The wire feature sounds pretty clever, but aside from that, everyone I know that has GPS on their mini and uses it in the cockpit, is really happy with the choice.
I have a "normal-sized" ipad, but I have enough room. I would´t trade it, as I have everything I need, in a clear screen and good battery life. In the car and on the motorcycles, I use WAZE or NAVIGON (both now owned by Garmin (darn)) and never have to pay for upgrades of the maps.
Some friends have special motorcycle GPSs, the same with pilots….but having everything in only one format works for me. One less item to charge, one less thing to carry, one less cable, one less charger. I have 5 iPads combined in house and cockpit and none have failed me. I have had 5 iPhones and have never had a failure. Maybe I am lucky, I met a guy who claimed that he had broken 14 phones in 3 years. I think it was more him, though…..
:-)
Good luck with what-ever you choose.