Much derived from parent company BMW's iDrive platform, MINI Connected is in many ways better than its bigger brother when it comes to smartphone integration, given its advanced iPhone integration and ever-expanding range of apps.
The basic system costs just £210, with an extra £1,345 for navigation, and anywhere from around £400 to £700 for full Bluetooth and USB connections, depending on the MINI model. For £1,300 to £1,700 – again, model-dependent – the Media Pack gives you all of the above – and more.
MINI Connected works best with iPhone. It utilises the iPhone's internet connection in order to provide internet radio, Twitter and Facebook integration and navigation Send to Car, as well as the ability to show parts of the iPhone interface on the dashboard display.
MINI Connected Send to Car
One of the most popular services is Send to Car. This involves plotting a route on your PC or Mac using Google Maps and then sending it to your car over the internet. When you get in your car, it's a single click to accept the data and import to MINI Connected.
It's a useful feature, and even enables you to phone back to the office and ask a co-worker or assistant to send over new destinations or routes on the move. You can even ring BMW Assist and get them to help.
Adding to the existing apps available from Google, Twitter and Facebook, new apps available on MINI Connected from August 2013 include:
Glympse
While it used to be common for friends to arrange to meet by phone or text message, with one person informing the other of the location, MINI drivers can now use Glympse.
The service provides real-time information relating to the user’s current location to one person or several (all determined by the user). According to Glympse, this means that friends, acquaintances, relations, colleagues or business partners can follow the user’s position and movements, as well as a range of other car-related data such as speed and estimated time of arrival at an agreed destination.
Audible
Audible is the world’s largest producer and seller of digital spoken-word entertainment (audiobooks). The service provides 135,000 audio programmes from more than 2,700 publishers, broadcasters, entertainers and news organisations.
TuneIn Radio
This free internet radio app provides over 70,000 AM, FM, HD and internet radio stations, and more than two million on-demand programs streaming from every continent.
Napster/Rhapsody
One of Europe’s leading premium subscription digital music services, now available in 17 European countries.
As with BMW's ConnectedDrive, the system also upgrades while you drive.