My Garmin is also touchscreen, for $129.00. Imagine that, in 2011. Sheeesh....

 

You also got to get it out and stick it to the windshield, which is against the law in some states. You also do not have google search and can check facebook and twitter. I admit this may be useless to some. You can listen to your ipod and it will show you the album cover on the screen. You can get news updates and the car will read them to you out loud you can tell it to call a person and it will. You can not do this with the regular bluetooth. When you have a problem with the car it will show it to you on the screen. If you have a tire low it will tell you which one. This can not be done with the regular system. The regular system will tell you that a tire is low, but not which one. I owned a 2008 with out this system and now a 2011 with it. This puts my 2008 to shame. You must realize that you are getting much more than a Nav system when you are buying this. Nav is less than a quarter of what this system does. You are buying MINI CONNECT with Nav.

 

I also want to add that I own a garmin and a pioneer touchscreen. I am glad it is not a touch screen in my Mini. Most people will try to use it while driving. It is very hard to try to use a touchscreen on the go. I find that the joystick in the mini is the best way to use it. My truck has a touch screen and it seems like everytime you go to push it you hit a bump and push the wrong area. You have to consentrate more of where you are press. It is very easy to use the Mini system. You really don't need to look.

 

Agreed My hand is already down by the shifter so I find the joystick very intuitive and easier than touch screens in other cars I've been in. All you have to do is rotate it to zoom in or scroll.

 

One more thing and I will shut up. The Nav on the newer cars is different than the older ones. In some aspects it is the same, but in a lot it is different. In 2011 it was changed to the MINI Connect. With this feature it can be cahged to do different things with an app update. 3 times since it was released they have updated the app to do different things. I feel that in the future it will do much more. BMW/MINI have made this app open to anyone who wants to develope it. It works with Pandora and now MOG. I have a feeling that soon you will be able to do text messages by just speaking. Maybe even get weather in the future.

 

Let's see, I don't text (I have the phone with the "big buttons" ), I'm not on Facebook, and I don't care about the album cover when I listen to a song, BUT I would like to know which tire is low. This is especially important with RF's (which I won't have) because you can't tell by looking at them. So, last night I got myself all set up and ordered the Garmin Nuvi 1490LMT, EcoRoute and the Craven Speed mount. Total outlay - $362 including tax and shipping. I think if I could have gotten just the Nav for $750, I would have done so, but I really didn't need the $2,100 package.

 

Interesting. The overwhelming response is that people are Not happy with the factory Nav.

To be honest, I got this option for two reasons, factory integration and resale value (more people would be interested in Nav than perhaps heated seats)

I too was surprised that it doesn't specify street names while giving out directions. That is a common feature for navigation systems. And no auto night mode...come on. I'm hoping these two things are easily rectified in an update to come

Interesting article, even more so that BMW/MINI is not on the list
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/22/a...-ui/#continued

 

+1 across the board (less owning the pioneer). I do not regret getting the factory Nav in my '11 MCS. I've kept my expectations realistic for a factory integrated system, and the more it's used the more intuitive the various options and screen layers become. Like SOJ, I can manipulate the joystick and home/page buttons by feel now. The system does everything I need, and I'm not missing the things I don't need. The cherry on top is the fact that the center speedo with integrated Nav looks 1000 times better than the standard pizza pan.

 

The nav on the '11 was one thing because you could get it as a separate option as I recall. The problem with the '12 is that you have to buy the $2,100 Connect package to get the nav. I have no need at all for Connect so $2,100 for nav system is a boatload of money, with or without street names. I couldn't help but wonder if they packaged it this way to make more sales of the Connect system to people who just had to have the built in nav.

 

In retrospect, if I knew how much of a pain in the *** it was gonna be to install a new radio I may have just gone with the OEM navi. Well, TBH, it's not hard, I just want a single DIN kit, not a double DIN kit so it's more that I'm picky than it's hard.

This might just be me, but I think the speedo on the navi cars is less than worthless. I know you have the digtal one in the tach, but that "rabbit running around the track" turned me off as soon as I saw it.

 

Right, but I'd want the interlock bypassed and that's not possible yet.

 

This is because of German law. Every German car reads fast. Hell, every car I've ever owned reads fast. Some more than others but my JCW reads exactly 5kph over actual speed. What's the big deal though? Seriously. Even if your speedo was off 8MPH at 60MPH is it hurting anything? You're driving a little slower than advertised but that's it. The odometer, which is the important part, is accurate, however.

 

I think most everyone relies on the digital readout on the tachometer for real-time reference while motoring anyway. So the speedo function on the center gauge might as well be as minimal and unobtrusive as it can be. Thus, I really like the fact that the "rabbit" and and outer ring occupies a much smaller percentage of the total gauge face real estate than the giant-sized Non-Navi speedo. The digital display looks far more state-of-the-art, IMHO.

 

I guess I'm just weird, but I use the analog speedo all the time which is odd since all of the speed limits are in KPH over here and I have the digital speedo set to KPH. If I was designing it I'd eliminate the rabbit altogether and do a combo analog tach/digital speedo by the steering wheel.

 

Hi, everyone. Could you please help me out. How can I update the navigation DVD? I just purchased my first car, and it's an used 2005 MCS that came with a factory navi system.

 

Anyone reading this who is deciding on whether to get the NAV or not in their MINI, or looking for alternatives if you don't have it, here is what I found, and I am really happy... (I came from a factory NAV in another car, and while convenient to have in-dash, it was not perfect)...

iPhone > TomTom APP > ProClip (for iPhone. It installs in a place that is perfect for the length of the Y-cable).

Hook-up to your MINI stereo via the Y-cable, put on iPod mode, and the TomTom app speaks through your car's speakers. (the conundrum to get it thru the speakers is you have to listen to your iPod/iPhone instead of the radio or Sirius, not a big deal for me.)

The TomTom app installs maps onto the iPhone and does not use your data plan, whereas the Garmin does use data (yikes). And the best part (coming from a factory NAV in another car - it speaks street names!

 

Funny, I was just having this discussion with two friends, one who has a new Lexus IS250 and another who has a (gently used) Mercedes. They both hate their factory navigation systems. My Lexus friend said his flat out will be one or two turns behind at times. My dad's BMW X3's Nav is TERRIBLE, he just uses it to get an idea of where he is (never uses the turn-by-turn). I drove a Fiesta a while ago and had to turn off the Nav because it would constantly get me lost.

If you want a navigation system buy a Garmin.

 

My MINI nav has always been right on target. I've never missed a turn because of it. Does everyone on here live where streets are 10 ft apart from each other? I feel that with the pop-up pictures and notifications that it'd be challenging to make the wrong turn IMO.

 

10 feet, no, 100 feet, yes. Downtown Atlanta is a pain in the ***. One of the few cities I know that wasn't built on a grid.

 

ener0217, you will need to get the dvd set (divided in East & West) to update it. The official set will cost you $200 from mini (http://store.minigpsmaps.com/prod_01...249ED52841A4E1) but at that price is kind of expensive

I got mine from a friend that owns a BMW and get free updates from his dealer (not common). You can find the set at ebay but be aware that several sellers are selling older versions or the dvd separate for up to $130/each