sat nav

brembo · Post by **brembo** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:00 pm

Hi
Any suggestions for a good value for money sat nav?
Regards Dougie.

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:36 pm

A map

Sorry, couldn't resist

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:00 pm

I've got a Garmin Nuvi 250 (from a couple of years ago).

I bought it to replace an older (four or five years I guess), and less well known brand.

I have to say, whilst the packaging and screen mount are just about perfect, the actual performance of the device is very poor. It often selects completely inappropriate routes, to the point of you can make a note of the 'arrival time' it suggests, ignore it's route suggestion, take another junction (or whatever), and see the 'arrival time' change by 1/2 hour for the better.

It also suffers from a lot of re-calculating, pulling you off at motorway junctions, only to send you up, over the roundabout, and back onto the same motorway in the same direction

.

I guess the bottom line is that you need to know quite accurately where you are going before you set off, and just use the satnav for confirmation, and the final approach talk-in.

For all of the above, it's never actually failed to get me somewhere, and it's still better than a map. Deep down though, I suspect that the Tom-Tom competition may be a higher quality, and therefore, value bet.

pmjt · Post by **pmjt** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:09 pm

I bought a TomTom GO910 for Classic LeMans in 2006 and I've updated the maps twice - it keeps working just fine.

I've looked at the newer devices and yes, they're smaller with a bigger screen and a few more features but there's nothing worth upgrading for.

So three years on, I'm still a TomTom fan

What's telling to me is that everyone who implements SatNav onto a PDA phone - puts TomTom on...

HTH

P

Mick Cliff · Post by **Mick Cliff** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:15 pm

Tom Tom One has worked OK for me for the past 2-3 years.
Updated the maps and the service once, only to find that the UK post codes are not as effective as before

Only criticism I have is that the spoken directions are sometimes about 50 metres too late in cities, so I drive with one eye on the screen.

sladey · Post by **sladey** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:01 pm

I've had a road angel 6000, and borrowed my brothers tomtom when I went to Europe of the last couple of years - the roadangel doesn't include european maps but the Tomtom does

The quality of instruction on the tomtom was way better than on the roadangel - on the tomtom it will say "take the second exit, A60 signposted to Notttingham" - on the angel it will just say "take the second exit" - if you get a roundabout with funny service road exits you're never sure whether they count as an exit.

The road angel also irritates me because pulling onto the motorway from a service station it says 'leave the motorway" - it uses 'leave the motorway' for both joining it and leaving it.

Also had the same problems as Barry on route selection. I tend to talk back to it a lot, and choose alternate routes just to annoy it.

I'm probably going to get the tomtom for the iphone when it comes out - due out soon. http://iphone.tomtom.com/

HTH

Mark

hot66 · Post by **hot66** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:31 pm

I have a Garmin Nuvi 770 ( incl Europe / USA maps + speed cameras & traffic) which has been superb + has useful features like multiple plotting for routes etc ( usefull on DDK events

) . I also have Good pub guide on it + AA B&B guide which are both really useful as I do like my pubs

Only down side is the handsfree bluetooth speaker is really crap.

abm914 · Post by **abm914** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:02 am

If you can live with a brick sized Sat Nav - Tesco's are doing the Navman iCN750 for about £80 (down from £160ish). They stil have a few in my local one. Superb bit of kit (only downside is that it is large.....).

Helen · Post by **Helen** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:02 am

i am not a huge fan of Stat Navs, Larry and i seem to do just fine with a good old large scale map

But we decided to buy one for out trip to Switzerland and after looking at Many ended up with a TomTom. its easy to use, never got us lost once. even has all the hotels & petrol stations marked.

and it happily kept itself topped up on a 6V system.

haven't used it in the UK yet.

RichiRich · Post by **RichiRich** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:54 am

I've owned TomToms for years now; the earlier versions were a little buggy, but I recently bought a One XL with European maps as a cheap SatNav and it works really well

East Coast Dave · Post by **East Coast Dave** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:55 am

the bottom line is that you need to know quite accurately where you are going before you set off

I much prefer to use maps. My dad swears by his TomTom, he's all over the UK in his truck.

The office I work in is at the end of a no through road on a business park and there are about 10 trucks every day trying to turn their trailers on a very tight bit of tarmac. That's got to be down to reading their satnav screens rather than the road sign at the top of the hill that says "no entry to Springfield Business Park".

The trouble with them is usually operator error - satnav: ON, brain: OFF

pb911 · Post by **pb911** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:39 pm

Tom Tom software is coming to the new iPhone - Tom Tom software is easy to use in its own hardware too.

Paul

RichiRich · Post by **RichiRich** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:47 pm

East Coast Dave wrote:
The trouble with them is usually operator error - satnav: ON, brain: OFF

So true!!

"Man follows sat nav to cliff edge": http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... 962212.stm

smallspeed · Post by **smallspeed** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:12 pm

i have a navman f20 which i brought cheap (about £100) about 2 yrs ago.. its very simple to use, works perfectly and still available i think.. would get my vote, esp if you can get a 2nd hand one from ebay for £50 or something!

smallspeed · Post by **smallspeed** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:05 pm

ps.. the reviews of f20 are all the same; no picture viewer, no bluetooth, no mp3, etc., etc. personally i have other things to do those jobs, and they manage a far better job of them than any satnav on the market, so it wasn't important to me; i just wanted something to tell me the way

the f20 i brought came with full euro mapping, speedcameras, loads of POI's, and the ability to download lots more and update, parking and fuel buttons which just take you straight to the nearest petrol station/parking when you press them, screen mount, dashboard mount, pc connection cable, car charger, 240v house charger, etc., etc. all included. the tomtom my dad brought about the same time came with UK maps only, no speedcameras, no house-charger, and cost £50 more..

its guidance is spot on; the only time i've gone wrong when i've used it is when i've thought "the ol' girl doesn't know what she's on about" and ignored her instructions! can't fault it at all, let alone as a cheap bit of kit!

one thing i have noticed though is that a lot of the newer satnavs have things like lane guidance which is handy, and some have inteligent route guidance which takes into account time of day, traffic flow, etc. plus some can be upgraded with a tmc receiver if required to add live traffic info..