[Tony2]

Just wondered if people with Sat Nav think it is worth the extra money?

Does it use postcodes and DVD rather than CD.

I have changed my spec so many times, but also thining about Sat Nav.

[abs0lutely]

I've spec'd it in mine, pics coming after handover on Wednesday.

Looks stunning - afaik same type as in other BMWs (so DVD). Takes road name/house number/area. Not postcode afaik.

Best thing about it is how sleek it makes the interior look! Ok, yes the big speedo is ab-fab! But I do love having the big screen in the centre with the speedo moved up onto the wheel.

Have satnav on another car... can't live without it now :P

[maxsendq]

I to would recogmend it. Love it to bits, and if you order it you will get TMC as well.

[rentagas]

Sat Nav is brill
At present they are only supplying the UK CD (2004-1) which DOES NOT support TMC. Insist on one that does. The BMW 2004-2 DVD Europe does work (very well) in the mini but they will need a lot of arm twisting to change. Best idea is to look shocked and upset and show them the supplemenatry nav booklet which will be in your document pack=ask why it does not work if it's an advertised feature.

[Andy@Ross-Tech.com]

Nav rules!

[ALD0]

Sat Nav rules but what not Pay £1400 odd pound for it-And now they have got rid of the Shark Fin

[abs0lutely]

Excuse me for being stupid, but what does TMC stand for? Is it the unit that doesn't support it, or the CD provided?

(wants the best!)

[ALD0]

TMC-Traffic master something

[si-jar]

Dont waste your money on the BMW sat nav which is £1400. I purchased a Tomtom go 3 weeks ago and it is fantastic. It gives you a 3D picture of the road ahead and is so detailed that you can read the road ahead (ie look for a straight stretch of road ahead to overtake). My next door neighbour has the BMW system and the Tomtom go is far better.

[mra]

unless you do many many miles why bother?

An A-Z will cost around a fiver and can be fully transfered to any other car !!!!

I think it spoils the look of the mini interior and you will never recoup the cost at sale time. If it adds #100 to the price I would be surprised (although it would obv be easer to sell than a non equiped car)

If you really have a poor sense of direction and you need a robot to tell you where to drive then I would g for a tom tom device.

just my opnion though

mra

[colorblind]

TMC = Traffic Message Channel.... it´s Traffic Information provided through the Radio (> therefore you need the new headunit) that allows the Sat Nav to provide a Dynamic Route. Problem: Often the Traffic Information comes too late or is not deleted fast enough so sometimes it´s not very helpfull.

I personally think the Sat Nav spoils the Interior of the MINI...a Square drilled into a Circle
When you drive MINI you have to get the Center Speedo....especially for it´s nice look at night

The TomTom Spoils the Interior too...so i´m going to buy a Aftermarket Sat Nav 1 DIN Unit like the Alpine INA N333R or the Becker DTM High Speed which you can Control over the Multifunction Steering Wheel. You get the same for 1/4 of the Price and the Standard Speakers of the MINI will Sound double good than a H/K System from MINI that is the only (and Bad) choice for better Sound if you get the MINI Sat Nav.

[rentagas]

I have a Tom Tom for my Golf and think it is OK whilst I appreciate it is the Pocket PC version which only cost a total of £299 (all in). It puts wires, holders receivers all over the cabin. It has crashed a couple of times at irritating times and once needed an entire factory reset of the pocket PC. In a converitble with the roof up or down you want as little as possible for theives to nick, otherwise there is a lot of stuff going into the glovebox when you park.
The BMW sat nav just works, no trailing wires, no boxes on dashboards no adding extra maps when going to Europe (assuming you have the DVD) and no sat nav screen blocking the speedo view. In addition I think it looks great.

TMC_RDS like RDS itself is slow to update but is better than nothing and for me was an unexpected bonus.

[dwbrown]

I've just had a Tom Tom Go delivered.
Absolutely superb, first thing I did was drive from oxford to north wales, it did not put a wheel wrong.
Would highly recommend it to anyone.

Cheerz - Brownz

[abs0lutely]

Ah, so I can just switch on TMC_RDS on my radio and it'll update the Sat Nav with traffic info? No extra sub required?

I love the look of the standard MINI sat nav. I've spec'd my car to just over £25k, and will be getting the JCW tuning kit and wheels, so I don't think I care about resale value somehow!

That centre speedo looks stunning, but I was never at ease with having to look away from the road to see how fast I was going. I was even less at ease with passengers staring at it (as they do) - it's like driving with your mum in the car!

The Tom Tom system does sound good (I haven't seen it myself), but having had another BMW with Sat Nav I know what to expect and I know that it's more than good enough for me. I have a hopeless sense of direction I also like to take factory fitted options so they're covered under the warranty and I have recourse if they rattle etc

[rentagas]

See the thread in Interior/ICE
But to have TMC-RDS working you need

05 (CD?) Boost ie post July 04 build
Sat Nav
Current Firmware
2004-2 CD or DVD navtech disc (ie the current BMW disc)

The latter is currently not being supplied with new cars (they supply the 2004-1 CD in the UK) but people have been promised an update disc
You turn it on from the sat nav menu
The CD Boost is a single tuner model and since Classic FM is the only UK channel broadcasting TMC you need to be listening to this or a CD to get the info.

An advantage of Tom Tom over the Mini system is that you can add fixed camera sites as a "point of interest" on the Tom Tom avoiding the need for a seperate detector eg Road Pilot, Snooper etc.

Oh and there is no subscription required, alternative versions of TMC get the inf by telephone ie TMC-GSM-which do require a subscription. The £2000 Pioneer sat nav tested by top gear a few weeks ago (the pigeon edition) was a TMC-RDS based system and the "sunday times" tested a similar system a few weeks ago.

[nat]

I had sat nav in my old MCS & although only the CD version it was excellent-we went to france using it & didnt look at a map once, had stress free motoring esp in the French cities & it also helps with planning journey times.

I have DVD with TMC in my BMW which is much quicker than the old CD based system & love it. Will never buy a car again without it!!

I love the look of it in the MINI & also like the OBC being on the screen with all details showing rather than on the dials by the wheel.

[Davislove3rd]

I too am currently debating what sat nav system to get too...............very tempted by the Tom Tom Go and heard good reviews, but a little concerned about it being stuck on the windscreen and spoil the look of the interior...............my other option is the Becker Traffic Pro units that are DIN sized with CD / Radio and nav but the installation seems a little complex and would involve pulling interior trim about...................errrrr what to do!!!

[dwbrown]

I'll take a photo of mine fitted in the Mini to show how un-obtrusive the Tom Tom Go really is.
Personally I think its the best gadget I've ever owned. (& I'm a serious gadget freak).

[dwbrown]

Hi,

Here are the photo's as promised.

[ALD0]

Looks ok

Has it got night mode on it?