If you have the navigation system, was it worth it? Any input for someone considering that option?

Thanks! :smile:

 

yes, definately worth it. It is very intuitive, easy to use. And the search function on it is great, very useful. I've used it sooo many times, when i wanna visit a college my friend goes to jsut search it up, click, and it tells me how to get there. When i was driving in an unknown place i wanted a mobil station so i could use my speed pass, searched it, bam, got it. Very useful indeed.

 

I would only consider it if I had a REAL need for it, either for work or leisure reasons (Ex, frequent road trips).


The MINI NAV is cool, works well but it is pricey at $1,600. There are much better aftermarket alternatives from Garmin and Magellan for half the cost of the factory NAV and best of all...these GPS devices have full color lCD screens, voive prompts and are fully portable...can be taken for use out of the car...and best of all, you don't lose the center speedo!


The MINI NAV is annoying when not in use and that screen smack in the middle of the dashboard detracts from the design. The steering mounted speedo is actually hard to read because it is smaller.

 

I have nicked named my nav "no nagivation". Very intuitive, very easy to use and accurate. No more second guessing while trying to read the Thomas Guide at stop lights or trying to read printrd diections in the dark. Tell it where you want to go and you are on your way. It recalculateds should you decide to take a bit of a diversion on that new twisty it just shown you.
The steering wheel mounted speedo is easy to see and read. Having the speedo hidden from your copilot helps them to not become jittery when your flying through the twisties. Besides, the cops can't see it like they can the center mounted speedo!!!!!
Yes, it was worth the extra $ for me.

 

I personally didn't want the center speedo, so I went with the nav. I think it's very well integrated into the overall design of the dash.

My only wish was that if I got my MCS a year later, I woulda had a DVD based Nav vs. a CD based one.

 

I like the nav system so much i had to go out and buy a garmin street pilot 3 portable for the rest of the cars. You have no idea how many times you use it. Randy

 

I love my NAV and I like it in place of the center mounted speedo. AND I got the cool Sharkfin. HAHAHAHA. Seriously, I've used my NAV so much--from driving 4,551 miles across the USA through unfamiliar cities, to even just getting around in Los Angeles, where 1 way streets rule down town LA and are majorly confusing, to even just visiting a new friend in a part of town I haven't been. Finding freeway on ramps/off ramps is a breeze. I don't need Mapquest or my Thomas Guide anymore, and while it's not 100% accurate, it's accurate enough to get me to where I need to be in the cases that it can't find the address.

Plus, now I know just how far 100 feet is or even 1/4 mile!

Finally, I agree there are less costly/more powerful solutions out there (newest Pioneer looks awesome!!), but nothing beats a fully integrated, theft proof system like the built in NAV, when it comes to parking and not having to dismantle it for fear of attracting thieves!

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I got no Nav. But I got an island 40 miles wide to drive on.
It's a hassle to drive off island. That requires a vessel with a propeller.

We do have some owners that have NAV and they love it. I would think that on a long drive out of state it would be helpful but here it can be good if you drive a mile or two off track.

 

I've got the Nav system... And I have the older CD based system which means instead of one disk covering the whole country (like the current DVD based system) I have a disk for each region of the country... It's irritating that if I drive just 30 miles or so from my home, I need to change disks because West Virginia is on a different disk.

When we got the Nav system initially we were disappointed with it. But that was becuase we were expecting it to be just like the Hertz Never Lost system. It wasn't, and trying to adjust to the differences was frustrating at first. However, once we learned that dealing with the "MINI Navigational Wench" was different from dealing with Never Lost, we've been pretty happy, and we intend to get the in car Nav system if/when we trade up...

Personally, I prefer the speedo on the steering wheel, and I prefer the shark fin antenna. Since there are even fewer Nav MINIs, it means my vehicle is even more unique even in a group of MINIs. I have ALK Co-Pilot Live on my PDA which I use in our Subaru... and I prefer the MINI system. First, it's less clutter in the car. For the PDA system I've got to mount the PDA on the dash somewhere, run power to the PDA (and invest in a cigarette lighter splitter, which is even more clutter) and a cable to the antenna which needs to be mounted somewhere as well.

