nathan is very correct. you need an iphone to take full advantage. That being said. I love mine and would not want my car with out it. Yes i turn my radio off when driving the twisties but on the highway i need my tunes. It's worth it just for the rest of the package. The h/k system is pretty darn good for no subs.
I choose to remain disconnected. My car came with a radio at no cost, $1000 seems like a lot of money for what you get. Not a fan of driver distractions either. Although to be honest I am somewhat of a luddite who shuns new tech. :wink:
I'd be in a dilemma if I were buying. I don't like the large speedometer and I want a display integrated with car functions. There is so much potential with just having a display screen. However, MINI Connected has such a badly designed interface. This person has been blogging about his experience with MINI Connected: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
If I were to order a new MINI again I would spend/choke down the 2K and get MiniConnect w/NAV. Gauge readings and a NAV unit without a tangle of wiring.
I don't need connect or nav in my MINI... I rather have that "wall clock" in the middle than a lame LCD screen... I love that clock, for the looks of course! All I need to pay attention is a little rpm gauge, Jcw gauge next to it and my scan gauge on the top...
I agree with most of you. I ended up not going for it. Just not enough pros for me to make the extra money worth it. Not to mention that the "wall clock", which actually looks like one I do have on my wall, is a pretty cool accent piece that might not be coming back in the 2013 models.
I love having the Nav in my 2008, but it does a lot such as show my TPM status, Large Radio, All service messages, Bluetooth info, and back up sensors.
The Connect does have it's draw backs such as iPhone vs Android, but after having this older generation (pre-Connect) I sorely miss not having it when I am given a base loaner to drive at the dealer.
You know what's [almost] sold me on my upcoming third MINI's MC?
iphone jailbreak hack to port video out. That's where it goes from being a modestly useful ipod interface (actually, not really any more useful than the previous/standard ipod integration through the head unit; just looks nicer with album art on display) with 99% other features I have no interest in, to something intriguing.
iphone video out means not only optimized ipod functions interface, but NAV porting...
