H! I'm looking to order my MCS within the next 2 months and want some feedback on my specs. I'm largely decided on the colors but am still a little leery on the red leather with black (off black, actually) combination. Does anyone here have an astro black with the red lounge leather interior? How does it look? Pics? Also, does anyone know whether we HAVE to get the piano black if we get the red lounge leather? I see that it adds it automatically, but I really want the brushed alloy trim. Sorry for all the questions....and I'll probably have more later....(I'm a noob)

Thanks,

-Dee

SPECS

Astro Black/Body Color Roof and Mirrors
White Turn Signals

Packages:
Cold Weater Package: Heated front seats, Heated side mirrors and washer jets
Premium Package: Automatic AC, Dual pane panoramic sunroof, On-board Computer, 3-Spoke w/cruise and multifunction leather sport wheel
Sport Package: Dynamic stability control, Front fog lamps, Xenon headlamps w/power wash, 17" crown spoke wheels
Convenience Package: Comfort access system, Bluetooth mobile phone preparation, Universal garage door opener, Auto dimming rear view mirror, Rain sensor, Auto headlamps, Center arm rest

Performance:
Sport suspension
Front fog lamps
Rear fog lamps
Limited slip differential
6-speed manual

Cockpit:
Sport seats with lounge redwood red leather
On-board computer
Anthracite headliner
Dark grey color line
Interior surface brushed alloy
10-Speaker Hi-Fi sound system

MSRP: $30,950

 

how about int chrome ? might be a nice addition. othewise..looks great.
Piano black on the doors is mandatory w/lounge leather. PS..its gorgeous.

I went with the LL in black w/ cream trim and did cream colorline w/ english wood and int chrome to offset the cream seat piping.

 

Loose the sport suspension, add the Nav.

 

Thanks for the quick response!

Suspension - How much of a difference does it make? I figured at $500, I might as well just add it for the added handling...But I guess I can always get it after market if i need it in the future.

Nav - Is this one really worth the $2500? I was thinking I'll just get the Garmin as a dealer accessory. How does it look in the car? Functionality?

Trim - So I can't get the brushed alloy? The configurator let me add it.

 

Looks wise, the Nav looks ALOT better IMO. The large speedo with no nav screen just looks stupid really.

Bu personally, I could case less about the looks. I just CAN NOT see purchasing a car roday, without built in Nav, period. In fact, I don't understan why car companies are making it an option, that is just BS. IS it worth 2100? NO. IT cost them about $100, mabe 200 TOPS. When you buy 1000's, 100's of thousands of nav units from china, they do NOT cost much.

Remember, the nav unit works with the PDC (you get a nice graphic display on the screen when in reverse), it works with the bluetooth and address book, incoming calls....., the radio displays are on it.... So it's more than just a nav screen.

I just can't see not getting it, unless it's a money issue.

As for the sport suspension, unless your racing the car, why not get the more comfortable ride?

 

I'm not a fan of nav systems in general, their user interfaces have never really been very good for me. I would say keep your specs, I got the SS and no nav. It's a bit closed-minded to say that SS is no good unless you're racing your car, a lot of us like to drive spiritedly on the road every once in a while and the SS makes it that much more enjoyable

Everyone has their own opinions and preferences, and looking at your specs, JustDee, it seems you're pretty interested in getting good performance from your car. I say good choices and I wouldn't change a thing! I remember seeing a few Astro-Black with red lounge leather minis here on NAM, I'm sure you can find them in the numerous picture threads.

 

alot of suggestions out there---
16 inch wheels--add sport susup
17 inch no sport susp unless lots of tracking...do a search you will get lots of hits.

don't think you can get bnrushed alloy on dorrs but YES you can on dash trim w/ lounge leather

 

I have an Astro black R56 with Redwood Lounge on order. I went with piano black trim & headliner to keep the interior sharp and clean (IMHO).

I also went with SS, but no Nav. Although I prefer the look of the Nav screen as well, the price was too steep. It was either leatherette w/ Nav screen, or Lounge Leather with no Nav. I chose the latter. I prefer improving handling characteristics before asthethic changes.

To each his/her own, though! Thats part of the fun of ordering - making it exactly as you like it. The ***** part is the wait AFTER ordering!

