Do I need the trophy or the trophy connect - please share your thoughts

[Dave]

Hi you have said it yourself amazon is the only difference stick with your choice I too have ordered the trophy

Live traffic updates are also provided in the Trophy Connect. Also, WiFi hotspot - though this may be in the Trophy.

 

[N2STY]

Most wireless adaptors perform poorly. Just buy a short 150mm cable. Looks tidy and works perfectly.

Most are copy's sold on amazon and eBay there are good reviews coming in from the new Motorola one and should be less than £100 I bleave it uses a WiFi signal not Bluetooth to the phone so faster connection I could be wrong not looked in to deep yet

 

[Nutnut]

For the sake of the extra cost I went with the Connect. It’s a private cash buy so maybe easier to sell in the future.

Same option I picked too. At the end of the day it's a small cost difference, and what swung it is not being able to add on later if I should change my mind.

I'd also like to be able to use the in car systems without having a smartphone attached if I don't want to, and with Waze being unreliable I'm interested in how the navigation compares with live updates. And there's also scope for functionality being enhanced down the line. If anybody read the list, it's more than just Amazon Music.

 

[Dave]

Most are copy's sold on amazon and eBay there are good reviews coming in from the new Motorola one and should be less than £100 I bleave it uses a WiFi signal not Bluetooth to the phone so faster connection I could be wrong not looked in to deep yet

Yes, wireless CarPlay is over WiFi. The Trophy Connect has WiFi with hotspot. It’s a pity MG didn’t use this to provide wireless CarPlay. Anyway, it’s such a small issue and definitely does not detract from what is an excellent BEV. Our rich friends at Tesla have no idea what CarPlay is, apart from the fact that they cannot have it

 

[blizeH]

I mean, Tesla doesn't have CarPlay but it does have decent maps, Spotify etc built in right?

Just wondering if we get the Trophy edition of the ZS, and plug in the phone to use CarPlay (will likely be connected 99% of the time, unless just regular bluetooth works too) - can we still have the phone on the wireless charging area, or will that cause problems? I'm guessing when it's plugged in and charging, it'll disable the wireless charging feature

 

[Dave]

I mean, Tesla doesn't have CarPlay but it does have decent maps, Spotify etc built in right?

Just wondering if we get the Trophy edition of the ZS, and plug in the phone to use CarPlay (will likely be connected 99% of the time, unless just regular bluetooth works too) - can we still have the phone on the wireless charging area, or will that cause problems? I'm guessing when it's plugged in and charging, it'll disable the wireless charging feature

Tesla runs a modified version of Google Maps. The Trophy Connect has a really good SatNav built in now. It also has Amazon Music, weather etc.

Not a problem with plugging in the phone and having it on the wireless charging pad. I have a 150mm usb cable with my iPhone 13 Mini. It is a perfect fit in the space provided.

 

[drmcw]

I initially thought the Connect was a pointless upgrade but have ordered the Connect. I don't think MG will, but if they develop the app and connectivity in the car further e.g. ability to see live status of chargers, then the Connect would be great. Where I think the Connect could be useful, in its current state is that if my phone signal is bad and I need an app to use a charger then because the car uses the strongest mobile signal then the 1G per month of data could be handy to connect to the hot spot and be able to start a charge.

 

[Mihir]

I think @Nutnut has nicely put together all the parallel threads discussing Trophy Connect. Every thread has some useful information. Worth a read if not already done - Connect - worth it?

 

[Rog]

I have owned a red zs ev for 15 months travelled 22,500 miles with no major drama
some software issues but if you leave the screen it always recovers.....
I ordered a silver zs ev trophy connect I would reccomend the ceramic coating
Mine has it and it really shines ..easy to clean too..

 

[John G]

There is a chance that additional features can be added later, either officially or by 3rd party companies or hackers, like the OBD project has for accessing the previously hidden engineering details.

 

[JCFlippen]

I’ve just been advised that if you want a Trophy LR then Thompson MG Stroud have some.

 

[Merry]

Wi-Fi hot spot is a feature that I wanted so I've been checking on this, so far it seems this is available on the standard Trophy.

If anyone knows for sure please post here.

I've seen the features of both and the Hot Spot is in both.

Trophies do not have WiFi hotpots.

 

[thingaby]

The Trophy Connect does have a wifi hotspot .

 

[Dave]

The Trophy Connect does have a wifi hotspot .

Yes it does and it has already proved to be very useful.

 

[Merry]

The Trophy Connect does have a wifi hotspot .

I was answering the question 'do standard Trophies have WiFi hotpots'. To which the answer is no. The Trophy Connect obviously does.

 

[s2sap]

Bought the Trophy cash also, rather spend the £500 on a spare wheel and accessories.

Just out of interest what accessories did you buy?

 

[mairita]

Main reason not to get the connect is the longer waiting time at the moment. My dealership said it was an added wait of about 3months if not more, and they themselves deterred me from going for it, which is unlike a dealership to not want to sell a more expensive car, so i trusted the info.
Also depends how quick you want the car, £500 isnt a lot but the extra cost of a lease or hire etc it can all start to add up. That being said if the wait was the same connect is a no brainer for me, but i need the car sooner rather than later with my lease ending in July so i went for the trophy LR which is still an amazing car.
I have the voice feature in my A-class and it’s a highly overrated feature, Mercedes can never seem to call the right contact and i end up having to do it manually anyways ?

 

[Delboy102000]

As a trophy owner now for three months the car is brilliant. However the Connect addition does nothing for me. Firstly the free updating maps is currently of little value as there are no map updates to be had at the present time. Using an IPhone with Waze and Radio player means we hardly ever use the onboard sat nav as car play gives a map and media split screen option. For free if you have unlimited data as I do.
Overall the car is great and the combination off car play and Waze or Google gives integration at no monthly cost. All important features are included such as remote warm up etc. hot spot is mine from my phone and if available from the cars internet connection will not be free. Often the idea of these things is more attractive than the reality. Hope this helps

 

[MichaelJHunt]

As a trophy owner now for three months the car is brilliant. However the Connect addition does nothing for me. Firstly the free updating maps is currently of little value as there are no map updates to be had at the present time. Using an IPhone with Waze and Radio player means we hardly ever use the onboard sat nav as car play gives a map and media split screen option. For free if you have unlimited data as I do.
Overall the car is great and the combination off car play and Waze or Google gives integration at no monthly cost. All important features are included such as remote warm up etc. hot spot is mine from my phone and if available from the cars internet connection will not be free. Often the idea of these things is more attractive than the reality. Hope this helps

Hotspot in the car is much better than from a phone as it uses a multi-network SIM. When I could not get a connection to check emails on my phone I simply used the car Hotspot and no issues.

I prefer the internal SatNav as it understands I am driving an EV and will find EV chargers. It also knows the car’s range and charge level and is able to accurately show range on the map - doesn’t need Connect for that. I have an Amazon Music account so this works really well in the car with its multi-network connection capability.

I don’t quite understand why you think the Hotspot feature incurs a cost? There is no monthly cost for any of the Connect features.

The voice control feature with Connect is great and allows me to concentrate on driving rather than punching buttons or using the touch screen to do a wide number of things.

All in all, I am really happy I went for the Connect version of the car.

Everyone to their own though. Either version of the car is great.

 

[JCFlippen]

Nice to hear a positive response to the Connect features in action in the real world. Have been puzzled that no one seems to have explained clearly what is available in real terms.