Which Sat Nav?

[Onliest Smeg David]

Previously I had a RoadAngel which was a mish mash of Road Camera/SatNav/OS GPS mapping (I very soon got frustrated with missing roads and lack of updates), and current Octavia has one built in.

So I have started looking at purchasing a Sat Nav for Westie use, probably post Seasonal Celebrations.

I've had a look at the market and it looks like it'll be Tom Tom or Garmin!

I would like EU (lifetime map updates, I hope to drive the Westie further afield someday), Road Safety Camera Alerts & between 4.5" and 5" screen (big enough to see but not too big in a small windscreen), Live traffic optional as not too fussed about this for Westie type driving.

Have any of you got recent Sat Navs and would recommend either way?

Or experience of both brands and can provide a comparison.

Two potentials I've seen at Halfrauds are.. TomTom Go 500 Sat Nav Special Edition - UK, ROI & Europe

Garmin Nuvi 2548 Lifetime Maps & Digital Traffic Western Europe Sat Nav

[alexander72]

I have that garmin Nuvi and its a cracker - reccomended

[Mark Stanton]

Tom Tom every day for me - friend has just bought one for £86 off amazon full euro maps and updates

[Onliest Smeg David]

Ta Muchly

 

Any technical reasons you like what you like, and not like others?

[Pistol Pete]

If for use in the Westy, see if you can get one that accepts itinnery (ITN files) as you can then plot a route using backroads of your choosing in google, load onto sat nav and drive the route. Both road trips I've been on have used this and its a great way to travel.

[pickmaster Andy Lowe]

Tomtom every time for me

I've used one everyday for almost 9 years locksmithing, you need to find the address in the dark in the rain and quick or you don't get paid!!!!

All i need is tomtom first line of the address postcode and type of car parked outside and I'm within shouting distance

I useded to sail a yacht and had relied on garmin for 10 years previous but there road mapping was no good so I swapped and I'm not for going back

Even now I have to send out search party's to find people with lesser sat navs trying to visit us (Garmins do find is too now) but tomtom finds everyone if I enter it right

[Andy Banks]

TomTom Rider. It's pricey but as it's designed for bikers it really works well in the Westy being easy to see and use in all weathers. Winding routes is the best feature. It comes with a RAM mount (You can get a car mount to stick it the windscreen too).

 

I have an aeroscreen so a small hole in the dash and the ram mount connects to the bar that runs along the bottom of the dash, job done.

 

It also comes with lifetime EU maps.

 

Only downside is, as standard it does not have a speaker so you'll need some kind of bluetooth speaker/helmet speaker/ear phone but then even the loudest stanavs can be difficult to hear when you have no doors or a roof.

 

I've also downloaded my own car icon and extra voices. With the extra voices you can find something a bit louder/clearer for Westy use.

[MickW]

If your staying on the beaten track there is not much to chose between them. If you are being a bit more adventurus its tomtom every time. We tell visitors to our cottages that sat nav is unreliable by us,not every one belives us! Those that use sat nav tomtom will deliver you to the bottom of our lane while anything else appears to be Russian roulette. The funniest was a guy ringing up to say he was lost with the sat nav b***hing in the back ground 'You have reached yor destination'. It took all my self control not to tell him I told you so. Go for tomtom every time.

Mick

[Onliest Smeg David]

If for use in the Westy, see if you can get one that accepts itinnery (ITN files) as you can then plot a route using backroads of your choosing in google, load onto sat nav and drive the route. Both road trips I've been on have used this and its a great way to travel.

Hadn't thought about this.

But now I have, it's a must that I can load ITN files.

[Norman Verona]

I tell people coming here not to use a satnav. One couple were taken round the periphique in Paris and many get totally lost between Rennes and here as it's a new road and not yet on the maps.

I've had a tomtom since they first came out (£600!). I've used it once in ernest, to find a place in the back streets of the indusrial part of Rennes. I would never have found the warehouse without the tomtom.

[stu999]

I've had two TomTom's now and both have never worked properly, both a being a right pain freezing when switching on. The last one died when the mini USB broke off the circuit board inside.

Won't be getting another SatNav though - pountless when a smart phone does it for me. Can use earphones too if needs be...

[Marcus Barlow - Show and Events Co-ordinator]

Smeg

 

Ive got a TomTom XL UK, ROI & Western Europe Classic Sat Nav £90 online from Halfords very pleased with it and it accepts the itn files

 

survived a bit of a soaking t'other week as well !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ere

[Rhett Turner - Black Country AO]

I've used a Tom Tom or Tom Tom smartphone software for quite a few years and would not want to use anything else, my wife has a semi integrated Garmin unit in her mini and I can't get on with that at all.

 

At the moment I'm using a go live 820 (from amazon) in my daily driver which comes with traffic and life time EU maps and it works great, I also use it in the Westi for longer trips. 

 

For speed cameras I have a subscription for Pocket GPS world which supply an excellent speed camera POI database, which include mobile and temporary units and is kept more up-to-date than the garmin or tomtom supplied ones. 

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

really seperate sat navs are now dead in the water with the new generation of phones IMO - your phone is always with you so why have a seperate sat nav?

 

I use the Tomtom app on my iphone and it is very, very good - often get comments from passengers saying it is better than their stand alone sat nav

 

Having said that we also have a 2/3 year old seperate TomTom which the wife uses and it is also pretty good, but as you have to take it out of the car to plug it into your pc to update (if you can remember your passwords) it is often out of date where the phone TomTom app is updated all the time

[stu999]

The other bonus is that I have my iPhone in a waterproof case (LifeProof) - handy with good old Blighty's weather...!