True there are multiple GPS only solutions out there that don't have as many cables as a PDA, but you still need to mount the device itself, and in anything smaller than a Yukon, there's not a whole lot a real esatate available to you.

My biggest gripe with the factory system, map coverage. Some of last year's CD's are terrible, specifically the one for the South East. Entire counties in Florida have no usable data on them once you get off I-95 or US-1. I hear that the updated disks are better.

 

Everyone says that the MINI Nav system is expensive, but it seems that its about the same as the Garmin products that have equivalent features. And its integrated. Do other auto companies have less expensive (and feature conparable) solutions on the market?

Patrick

 

I have a Garmin 2610 I purchased off E-bay for $735. It sits on my dash nicely just to the right of the s. wheel. Does not interfere with the sight lines at all.
I love it. I used a permanent mount in the MINI. It also has a beanbag mount in case we want to use it the wife's SUV (the beanbag tends to fly off the dash during spirited driving).
You can program it on the fly inside the car and you can also create routes on your PC and download them to the unit via a USB cable.

 

To Nav or not to Nav...that is the question. I say NAV AWAY! I purchased the Garmin iQue 3600 and have never been happier. I thought about the Mini Nav system but I really didn't want to loose the center speedo. That to me is half of a Mini. How can a Mini not have a center placed speedo? However this is just my opinion for sure.

At a recent MMMC meet, one of our members had the Garmin Street Pilot 2610 and after seeing my tiny iQue for four months, his unit looked huge. The beanbag took up nearly half of his dash. You do get a (little) bigger screen with the 2610 over the iQue. I think if money wasn't an object, I would have gotten the Pioneer unit. That is simply amazing. However you can talking a lot of work and a lot of cash. The iQue cost me under $500 and the car mount was under $50. So about $510 total. Not a bad trade off to the Mini unit, and I get to move it to my other vehicles. One other thing to note. I borrowed my Mini MA's loaded MCS w/nav last month and I got a chance to play with the Mini Nav. It is a good system and I like how the voice comes over the radio while muting the music. However, finding an address was very challenging using the little ****. It's very annoying to use that little thing, compared to the iQue, where I can just write in the address with a stylus. Who has time to turn that **** to find each letter? Expecially when you are driving. Mini needs to modify the system to a touch screen. This would be much easier (and safer) for drivers.

There is a post about the street pilot and iQue here.

Anyone Nav?

The thread includeds a very detailed review of the iQue. Hope this helps.

 

Anybody know if they've resolved the antenna contention issue in the 2005s to allow both Nav and Sirius?

 

It's not a contention issue.

The reason why there is no "MINI recommended" option for Sirius is because MINI didn't feel that there was enough "penetration" of the NAV system to justify the development costs.

The Sirius system for non-nav equiped MINIs places the Sirius antenna in the base of the standard FM antenna on the roof. Since the Nav equiped vehicles don't have that base, that solution won't work.

I have an aftermarket plug and play Sirius unit in my car and it works just fine. I believe hafid actually went through the effort to put a satellite radio antenna inside his sharkfin... If you want satellite radio with our without Nav, it can be done, heck you can even pump either through the head unit so if functions just like the "MINI recommended" Sirius installation.

 

a paper map is at most $5.00 ,a phone booth has a phone book,if that doesn,t work, drive around in your MINI, have fun, you will get somewhere

 

Yeah but driving blind to explore new routes and shortcuts, and then having the NAV to bail myself out if I get hopelessly lost is PRICELESS!!!

Just as well, nothing like being lost or getting stuck in a cul de sac in gang territory on a Friday night at 1AM that will have you swear off a paper map--looking for that non existant overhead map light in your MINI!

 

>>I like the nav system so much i had to go out and buy a garmin street pilot 3 portable...

Can you compare the two systems (MINI Nav built-in v. Garmin)?

What was the cost difference? Which do you like better?

In other words, if you could pay $1600 and have the MINI system put into your other cars, would you do it? Or would you stick with the Garmin?

