Which SatNav?

[pren]

Hi all.

I'm looking to get the wife a satnav for xmas. I've never used one before so I don;t really have a lot to go off when it comes to choosing one.

I've got my eye on the TomTom One just because I know a couple of people who've got one. They say it's good but I was just after a wider pool of opinions before I get it.

Is it actually any good? I don't really want something that's going to send her a million miles from where she needs to be, so reliablity is a major factor.

 

[Steve Jones]

Bryn,

Can't comment on the Tomtom but I have a Garmin nuvi 300 with traffic receiver and I also subscribe to the pocket gps world camera database. Always found it to be ok in getting me from A to B.

Regards

Steve

 

[Hitch]

I still havn't joined the masses and bought one, despite being tempted.
Often have to find fairly obscure places for work. A few of the other lads use theirs, so ive used a few different ones.

Easiest i found to follow was one of the basic TomTom models, the worst, i would say was a Garmin, that has sent us round in circles numerous occasions, and when you most need it, it seemed to just zoom out and stop talking :x

The realistic passenger seat map reading award must go to Garmin :lol:

 

[Davon]

Pren, I'm having a TomTom Uk and Ireland delivered to work tomorrow
it's for my wifes birthday , the cheapest I could find ( not that I'm a skinflint you understand ) was about £100 from Comet. I bought my daughter one last Christmas ( she loves it ) and since then the wife has been using it
and believe me , if my wife can use it .......anybody's wife can use one

Davon

 

[pren]

:lol:

Cheers for all that! :-D

Having done a bit of digging, it seems the TomTom One IQ is the current favorite. Halfords have it at £125, tho I've not done much e-shopping around yet. Seems to cover all the bases. Lane Assist sounds like quite a useful feature as LOML can get flustered if she doesn't know which lane to be in for a strange junction.

I like the fact that the route can be pre-planned at home and demo'd to make sure it's correct before hitting the road (not sure if this is a standard feature on satnavs).

 

[andycktm]

I bought the Garmin nuvi 1300 and it developed a little fault so i exchanged it for a tomtom 1 IQ.
The Garmin was a way better sat nav,but has its drawbacks.
1. Batt. life is about 1 hour (nuvi) tomtom seems to last forever.
2. TomTom is about 1 second behind,nuvi is instant (think this is down to processor power)
3. Garmin software seems to be non accessible,TomTom is open (linux based?)
I've even found a media player for the tomtom to watch films outside the supermarket .
4.nuvi walking mode is true walking mode ,on the tomtom its the road map knocked down to 5mph
The lane assist is good but the IQ routes don't seem to be much good.

 

[Peter T]

If you just want maps for the UK and Ireland then the cheapest TomTom is fine.

If you plan to use it outside the UK and Ireland, then get one with more memory otherwise you wont be able to add more maps.

A relation of mine fell foul of this. He bought the absolute cheapest TomTom One, saying that he would never need to use it outside the UK. Last month he decided he wanted to make a trip to France so tried to download the Western Europe maps.................not enough memory and no possibility to add more!!

 

[ste_5150]

SWMBO has a TomTom - I have to say that I've used a few different ones and the TomTom is the best. A Garmin was the worst by far.

She got the basic TomTom for about £70 from ebay and it's been really good.

Incidentally, she just passed her test last week and I'm having to nag her not to use the satnav too much because she's the type that will avoid learning how to actually havigate herself!! I bought her a map, but she has yet to use it. It lives in the boot..... :roll:

 

[dexter]

Ive got the tomtom with the Europe maps, well worth it for a few quid more. I use it all the time when I`m in France.

Dex

 

[Argee]

I've had a Garmin nuvi660 since they came out and it's the poodle's parts, but you need to know how to use it effectively - like most technology. It has Dynamic Routes, using TMC data, which is fine most of the time. You get a warning of delays ahead on your route and the option to divert. However, in certain circumstances, it can be counter-productive if you let it react to all "delays" - think of a big city at rush hour - where isn't there a delay?

