 work over bluetooth using connected (when you add it to a build it says specifically bluetooth is not available, is this because you'd be adding it TWICE or because it's one or the other?)
  • if so, do you have to teach it the contacts, or does it know them from the phone?
  • can you use voice control dialing?
• does the system charge the phone
• can you use nav apps so their audible commands come through the speakers (navigon)?

I think that's about it... But overall, how does everyone feel about the system? Does it work? Do you like it? Or would the normal old bluetooth option be a better choice?

 

I have just Bluetooth and DO NOT need to enter all my contacts from my phone. Unless I want to do voice dialing. I can select any number/person from my phones contact lists by using the radio controls.

Of course I do not have an iPhone so maybe they are different, but I would the MINI could download addressbook as long as it (iPhone) has the bluetooth addressbook profile.

 

that sounds exactly like the BMW bluetooth (which sucks IMHO)...

 

Also the Mini Connected so much more than just BT etc.

Mini Connected Review

 

Although MINI Connected is only $500 extra what they do is make you but an arm rest that is an extra $250 if it is not already in another package you selected. Which would bring the cost up to $750.00

Sorry to hear you are having problems with Inskip they are usually very good at answering questions.

MINI Connected ONLY works with iPhone 3GS or 4 running iOS 4.2 or higher

MINI Connected already has bluetooth in the package that is why it deletes the other bluetoorh selection.

It will automatically load the contacts into the car each time the bluetooth connection is made between the car and the phone. (the first time may take a significant amount of time 3-4 hours in some cases but after teh first time it only takes a few seconds.)

Voice dialing depends more on the phone than the car. If the phone supports voice dialing over bluetooth then it should work but not all phones support voice dialing over bluetooth.

Yes the system charges the phone.

MINI Connected comes in two forms with Navigation and with out.

If you get the system with NAV then it automatically comes thru the speakers when the NAV is Active.

If you get it without then there is no way for the aftermarket NAV to put the sound thru the stereo without some aftermarket adapters.

If you do not get Navigation or MINI Connected then the BASE or H/K stereo systems do not allow for voice dialing over bluetooth. This is a limitation of the software in the car. There are 20 slots to manually set up voice dialing. But all contacts will transfer to the car so that they can be selected via the dash controls.

Now some notes for you about the difference in systems.

MINI Connected as I stated before only works with iPhone 3GS and 4 running iOS 4.2 or higher. What it gives you is the ability to send and receive facebook and twitter updates, get rss news feeds listen to web radio and a few other things some of which seem not not be fully implemented yet. It also come with a "Office" Module which DOES NOT work with iPhone but does work with a few other phones.

If you do not have a reason to use facebook, twitter, or rss new feeds in the car then don't bother with spending the money. Many of the other features can be done via apps on the phone but just not on the screen in the car, only on the phones screen.

You should also read this thread some of it is relevant (like the limitations of the Arm Rest insert) to what you should know about MINI Connected. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ed-thread.html