Sat Nav

[Ian Anderson]

I am looking to purchase a Sat Nav unit and would welcome any input good or bad on the various units in the UK

It will be used in normal daily drivers and the GT40 and I'd like Western Europe covered too

What is recommended?

Cheers
Ian

[David Morton]

Hi Ian, I have a variety - Garmin, Navman and Tomtom. Each have their merits - Garmin has good details at going to obscure addresses, Navman (touch screen and remote control) easy to opertate but slightly less detailed though full European coverage exept Hungary and I use CLICK LOCK to keep the remote on the steering wheel] - because it's not an offence to operate a remote control [and it's quite obvious to see someone poking about with their satnav with no remote] though the functions on the remote are very minimal. The Tom Tom seems to be very good detail though I've only used it in Italy so far.
As far as voices, some of them are available with celebrities with attitude so that could be fun though I've never got that far. Imagine Basil Fawlty
"You stupid asshole I told you to take the third exit".etc or Billy Connolly. The current voices on all of them are a bit naff, ie a sort of middle aged school women. Hark at me - I'm 61 this year. OMG. I'm entitled to my bus and rail pass now but I get train strain here in the UK. Ian, you're welcome to try the latter two out if you wish. The Navman is being donated to my wife soon because sooner or later she will exceed 33mph and get a ticket.
Dave

[Paul W]

I have the TomTom one europe and it works well, has the fixed cameras updated every month and tells you when you are going a bit quick. Also has the bluetooth traffic updates from your mobile if you enable it. Used it all over the place and yes - I have the Basil Fawlty voice ! - also got Knight Rider for the GT, the Queen, Michael Caine, Darth Vader and various others too many to mention, Also not sure about the others but TomTom is Mac OSX compatible,

[Dave Bilyk]

I had one of the earlier navmans which was ok, but pointless to compare with the latest models when things have moved so far forward.
For a replacement, I tried a garmin and tomtom of similar spec, and found the garmin easier to use, then when the salesman took them both outside, the garmin locked on immediately, but the tomtom sat there for a minute or two with no effect. So I bought the garmin nuvi, having used it for a few months, no complaints, easy to use and seems detailed and accurate.

regards
Dave

[DaveW]

I have a Garmin Nuvi which I've used throughout UK & Europe for a year or so & found to be easy to use and accurate, drove straight to Val de Vienne with no reference to a map before or during the journey, daft I know but there were mitigating circumstances.
Also used a company Tom Tom 1 in the wilds of East Anglia for a fortnight, again easy to use and accurate, at least for the custom POI's pre-loaded.
Personally I prefer the Garmin, it has more features that I find useful such as auto-switching to night mode at dusk (and back at sunrise) & better "trip" info, all important for charging mileage.
I've listened to a few of the "celebrity voices" & although initially amusing I would think they would begin to grate after a few hours at the wheel.

[Dimi]

Hi All

I have to agree that after a few hours at the wheel they all get annoying and I find I have to switch the voice off.

I don't like being told by a machine how stupid I am when I am driving to a familiar destination and it is telling me to do u turns and go back because it doesn't know the route I prefer to take.

But generally they can be a big help in unknown territory.

Dimi

[RichardH]

Cheapest way i know is to get a lo cost PDA and install TomTom on that. Gives you the benefit of wireless internet too, if you get one with that facility. It also means you can use it as a hand held device, out of the car.

If you want better quality/detailed maps, go for MemoryMap, which uses Ordnance Survey maps.

[Paul Brameld]

Hi Ian,
Which? reviewed Satnavs in March and concluded the following:

Best Buys:

TomTomGo 520 £195 with 73%
Garmin Nuvi 660FM £300 with 72%
Sony NV-U82 £180 with 72%

It's all on page 46 and looks at 22 Satnavs

[kiwi ka]

Hi Ian
We have done two European trips in the last cople of years, first with 3 map books 4 observers and 6 opinions plus the relevant stress and `fun`. The second with a TOM TOM ONE . Never will i ever ventur off shore with out it. No hassles, easy to use and accurate meant that we all had a holiday. I fet confident enough with it to drive solo around Paris with it. Absolutly a breeze.
Cheers
Russell

[Malcolm]

I am disappointed with my Indago unit. Takes forever to get powered up and talking with the satelites. For what it cost, not worth it.

[Fred/Belgium]

Ian

G

[Fred/Belgium]

Ian
Garmin Nuvi is my prefference.
Ease of use and quite accurate.
No nonsense stuff

Rgds
fred