It comes with maps for UK, Ireland and Europe and has a slot for an SD card for extra maps if needed. It's easy to add custom points of interest (POIs), which can include speed cameras if you wish. It acts as a Bluetooth (hands-free) 'phone, incoming and outgoing - safe and simple. It plays mp3 music files and displays .jpg pictures. It has a facility to take a snapshot of an area too.

They are no longer made, but can be bought on-line for around £140, with full Garmin on-line support, guarantee, etc. Highly recommended, as is the Pocket gps World website and forum mentioned earlier. I've been able to directly compare the nuvi660 with the built-in satnavs on a Rolls Phantom, Bently Arnage, Jaguar XR, Mercedes S500, Bentley Flying Spur, Mercedes R500, etc. and the only one that out-performed it was the S500 Merc.

Ray

 

[BMac]

Garmin Nuvi W-something. I bought this for my daughter when she went to England and it worked perfectly in Crewe and surrounds or t'north as some might say. Now that she lives in Kent the reports are that it works just as well in t'south.

Brendan

 

[Smudger]

I've got a Garmin Nuvi something-or-other, with British and European maps. Pretty good, though it needs updating now (new set of maps about £80). Not totally intuitive, and unhelpful when it can't find an address (you know who you are, Deepblue!)

 

[woodbloke]

I've got a fairly oldish TT now which apart from some initial teething problems has been very good...doesn't like driving in valley roads at the bottom of Swiss mountains though :roll: - Rob

 

[WellsWood]

I've got the TomTom Rider II, which as far as I can tell is essentially a TT One in a party frock. It workd really well most of the time but isn't great at travelling across central London (doesn't seem to know about the South circular for example :roll: ).
One thing to watch out for is the "extras" like traffic and map updates which you have to buy on subscription, and can add a fair bit to the cost if you want all the bells and whistles.
On the plus side though, their customer service is superb IME - excellent technical help via phone and swift turnaround of repairs if you are unfortunate enough to get a duff one.

 

[Walter Hall]

Tom Tom One definitely the best I have used.

 

[RogerM]

Ive got the tomtom with the Europe maps, well worth it for a few quid more. I use it all the time when I`m in France.

Dex

I've got the Magellan 2250T which includes maps for the whole of western Europe and have had no problems with it. When I got it, it was about half the price of the equivalent TomTom and did 90% of what the TT could do.

From what I've seen, the TT interface is more intuitive, and the price has fallen dramatically so that the big price differential between the TT and Magellan no longer exists. the only area where the Magellan outperforms the TT is on battery life, which at 8 hours makes it a great hand held device when out walking with it set in pedestrian mode. Enables you to wander around at will and see the shortest route back to the car etc.

I would definitely spend a little extra to include European maps - then it can just go in the hand baggage and be attached straight in to the hire car wherever you go. Saves countless arguments with SWMBO clutching an unfamiliar map. Just set the satnav voice to Joanna Lumley and you'll have no difficulty doing whatever you're told.

 

[Vormulac]

I used to use TomTom when I used my pda for a satnav, but when I got my missus a satnav earlier in the year I went for a Garmin 265WT, it's not as configurable as the TomTom was, but it's much easier to use. It also has a couple of nice features like traffic alerts included and telling you what the speed limit of the current road is (useful if, like us, you live in an area where they arbitrarily change without warning). It also acts a bluetooth car kit for your mobile apparently, but she has a Parrot bluetooth unit, so we've never tried that aspect of it.

 

[CNC Paul]

Bryn,

If you are planning to go to Southern Ireland the Tom Tom has very poor maps, I was recommended that Garmin are far better.

 

[matt]

Tom Tom One 2nd edition. Haven't found an excuse to upgrade yet. I also like the fact that the screen is small - never quite understood why anyone would want a wide-screen monster obscuring the view.

I've not used any others but friends with other makes have switched to Tom Tom based on their experience of ours compared to theirs.

 

[WellsWood]

Bryn,

If you are planning to go to Southern Ireland the Tom Tom has very poor maps, I was recommended that Garmin are far better.

Or Cressing Temple, which it got spectacularly wrong both on the way there and coming home :roll: