I bought mine (slightly) used (3500 mi.) and it did not come with the Nav. It does, however, have the Bluetooth option. I simply waited for a good deal on a Garmin from Amazon and scooped one up. I got the Nuvi 760 wide-screen, shiny black model. It cost me all of $175 and I'm really QUITE satisfied with its looks, performance, and price.

Another big bonus is that because it has a re-chargeable Li-On battery, I can easily un-snap it from it's mount and take it with me for day hikes, going into un-familiar malls, etc. Simply mark your car's parked location and the GPS will get you back to your car every time.

And, as others have mentioned, it can also be moved easily from car to car and getting map updates is a breeze from Garmin. If $$ is at all an issue, I'd say go with a 3rd party GPS and save the $$ for the important stuff like dinners with the wife and that big-screen TV you've been lusting after...<g>

-RW-

 

This is old, but man I had a base loaner given to me and I can't believe how much I really enjoy my LCD screen functionality!!! Once you have the NAV (even if you don't use it) you will love the other functions of it. Spec'ing out one today I would definitely get the Connect. The nav...meh.






Can't read the icons, but they are green and say ok:


Here is a shot when my blinker light went out. I scroll and find this alert. Very nice for the end user.

 

The clubbie we just traded in didn't have it. Since we recently bought another car that does have Nav + Sirius FM, we found ourselves not using the MINI as much. So when we traded in the '09 for a 2013 Clubman, we were certain we wanted the Nav. To help pay for it, we left off the sunroof and the automatic climate control, two features we had on the '09 but realized we could easily live without. We are much happier with Nav (and all the other modern goodies it brings) than without.

 

I Decided to leave it off my 2013 MCS. I prefer the combination of Google navigation + Waze I use on my phone to any of the dedicated systems I've seen. Google Navigation is updated regularly, and Waze gives me real time information on traffic, accidents, speed traps and more.

I'll figure out the best way to mount the phone in the car after I get it. Perhaps a big square of velcro right in the middle of the speedo.

 

The pics of the NAV in post#27 appears to be the older version of Mini's NAV. The newer 2011+ is alot better in function and operation once you get use to it. Personally I rarely use it but I do like how it integrates the mini connect and bluetooth function.

 

You are correct! Those pics are of my 2008.

This youtube video shows the new version in detail:

 

And here is a pic of the backup sensors if you have them. I am guessing the newer version might look a bit different as well.

 

It's clear that there are two schools here - those who have the Nav and love it and those who don't have the Nav and don't see the value. We have 2 Clubman's - one with and one without. To me it boils down to do you want technology in your car or said differently how much do you value information when you drive.

I really enjoy the Nav system because of all the information that it provides. The interface is easy - once you master it - and aesthetics are fun and still functional. The addition of the Nav changes the overall feel of the interior. Some people have said much more of a luxury car feel - I would agree.