Author Topic: Which SatNav  (Read 6361 times)

ChrisO

Which SatNav
« on: 02 January, 2009, 02:46:21 pm »
Mrs ChrisO wants a SatNav for the car.

It has to be extremely user friendly and reasonably intelligent about not routing through busy areas.

Not sure that we need live connections or whatever it is - she's not in the car that much. It's finding new places that is the main requirement.

Not sure about budget - doesn't have to be at the low-end though I don't want to throw money at features we won't use. Would £200 cover it ?

FatBloke

  • I come from a land up over!
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #1 on: 02 January, 2009, 02:52:43 pm »
TomTom One is excellent and you should be able to get one in the sales for about £80!   :thumbsup:
This isn't just a thousand to one shot. This is a professional blood sport. It can happen to you. And it can happen again.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #2 on: 02 January, 2009, 03:05:34 pm »
The general feel around the accessory trade is that Garmin are more user friendly.

Just DON'T go to Halfrauds. Support your local independent.


You know it makes sense.

J
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

handcyclist

  • watch for my signal
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #3 on: 02 January, 2009, 03:20:35 pm »
FWIW, I've had both Garmin and TomTom and prefer the latter. I have a widescreen One that covers Europe, it's generally excellent.

Go to you local dealer (echo the not Halfords!) and try them out. Don't pay for stuff you don't need - your budget would get you a very 'all singing all dancing' one, I'd recommend cheaper and simple.

HTH

hc
Doubt is is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #4 on: 02 January, 2009, 03:29:28 pm »
Garmin routing is sometimes reported as suspect compared to TomTom's.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #5 on: 02 January, 2009, 03:39:56 pm »
Garmin are reputed to have fewer warranty probs than TomTom. Hence the suggestion.

If you search Garmin's website they used to have 'whitebox' units - basically mail order/catalogue returns - with full warranty for peanuts.
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #6 on: 02 January, 2009, 04:24:27 pm »
I replaced my Garmin StreetPilot with a TomTom 730 and have not stopped moaning.  I should have got a replacement Garmin.  I knew it at the time but refused to listen to myself.

However, TomTom One (or what ever it is for less than £100) would be fine for most people.   Just make sure that she doesn't blindly follow the satnav no matter what make/model.

What I miss is the Garmin display of total journey time -v- driving time and average spped info based on both (purely for interest on long multi day journeys) and a display that showed the current speed in BIG digits in kph when car showd small mph.  Very usefull when out of England (for me).

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #7 on: 02 January, 2009, 04:55:11 pm »
We have Garmin Nuvi and I like it.  Routing is usually pretty good, although local knowledge saves a minute here and there.  e.g. Dartford tunnel -> Southend it wants M25/A127, whereas M25/A13/A130/A127 is a minute faster and more pleasant.

We got it on recommendation of my nephews (both of whom have one) and after a while their mum was given a tomtom by work; that had a funny routing thing up on the A12 near where they live as it kept thinking they'd fallen off the A12 onto the road alongside.

ChrisO

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #8 on: 02 January, 2009, 08:37:10 pm »
OK thanks. Had a look around and have decided to go with the Garmin Nuvi 255 widescreen with Europe maps.

The Tom Tom website had good demos of the products but the Garmin seems to have what she needs at a better price.

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #9 on: 03 January, 2009, 01:34:50 am »
good choice chris

Jacomus

  • My favourite gender neutral pronoun is comrade
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #10 on: 04 January, 2009, 06:05:53 pm »
We have Garmin Nuvi and I like it.  Routing is usually pretty good, although local knowledge saves a minute here and there.  e.g. Dartford tunnel -> Southend it wants M25/A127, whereas M25/A13/A130/A127 is a minute faster and more pleasant.

We got it on recommendation of my nephews (both of whom have one) and after a while their mum was given a tomtom by work; that had a funny routing thing up on the A12 near where they live as it kept thinking they'd fallen off the A12 onto the road alongside.

I got a Germin Nuvi from Santa.

It is pretty good, and in terms of user friendlieness it is most excellent.

Annoyances:

1) The speaker of the unit isn't good enough to handle the Stroppy Woman's voice enunciating her 't's - and she says a fu*kload of the buggers, each time creating this high pitched horrible noise.

2) You have to really pay attention to what the display is showing, rather than wht the unit is saying in dense urban areas, as the Stroppy Woman doesn't really have any clue where you should be going and is just barking commands at you in the hope that her next 't' will burst your eardrums.

3) Stroppy Woman doesn't bark her commands enough in advance - the typical is coming off a motorway heading for a RAB. I imagine that most people would like to know what they should do at the RAB, at the beginning of the sliproad, so that they can get in the appropriate lane in advance, rather than dodging repmobiles still doing 80mph at the last minute.

4) Oh yeah, and you can't have your current speed displayed at the same time as the map screen. Arseholes.


It really does make me wonder who designs things like this, and if they were tested in the Real World or just on some lab based guesses, because thats what this feels like. A piece of kit that is oversimplified so that the over 50s can use it without the help of their children, that worked perfectly in a simulated environment, but is always one step behind a competant user in the Real World.

