Sat Nav choices

[crazy about cars]

I've got a 3+ years old Garmin which I've been using but have noticed that after recent updates it's taking longer to recalculate route and the reception is also poor. The built in nav in our 2010 Q7 has excellent reception would require and update (plus it won't accept full UK postcode entry).

I'm deciding if I should purchase the navigation DVD for the Q7 or purchase a new GPS nav unit. I've seen latest TomTom and Garmin with lifetime map updates and also realtime traffic (although TomTom seems to rely on smartphone).

Below are the 2 products I've narrowed down so far:

TomTom: http://www.tomtomstore.co.uk/in-car/tomtom-go-500-...
Garmin:https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/on-the-road/in-car-sat-navs/current-models/nuvi-2548lmt-d/prod122511.html

Can anyone using the latest TomTom/Garmin comment on the reception? I'm really interested in the live traffic feature and also would like some feedback from users please.

[Jasandjules]

My Tom Tom can take a bit of time to find a satellite. But it is a great bit of kit 95% of the time.

[Krikkit]

My other half has a very similar Garmin (can't remember the exact model, but it's a current-gen 25xx with traffic) and it's great. Finds signal in a few seconds, the traffic stuff seems reasonable too (but not perfect, obviously).

[Willy Nilly]

What about a satnav app for your smart phone? I don't have such a phone, but understand others do.

[CarlT]

Just get the Waze App for your iPhone (if you have one). It is excellent and includes traffic updates. I use it everyday, doing around 800 miles a week and it has saved me lots of time, by avoiding traffic jams.

[crazy about cars]

My Garmin struggles in London (understandable), multi storey parking (also understandable) and bad weather. Today's rainy weather has caused it to suddenly loose all signal and it takes ages to reconnect and recalculate - pretty unnerving if you are on unfamiliar roads.

Just wondering if the latest sat navs have better GPS receiver and processor.

The other option is to of course pay for the DVD map updates for the car but for that price I could get a very decent sat nav with lifetime updates.

[Dodsy]

I would spend a bit more and go for this tomtom http://www.tomtomstore.co.uk/in-car/tomtom-go-5000... I have the older model and its excellent. The always connected bit is worth paying for then you dont have to rely on your smartphone. There are 3 of us that use my satnav and having to pair with smartphones is just another complication I dont need. I think also that once this is paired with the phone you wont be able to pair with bluetooth to the car which for me would be a pain,

[joebongo]

Tomtom all the way. I have always done it via smartphone because I'm too stupid to manage a stand alone device.

[crazy about cars]

Dodsy said:

I would spend a bit more and go for this tomtom http://www.tomtomstore.co.uk/in-car/tomtom-go-5000... I have the older model and its excellent. The always connected bit is worth paying for then you dont have to rely on your smartphone. There are 3 of us that use my satnav and having to pair with smartphones is just another complication I dont need. I think also that once this is paired with the phone you wont be able to pair with bluetooth to the car which for me would be a pain,

Thanks - link not working for me but I presume you meant this : http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/products/your-drive/ca...

Pretty pricey but definitely packed with features - always connected feature sounds interesting! I guess this is because the device has a built in SIM card?

[crazy about cars]

CarlT said:

Just get the Waze App for your iPhone (if you have one). It is excellent and includes traffic updates. I use it everyday, doing around 800 miles a week and it has saved me lots of time, by avoiding traffic jams.

I'm with Vodafone at the moment and believe it or not 3G reception is pretty crap on my 4S - especially where we need the sat nav.

[Dodsy]

crazy about cars said:

I'm with Vodafone at the moment and believe it or not 3G reception is pretty crap on my 4S - especially where we need the sat nav.

Vodafone coverage is pretty poor. The tomtom always on units also use vodafone (via an internal sim) but I believe they use older 2G GPRS tech which has wider coverage. The only time so far that I have found traffic doesnt work on my tomtom is when driving from Gloucester to Oxford. In the hilly bits of the cotswolds nothing works.

[crazy about cars]

Just a little update - bought the Go 5000 discounted at Argos to £219 and got a £10 voucher too

Really impressed by the system - high res big screen, very quick and responsive and the live traffic feature is excellent. The missus thinks that the spoken instructions are much better compared to our old Garmin too.

Had a big (5GB!) update last night only small hitch was that I had omen problems updating the 11MB user maps - will try again tonight.

[truck71]

Would you take the 5000 over a Tom Tom 1005? I'm almost decided and they seem very similarly priced.

[crazy about cars]

truck71 said:

Would you take the 5000 over a Tom Tom 1005? I'm almost decided and they seem very similarly priced.

Don't have any experience with the 1005 I'm afraid. My last sat nav is a 3 year old Garmin.

I'm happy with my purchase so far - everything works out of the box without too much fuss. Just one minor issue with an update but I'm sure that can be sorted easily.