 

I have sports suspension and 17" wheels and the ride is firm but not harsh. I never drove one without sports suspension, in fact never drove a 2007 MCS but picked one coming into the country without custom ordering so dont know how no sports suspension feels like. If I lived in a place with really bad pavement would be more concerned, but I dont. I dont know where you live, but if pavement is good, dont worry about the ride. The thing is that you are spending 30k already going high end, so go for it. I would consider the LSD (limited slip differential) as well but would stay away from built in NAV. I have never used one have never felt the need to own one. A long time ago, they invented something called a ROADMAP. There is also MAPQUEST. If you dont go to strange places a lot, NAV seems unnecessary to me.

 

You will find a bunch of opinions SS vs non SS and different wheels.
Try to find a dealer that has SS and non SS cars w/ 17s in stock and go from
there. Try to find some rough pavement and judge the ride difference
then see if you can feel the handling difference.

remember, your tires will not be new for long and as they age the ride will likely roughen up a bit. I am all for max. handling--I have driven n sports cars for 30 yrs. BUT opted to go with big wheels and no SS this time. If you want max handling, save the $500. and put it into aftermakt susp pieces. and lose the run flats and get super perf steet tires .

 

I would also recommend the NAV and Park Distance Control. I didn't think I had much use for a NAV, but partially got talked into it and partially got it because of the looks. I am really glad I got it because it integrates other features (HIFI, Bluetooth, and some OBC features) and makes it easier to set options for the onboard computer.

When you have Park Distance Control and the NAV you get a cool graphic of the car and how close you are to objects. The MINI is a small car, but visibility out the back is not great. Between the high-waist and back seat headrests, you can miss a lot. The cool factor of the PDC & NAV is high, but they are also useful.

Aesthetically, my feeling is that the standard speedo belongs in Mickey Mouse Goes to the Moon, and the NAV makes it a bit more Star Trek.

I tried to change my order to the Sport Suspension at the last minute, but I was too late. I live in an area with fabulous twisty roads. I'm very impressed with how well the stock suspension handles.

Whenever you test drive an MCS, make sure the Sport button is on.

Yesterday I picked up a friend who dropped his new RAV off at the dealer. He brought his new Garmin 3something NAV with him. We ran my NAV and his simultaneously, just to see how the differed. The Garmin has a choice of voices, the MINI NAV does not. He was using the Australian woman's voice and she pronounced "Salinas" and "Rinconada" as an Aussie tourist might if they'd never taken Spanish. The MINI NAV gets around such issues by just saying "Turn left in 700 ft." or "Turn left at the next street." There was a situation where saying the street name was actually confusing. I think I prefer not having the street names mentioned.

My friend lives on a private road. When he set the Garmin to guide us to his house, it warned us that it was in a "restricted area." Both NAVs reported that we had arrived at about 1,000 feet before we had. Something peculiar about the GPS location data for his house I guess. I've had the NAV be pretty accurate with other locations.

 

Although I agree about the sports suspension ... for the OP, you dont really need that. If you want a better ride, you can always go aftermarket for that ...

But nav? For the OP, I suggest you read this thread https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=103519

2K for Nav that gets you virtually nothing on resale and aftermarket units are much better if function is more important than form. 2K on a 22K car is a LOT of money for this option.

If its a personal taste issue ... well whatever you like is fine. Everyone has their own personal tastes.

 

It is true that $2100 is a lot of money. However, it is not true that aftermarket units are much better functionality wise. Almost none of them support inertial navigation. All the factory units do.

 

What do you mean by inertial navigation? Please explain. Do you mean when you lose the signal it tracks based on compass headings and wheel sensors. Garmin units do dead reckoning. Here is an example

If so, "all" factory units do not if you mean from any car maker (you may have to pay more money for that).

Although the current Nav is much better than the old and I do not know all its features, I am talking about things like sirf receivers, touch screen, etc. Car makers are always trailing edge. If you bought an R56, it was way behind the times. In two years, the current ones will remain behind the times while aftermarket continues to grow. How easy is it to add a backup camera? New features ... aftermarkets its just a software update. Case in point ... if you bought an 02 - 06 MINI and wanted say mp3 playing, traffic, touch screen etc ... your stuck with that same old 5 year old GPS. On my magallen, traffic is just another receiver and software update.

