We just completed 1000+ miles over three days participating in MTTS2012, and had a blast. It also let us try out some things: a)Two adults and a lanky teenager in a MINI hardtop: done. Both rear seatbacks upright, we had just a small 24-can cooler in the back seat to share space with the rear seat passenger. Pillows for each passenger. And yes, the lanky teenager spent a good part of each day sleeping; my experience is that house cats, Kentucky bloodhounds, and teens all have an infinite capacity for sleep. It also helped that both passengers (females) share an admirable trait for packing lightly...that's not always the case, I've heard. b) Another round of testing smartphone nav solutions, and my conclusion: still, nothing beats a dedicated GPS unit. With the more common no-maps-loaded type of smartphone app, you're at the mercy of your data connection. That's fine when you're in town on the usual commute, and the native nav on the 'droid (what I'm using currently, I'm back/forth between iOS and Android every six months or so) is pretty good, even remarkable in some aspects (arrive at your destination, and it likely will have a streetside photo of the building you're trying to find). But not fine when you're in central IA or IL and there's no data signal. Then, you're back to normal navigational means: maps, dead reckoning, whatever. I was surprised how often, still, there were gaps of several minutes / miles where my droid couldn't help me navigate due to not having maps of the area (that it couldn't download without a data signal). Even with good data coverage or the rare 'droid app that has its own maps, it's a pain to keep the nav app / screen on top, when the phone is also providing music or helping passengers stay up to date on Facebook or email. It's not painful to get it back to the top, just annoying. The last straw was: it decided to stop cooperating when it suffered a low-battery condition, shutting off the GPS to save that current draw. It did offer a (very small) warning that this had occurred, but a first glance I just saw that I was seeing the same map and potential next turn for a very long time. So for the next voyage, we'll have a dedicated GPS on board. That'll let the 'droid just be an entertainment device, and the GPS can do what it does best. Modern ones (I'll get one, my last was purchased in 2004, a StreetPilot 27xx for all the motorcycling rides) have voice commands, route very quickly, incorporate traffic notices, and so on. Continually provide time to turn, time to destination, next turn, what lane to use, what the exit looks like, next exit services, nearest lodging/food, include vias and stops. Customizable screens / options. And of course still, can route you very wrong or very odd, nothing takes the place of some general idea of where you're going. c) Secondary roads coming home, running LEO-friendly 65 or so, I was averaging 38-39 mpg, WOW. Tank range 550 miles, on my MCS with the JCW tuning kit, and full of humans and gear, I was impressed! d) Time for an oil change this weekend...it's second since new, at 7600 miles or so (was changed at 1200 miles). I'll work in a first tire rotation with this also. No oil consumption that I can see from dipstick readings, happy for that. e) Given all the attention I've been paying to detailing, polishing, waxing, etc. from having my MINI in two car shows in June, it did feel odd to take it on the 7 miles of varied gravel roads on the way to our favorite GSD kennel in Iowa (Royal Air, in Grinnell, breeders of large, family dog German shepherds). It got...really dusty. :eek6: I found a touchless car wash in Grinnell itself and got it somewhat presentable. I had to keep reminding myself of Mini's rally heritage to take my mind off all the gravel "pinging" on the undercarriage. Sorta random...it's that kind of afternoon.
And of course still, can route you very wrong or very odd, nothing takes the place of some general idea of where you're going. Yup, our Garmin got lost in the Ozark mountains, on roads that went from point A to point B...:lol:
Yes, my Garmin told us to leap off a scenic overlook on the Cherohala Skyway. When we declined and took the long way around the hairpin turn, it recalculated and added 20 minutes to our ETA. Thanks, ljmattox, for the updates and thoughts on MTTS 2012!
You're welcome, I wished we'd driven further east and taken in a few more stops. We will think about that for next time, there was a definite vibe, and a good one, among the whole-route drivers. The daytime route sheets were full of fun things to see...who wouldn't want their picture taken with the Kool-Aid guy?
Almost 40 mpg on the highway?! That's awesome! My 09 S only got 28 mpg going to Des Moines for the MTTS event there.
The key to high fuel mileage seems to be the 65mph......my S only gets about 30 if I'm over 70 mph, under that speed it goes way, way up! I agree with getting a dedicated GPS, I've been very happy with my Garmin 1390, it not only has blue tooth so I can use it as a hands free for the phone, but it also can be tied to the car's OBDII via a bluetooth dongle, that lets me see all sorts of interesting info, like water temp, intake air temps, boost pressure and so on right on the Garmin - very cool! The larger display and location make it easy to read at a glance too, without taking my eyes off the road. It also has a built in speedometer (cause we all know how accurate the ones in our cars are) and it lets you know the speed limit on the road you're driving. Very helpful in areas you've never driven before. OH, and if you get an L or LT model it comes with free lifetime map updates! Sounds like you all had a wonderful trip and MTTS experience!
I think you're onto something with the above-70, this was the best I'd gotten over a full tank. I finally bought fuel with 508 showing, estimating 31 more miles left, 38.9 mpg. Calm wind, cruise control on 65'ish and then commuting when I got back (90% freeway, again, 65'ish typically). With some google of reviews and what's what, I ended up buying a Garmin 2595LMT, and started fooling with it this weekend. Very impressed so far: fast routing, bluetooth connects with my phone "instantly", voice commands work very well, the menu system is much easier to use than my old Garmin (StreetPilot 27xx series, very out of date). I found some internet resources (one here, in fact) to get a MINI for the map display vehicle, and I'm now looking for a British voice command set (there's one available for the Waze smartphone app, and it's a hoot with passengers to have nav commands rendered in UK-speak!) I have the EcoRoute OBD-II connector device also, I like it once connected but it isn't working seamlessly yet. I'll figure it out. The setup is doing what I'd hoped: take the Nav + phone functions off my smartphone, which can now just be used to bluetooth stream some audio (MP3s, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, whatever) while we're traveling. We've got another road trip (to MPLS) in a couple of weeks, I should be ready to write an actual review after that.