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CurtP · Jan 3rd, 2003, 05:25 PM

Well -- a couple of things:

It's more expensive than the factory installed NAV.
It's not an all-in-one setup either -- the drive for the NAV is separate and will have to be mounted remotely.
It's a Pioneer.

Not trying to sound like anti-Pioneer, but I have two Pioneers now -- an older high-end HU that has recently decided to stop working. The display stays on, but the sound quits working. Verified wiring, reset the unit, problem still persists. From the day after the warranty expired, this particular HU would reject CDs after it was used for awhile. Liked the HU, disappointed in the build quality.

The other HU is a fairly new Pioneer Elite, and it's just a POS. It hums consistanly through the speakers whenever it's turned on (even when muted) and Pioneer's response is "that's normal operation". Yes, I've checked my grounds, connections and filters. I like the build quality of this one, but hate the ergonomics and sound quality. I think this unit is getting ready to be retired to the Cherokee (where the other Pioneer now resides).

There is an all-in-one unit though, and it's cheaper than the factory installed satnav (by a whole $100

). The Harmon Kardon TrafficPro (aka, Becker TrafficPro in the UK). It doesn't have a pop-out display though.

Another alternative would be a Garmin unit like the GPSV (does point-to-point, but has a smallish display) or the Street Pilot III (nice color display, does point-to-point and has voice prompting, but is rather large and may be hard to incorporate in the MINI). I have the GPSV, and am considering the SPIII, but haven't made up my mind for sure. I'm also contiplating trading in my MCS in a year or two anyway...

Jan 3rd, 2003, 05:25 PM	#2
CurtP MINI2 Master Join Date: Oct 2002 Local Time: 12:16 PM Posts: 951 Offline	Well -- a couple of things: It's more expensive than the factory installed NAV. It's not an all-in-one setup either -- the drive for the NAV is separate and will have to be mounted remotely. It's a Pioneer. Not trying to sound like anti-Pioneer, but I have two Pioneers now -- an older high-end HU that has recently decided to stop working. The display stays on, but the sound quits working. Verified wiring, reset the unit, problem still persists. From the day after the warranty expired, this particular HU would reject CDs after it was used for awhile. Liked the HU, disappointed in the build quality. The other HU is a fairly new Pioneer Elite, and it's just a POS. It hums consistanly through the speakers whenever it's turned on (even when muted) and Pioneer's response is "that's normal operation". Yes, I've checked my grounds, connections and filters. I like the build quality of this one, but hate the ergonomics and sound quality. I think this unit is getting ready to be retired to the Cherokee (where the other Pioneer now resides). There is an all-in-one unit though, and it's cheaper than the factory installed satnav (by a whole $100 ). The Harmon Kardon TrafficPro (aka, Becker TrafficPro in the UK). It doesn't have a pop-out display though. Another alternative would be a Garmin unit like the GPSV (does point-to-point, but has a smallish display) or the Street Pilot III (nice color display, does point-to-point and has voice prompting, but is rather large and may be hard to incorporate in the MINI). I have the GPSV, and am considering the SPIII, but haven't made up my mind for sure. I'm also contiplating trading in my MCS in a year or two anyway...