Can you move the Garmin around between cars?

 

>>a paper map is at most $5.00 ,a phone booth has a phone book,if that doesn,t work, drive around in your MINI, have fun, you will get somewhere

On a recent trip with a friend who was in the lead with a nav system, we first went South on a road we should have been going North. We had to go 14 miles for the first turn around point. Then we missed a major Interstate change and had to turnabout again. I’ll never let them live it down.

I’ve never needed one and though it may seem convenient, if you get your head out of the damn video screen you were brought up with and look out the window not only may you see the road signs, but this fantastic world as it passes you by.

NO I don’t have nav and I’ve never been lost… Only off the beaten track and loved the view you’ll never see.



_________________

 

>>>>a paper map is at most $5.00 ,a phone booth has a phone book,if that doesn,t work, drive around in your MINI, have fun, you will get somewhere
>>
>>On a recent trip with a friend who was in the lead with a nav system, we first went South on a road we should have been going North. We had to go 14 miles for the first turn around point. Then we missed a major Interstate change and had to turnabout again. I’ll never let them live it down.
>>
>>I’ve never needed one and though it may seem convenient, if you get your head out of the damn video screen you were brought up with and look out the window not only may you see the road signs, but this fantastic world as it passes you by.
>>
>>NO I don’t have nav and I’ve never been lost… Only off the beaten track and loved the view you’ll never see.

 

My wife has in-dash nav in her Lexus and I have a Garmin Street Pilot in my cas. I agree with sndwave that looking out the window is the preferable way to go. I seldom use my GPS in the car - - instead I use its software to print a map and use my eyeballs as my primary navigation system.

 

it's a personal thing. i love having NAV.... it's great and it's the most useful when you're stuck in traffic on a street b/c of an accident or road block or just traffic and you can look at the birds eye view and take a side road for a short cut or diversion, or just to go explore.

as far as the person taking you the wrong direction - that wasn't the NAV's fault, that was the person driving.

 

I used to love the nav. The English Wench who lived in the dash was very cool.

Now, there is some lady who speaks Brooklyn-ese. Really sucks. I used to turn it on just to hear her talk to me. I can't stand the current voicing.

 

I only do what the little nav voice tells me to do. I like knowing what's going on around me and should I chase something bright and shiny the nav gets me back on track very easily.

 

>>It's not a contention issue.
>>
>>The reason why there is no "MINI recommended" option for Sirius is because MINI didn't feel that there was enough "penetration" of the NAV system to justify the development costs.
>>
>>The Sirius system for non-nav equiped MINIs places the Sirius antenna in the base of the standard FM antenna on the roof. Since the Nav equiped vehicles don't have that base, that solution won't work.

I know. That's what I refer to as the antenna contention issue. It doesn't currently support both simultaneously - without going aftermarket.

Now, back to the question. Anybody know if they've resolved the issue in the 2005???

 

>>Can you compare the two systems (MINI Nav built-in v. Garmin)?
>>
>>What was the cost difference? Which do you like better?
>>
>>In other words, if you could pay $1600 and have the MINI system put into your other cars, would you do it? Or would you stick with the Garmin?
>>
>>Can you move the Garmin around between cars?


Greetings - I have had a Garmin street pilot III for about 3 years, the MINI for one.
The Garmin retails for around $1500 - but like most electronic gadgets, deep
discounts are available - I paid ~$800 for mine. The Garmin is easy to use, as is the
MINI DVD system. The biggest disadvantage of the Garmin is that it typically must sit
up on top of your dash, with its own power cord. The big advantage, of course, is that
you can easily move it from car to car. Personally, I almost never need a Nav system
except when we're on vacation - and many times, that means driving a rental. The Garmin is easily portable, and programmable from your laptop (it has a memory chip rather than a CD or DVD-based system of maps).
Personally, I'd rather pay $800 once and put up with a little inconvenience (having it
sit on the dash) every so often than pay $1600 - $2000 extra for each new car I buy for something I would rarely use - but would not want to be without when I need it.

Phil