is $1700 worth the price?
or get the aero kit, either one~

 

I sprung for the Nav- at first I was disenchanted with it- not a great interface ( though it's a personal thing, I've read many opinions on handhelds, touchscreens and MINI factory- some love it, some hate it.), but it's slowly been earning it's place. Very useful for finding things in cities you are unfamiliar with (looking up supermarkets, post offices, gas stations, etc. I was starving going through bakersfield once and it found a shopping center I wouldn't have seen from the road).

It has it's quirks, but I'm getting to like it more. When I first got it I'd turn it on in a familiar place so I could see how it interpretes locales I know. I use it much more when I'm unfamiliar with the terrain, although just today i used it heavily while finding some backroads very near my house.

It's routing is sometimes a little wack- I've had it tell me to make a u-turn when I was clearly going the right direction, some of the routes it picks are not the ones you might want to take, but it will get you there eventually. Depends on how much you think you are going to use it. Are you the type of person who trip-tiks their road trip or do you fly without a map?

Bottom line, while I haven't found it amazing, it does come in very handy sometimes. $1700 worth of handy? your call.

As for the aero kit, it didn't do much for me- the stock skirt is pretty sporty, so I went with that.

Hope this helps.

 

I put in a Pioneer AVIC N-2 with Nav and love it. Didnt op for the factory Nav(although no experience with it). I also now have Aero sides and the Aero grill after 4 months of ownership. Thats the route I took anyway.

 

At this point, your real decision is whether or not to get the factory Nav. The aero kit is something you can install any time in the future. That is not possible with the factory Nav (difficulty and cost of OEM Nav retrofit would be prohibitive).

Do you want a Nav system, and it is just a question of choosing between factory and aftermarket? The primary value of the factory Nav is that it is built-in and integrated with the dash. How important is that to you, or is performance, features and price of the Nav unit a higher priority?

 

Got my factory nav in my 2006 MCSc and love it. Would never get a Mini without it. But only if I could afford it.

 

GPS - gets you where you want to go, can find things (gas stations, hotels) if you're off driving somewhere.

Aero kit - looks pretty

I don't really see the intersection between the two. I love the Nav, but as has been said, you can get cheaper in an aftermarket solution (if you don't mind wires and less security- i.e. you have to take it with you.)

 

I'm glad the NAV was in the car I got. It does come in handy when you’re out motoring and you’re in an unfamiliar place. I don’t like the speedometer in the middle of the dash so having the NAV there makes it look better to me. As other said, it’s easier to get the aero kit installed later than the NAV.

 

I CHOSE AERO KIT INSTEAD..HAVE NOTHING AGAINST
NAVIGATION..BUT IT WOULD BE USED OCCASIONALLY..
NOT WORTH THE EXTRA 'DOH-RAY-ME'..!!!

 

I had an aftermarket GPS for my Camaro and was happy with it but not thrilled with the add-on look. I have the nav on my 05 and on my wife's 06. We love them (yes there are quirks) and now can't live without them.