Those annoyances aside, it is a good SatNav. I appriciate the feature where you can add waypoints to a route, to force it to take you a particular route you want. I am getting on with it a lot better in Mute as Stroppy Woman doesn't bark useless orders at me, and I'd have to keep checking the screen to sort her lies from the truth anyway, so I might as well do it in peace.
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." Amelia Earhart

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #11 on: 04 January, 2009, 06:37:03 pm »
re 3) above, I have noticed sometimes she is a bit late, or simply tells you to "enter roundabout" without telling you the next step so you have to glance at the screen to see; but if you tap the bottom right of the screen (where it gives the distance to the next turn) she goes into a more detailed mode and will give you the instructions. 

If you mount the unit close to hand you can do that tap without looking at the screen or taking your eyes off the road.

Jacomus

  • My favourite gender neutral pronoun is comrade
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #12 on: 04 January, 2009, 10:42:45 pm »
re 3) above, I have noticed sometimes she is a bit late, or simply tells you to "enter roundabout" without telling you the next step so you have to glance at the screen to see; but if you tap the bottom right of the screen (where it gives the distance to the next turn) she goes into a more detailed mode and will give you the instructions. 

If you mount the unit close to hand you can do that tap without looking at the screen or taking your eyes off the road.

Aye, I do that, but honestly am findin it easier and less difficult to have her on mute.
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." Amelia Earhart

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #13 on: 05 January, 2009, 12:43:45 pm »
re 3)... but if you tap the bottom right of the screen (where it gives the distance to the next turn) she goes into a more detailed mode and will give you the instructions. 

If you mount the unit close to hand you can do that tap without looking at the screen or taking your eyes off the road.

Hmm, tapping the screen is a bad as texting in deiverting your attention I fear.  You'd have to tap it one hell of a lot to do it without looking.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #14 on: 05 January, 2009, 12:46:07 pm »
it's the bottom right of the screen, so your fingers can easily find it without looking as you can feel the case to get your orientation.  No need to take your eyes or attention off the road.

Fixedwheelnut

  • "If it ain't fixed it's broken"
    • My photos
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #15 on: 05 January, 2009, 12:53:30 pm »
At work last week I had one of these fall out of a glovebox Satnag

 It is made to look a bit like a Tom Tom but plays a series of pre recorded nagging instructions that had me laughing for ten minutes instead of working  ;D
"Don't stop pedalling"

jules

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #16 on: 06 January, 2009, 01:48:29 pm »
I've got a bog standard TomTom with Europe maps, which seems to do the trick.

The best thing about it is you can download new voices for free from their website.

Current favourites with the kids are Borat and Yoda!


Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #17 on: 06 January, 2009, 03:06:33 pm »

The best thing about it is you can download new voices for free from their website.


The best download is the speed camera database from Pocket GPS World.  This is available for the majority of after-market sat navs, including the Garmins discussed above. And not expensive to join the website to take advantage of it. Includes not only static sites, but mobile and temporary sites as well, including roadworks. members report new positions as they find them, and likewise remove old ones.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Wombat

  • Is it supposed to hurt this much?
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #18 on: 08 January, 2009, 08:20:33 am »
Got a new Tomtom 730 traffic after experience with Tomtom on a PDA.  Seems bloody excellent so far, easy to use, got speed display when map is up there, routing pretty good apart from one incorrect advance lane guidance instruction (which will be corrected.)  Downloaded POI's for churches with bells (cos we is bellringers) and preserved narrow gauge railways, and it has "safety" cameras anyway.  It also acts as a bluetooth phone handsfree device and mp3 player and photo slideshow device (why?)  I'm wary of Gamin ones after my significant experience of Garmin's flaky software, and truly appalling customer service.  Their hardware seems excellent, but software and customer service are garbage.
Wombat

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #19 on: 09 January, 2009, 02:00:42 pm »
,...and it has "safety" cameras anyway....

But AFAIK only the static ones that are also shown in road atlases. The Pocket GPS download includes many more, and is updated at least fortnightly.

I have a 730T, and find it excellent - especially the speed display. And I also fin the ETA's to be achievable and not too far out either way.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #20 on: 09 January, 2009, 09:45:50 pm »
I've got a bog standard TomTom with Europe maps, which seems to do the trick.


Very happy with the above as well.
Frenchie - Train à Grande Vitesse

HTFB

  • The Monkey and the Plywood Violin
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #21 on: 06 January, 2017, 05:06:50 pm »
Thread necromancy! Can anybody make current recommendations, eight years on? Now we have our little Sprocket we are driving much more and my Beloved Stoker, a competent driver on her native heath, would be much happier if a reliable machine could talk her around south London. Possibly she'd prefer to avoid my occasional unexpected rural detours too.
Not especially helpful or mature

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #22 on: 06 January, 2017, 05:13:17 pm »
If Garmin still continue offering their lifetime map updates, that would be enough to keep me on their side. A happy Nuvi (2595) user here.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #23 on: 06 January, 2017, 08:32:39 pm »
We have a nuvi2517, keeping it as a hot spare just in case the factory unit craps out, plus it's in-sewer-ants should the Peugeot update be 3 arms, 2 legs and a shoulder!

Aldi will have the latest Garmin for sale soon, I'm sure but check the spec. It might say 'Lifetime updates inc.' or somesuch. UK maps only isn't much use if for example you regularly drive in France or Germany...
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Re: Which SatNav
« Reply #24 on: 06 January, 2017, 09:37:07 pm »
It might say 'Lifetime updates inc.' or somesuch. UK maps only isn't much use if for example you regularly drive in France or Germany...

Mine's euro maps, lifetime update, which it does (and the "Euro" definition is refreshingly broad). you gets what you pay for.