Worth upgrading TomTom Start2 to 'Map Zones'

[g3org3y]

I'm planning a drive across Europe in a few weeks, down through France, across to Italy, up into Switzerland, Germany and Belgium.

As a result, I finally splashed out and bought a TomTom (Start2) with Euro coverage.

By default it contains all the countries/maps I need for the journey. On plugging it into the computer, it states updates are available, but owing to the memory size (2GB) it will have to do it in 'zones'.

The problem with this is that none of the zones cover the journey I want (Western will miss out Germany, Southern misses out the UK) etc. Apparently I can download the new map zones and switch between them using TomTom home.

This means that once out the UK, I'd need a laptop, plug in the TomTom and change map. Sounds like a lot of bother.

Given the TomTom has all the maps I need on it at the moment, are the new versions so much better/detailed that it's worth the above bother (and having to drag a laptop around on holiday?). With the Start2 being fairly new, I'd expect the maps on it are quite recent.

Opinions?

[moosepig]

I had this out with Tomtom some months ago. Their answers could be paraphrased thus: "tough titties, we've got your money now off".

You don't find out until you get the unit home and plug it into the net for your free map upgrade that they are effectively mis-selling you a device that you have to DOWNgrade in order to put latest maps on. It's an appalling tactic and their attitude to it when I enquired, politely, whether they might consider making the zones more flexible, was one of smug disinterest. I was not happy, but alas nothing came of it and so I'm stuck like you with a 2GB "whole of Europe" satnav that can only do "certain predefined bits of Europe and not all the ones you need at once even if it's just the western bit without the UK because apparently Germany isn't in western Europe FFS".

Just to add to the insult, the device wipes your favourites when you switch zones.

It smacks of a deliberate plot to shorten the useful lifespan of your satnav under the thinly veiled disguise of "map improvements". How long before the Europe map busts the 4GB memory on the latest so-called top-of-the-range Tomtoms?

If I'd known then what I know now, I'd have bought something with an SD card expansion slot. Though that rules out all the latest Tomtoms, because despite this map zone farce they seem no longer to be producing anything with SD slots in. s.

Sorry, not much help I know. I guess if you can't switch zones whilst away you'll have to settle for the old maps and hope that they are recent enough to take in the masses of new road building that continental Europe seems to indulge in freely whilst we refuse to build bypasses because some otters might get upset

[g3org3y]

Thanks for the reply moosepig.

I thought as much.

I had started downloading the new West Euro Map Zone (excl Germany ) and changed my mind, aborting the process. Decided to keep the 'whole' Europe map, albeit the old version.

Their division of Europe is not very impressive. If one could choose and download country by country, that would be a better/more flexible solution. Western would have been ideal for me if it had excluded Spain/Portugal and had Germany in its place. Alternatively Central would have been fine too, if it had excluded Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Poland, San Marino, Slovakia and Slovenia, replacing it with the UK.

I don't want to have to carry a laptop around with me around Europe just to get the correct maps.

Edited by g3org3y on Tuesday 14th June 20:12

[moosepig]

Looks like the Go Live 825 Europe is the pick of the TT bunch at the moment and, shock horror amazement, HAS AN SD SLOT. I notice that since last September (when I was having my argument with Tomtom over map zones) some newer models have come out, some with extra memory, even some with an SD slot (though not the top of the range stuff, disappointingly). Also Tomtom are at least open on their website about the maps not fitting any more - last year you had to go digging to find this information.

Of course, none of this is any help if you have already bought another model. Just an extra £30 or so would have got you the Start 20 Europe, which has 4GB and an SD slot. Hindsight, eh?

I'd be inclined in your case to download the new map and install the southern zone - i.e. get the latest mapping for Europe but miss off the UK. After all, you can find your way about the UK with a road atlas because at least we do have decent paper maps in this country and we speak the correct language But backup the device first onto your PC, then you can always revert to the old map if you need to.