My point is in a few years, your stuck with that dinosour and in the electronics world, two years is a lifetime.

 

Yes, that is a concern. However, if you go with an add-on NAV you give up a lot of integration. So, in the hopes of getting cool new features in two+ years you give up some cool features now.

If a future NAV is really way ahead of current technology, you could buy an add-on then. However, I'm trying to imagine what a new NAV could have that would be so worthwhile. Mine works quite well, and has guided me around traffic jams in San Jose.

Also, the MINI NAV has a DVD player to initialize it. Software updates may or may not be available from BMW in the future.

There may or may not be significant improvements in NAVs in the coming years. Most likely, the enhancements will be minor and the price will drop as the market grows.

 

If you want the intergrated look, then by all means OEM is best.

The nav market in the last five years has exploded to include many things like mp3 players, picture viewer, BT, traffic, touch screen, voice ... and most have just builtin memory now. DVDs are ... well ... old fashioned in comparison to just having the maps in memory.

What does the future hold? nobody knows but if history serves, the electronics market always comes up with cool new features. Whether you need them or not is up to you. Try getting a backup camera for the OEM unit.

On the other hand, aftermarket can be a pain ... take it up, take it down ...but spending $2K vice $500 ... big difference, no?

I guess my point is that $2000 is a LOT of money on a $22K car (w/o options). I could see it if the car was a luxary car where GPS is just expected. I guess its a personal taste decision but I would sink the money into something else simply because electronics change way too often.

 

I was talking about integrated functionality, but looks is an issue as well.

 

I guess the other thing depends upon how often you actually use GPS. I am sure some ppl go to new places all the time but I would bet the average users does ... how often? A couple of times a month if that?

For the OP, I would factor this into any decision. While GPS certainly is becoming ubiqutious, at $2k is aint there yet like cell phones they give away.

I would certainly factor in the cost/benefits for that kind of cost.

What ever happened to paper maps?

 

Pretty much my thoughts on the subject, before I had it. I use it more than I would have expected.

 

Dad just got a magellan roadmate 2200 for $289. Works well. He will never have to buy a Nav on any car.
I got a stripper because I don't have money.

 

Might that be because of the "newness" of it?

I have both integrated OEM in one car and aftermarket in another. Going aftermarket also means you only buy one unit for all your cars ... another point.

In reality, in the last say 3 years, I've probably needed to use it less than a half dozen times and when they didn't exist ... well mapquest does the same thing for free

I think maybe some ppl like the utility but it does cost.

 

I don't think so. I find it very useful for going anywhere there might be traffic jams, or where I haven't been in awhile and don't recall exactly where it is.

 

Options are very personal and each person has a different sense of value. But in my book, nothing on Mini's overpriced option sheet is a worse value than the Nav. It's not a very good Nav to start with and it's very high-priced as these things go. And the functionality is so easily duplicated in the aftermarket. You're paying thousands for an inferior nav just for the integration.

- Mark

 

That is an example of one Garmin unit that does dead reckoning. Most do not. That unit costs around $1200 plus installaton BTW so once you have paid the installation costs, its not much cheaper than the factory built in units.

By "all" factory units, I mean all factory units from every car manufacturer offering a built-in NAV unit. The Nav in my 2001 BMW had dead reckoning.

Most of the features you are talking about are not NAV related. The ability to play MP3's is a function of the car stereo's head unit, not the NAV.
The one NAV related feature you mention is the SIRF reciever. The Mini unit may have one, it may not. It really doesn't matter since, unlike the handhelds, the built-ins are always on and always tracking your position.

The NAV in my 2001 BMW was a bit slow relative to the modern BMW units and used a CD instead of DVD for the data. Other than that, I am sure it still works fine.

 

You either have an amazing sense of direction or never go anywhere new. FYI Mapquest does not do the same thing for free. You can't even access it when you are in your car. Google maps on a cell phone/PDA with a data plan will give you directions but a data plan is not free and you will need the services of a front seat passenger/navigator to safely operate the device and give you directions.