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General MINI TalkShared experiences, motoring minutes, and other general MINI-related discussion that applies to all MINIs, regardless of model, year or trim.
Okay, I've had my Mini for a year and a half now and I just gotta ask this: How many of you actually use the big speedometer in the middle? I sure don't!
I have an '05 with the chrono pack so I don't have the large speedo, mine has all the different gauges in what would be the speedo but honestly I've never really liked the look of it. I've had loaners with it and never gotten into it.
Mines got the chrono pac also. I love the look of the big center one but its not as functional. Looks like most who commented on this thred have the chrono. Most who have the big one hate on the chrono but I love mine. Esp with the refresh on the 05-06 models, looks great at night with the LEDs shineing on it. The each his own...
I use that little digital speedo in the tach. The big speedo ends up being a way for my daughter to say, daddy the speed limit is 65. And I say, right...73. It's going to come back and haunt me later.
I don't have a Mini (yet!) but i think the big speedo is great ascetically but not very useful in reality. It's a good thing they also allow the speed to be displayed in the tach.
I don't really look at it much... actually never . And a while back just after I got it, someone made fun of it saying it looked like it should belong on Flava Flaves neck.....
I love looking at the temp recently because it's getting warmer, so I find myself looking at the centre speedo because my tach has the temp.
If I need to know an accurate speed (based on cops hiding, etc) I will look at the centre tach, but I drive based on the revs and which gear I'm in for speed as I know how fast I am usually going just based on that.
I don't like the look of the chrono pack, but I like the extra guages.
While the large center speedometer is one of the "trade marks" of a MINI, it is too far out of my field of vision. To check my speed, I have to take my eyes off the road for too long, to look over to the center, and orient my vision for it (because I am looking at it at a pretty sharp angle... I think its called Parallax distortion?).
I loved the big speedo in my R53 and never looked at the digital. On my new R56, I have the Connected with NAV so the speedo is around the edge of the screen, still trying to get used to it.
On my new R56, I have the Connected with NAV so the speedo is around the edge of the screen...
MINI Connected +1 . It makes far better use of the real estate devoted to the speedo gauge, and it just plain looks better too. And with the occasional corner-of-the-eye glances over to the moving map, audio selections, etc. I'm much more likely to notice the position of the speedo pip...much more so than the center stack gauge in my old 1st Gen MINI.