Sat Nav Recommendations

[Chrishazle]

I'm sure I remember a thread on here not so long ago where OP asked for opinions on which in-car portable sat nav to go for. Can I find it - can I ******!! Anyone know where it is?

Wife has decided to buy me a replacement for my ailing Navman F20 Europe for my birthday. I'm thinking the Garmin Nuvi 2460LT looks best bet, but was trying to get opinions of others before deciding.

TIA, Chris

 

[47p2]

I have a Popo Drive, it's ok but for all the time I use it all I know is it's 5000 times better than the MB nav unit in the Viano

 

[st4]

Tom Tom XL IQ routes. Perfect

 

[Chrishazle]

Tom Tom XL IQ routes. Perfect

Yes, that's one I looked at, looks a good machine, but I think the 2460LT has a better spec.

 

[d215yq]

I'd get anything by Magellan. Not a good spec, and not particularly streamline or aesthetically pleasing compared to the others...

BUT if you want a satnav to give you the best best route, then on long trips around Europe and the UK the routes it plans are always the best and typically 2/3rds to 3/4s of the miles/time as those the TomTom/other main brands.

The trouble is the main brands vastly overestimate the time it takes to go through towns/villages and navigate B roads, yet big A roads/motorways they assume will always be clear and max speed limit will be reached all the time (even the Dartford crossing!), thus underestimating the time it takes.

Therefore they often add 100 miles on your journey by forcing you on a congested motorway simply to avoid queuing for 5 minutes for a set of traffic lights on a much shorter and quicker route.

 

[Developer]

I got lost on the way to the Satnav store

 

[rf065]

TomTom every time, especially with pocketgps speed camera database.

Just check first that the latest TomTom supports 3rd party POI's, the last two did not although TomTom claimed this would be fixed soon.

Russ

 

[Quickbrit]

If you have an iPhone the Tom Tom app is brilliant - combine that with the Tom Tom iPhone mount and you've got a perfect setup.

The upside is a mostly fully charged iPhone during the day and it's also not a set up that you're likely to leave in the car.

MikeE

 

[newman2000000]

I chose a garmin over a tomtom a few years ago... my friend bought a tomtom at the same time. I chose the garmin as the suction cup is more secure on the windscreen as it has an additional clamp (my friend's one has fallen off numerous times), and it is more stable when going under tunnels and generally keeping a signal.

Tomtom are much quicker to get started though and they may have changed there design now as well..

 

[Geezer]

TomTom rocks!

 

[rf065]

I chose the garmin as the suction cup is more secure on the windscreen as it has an additional clamp (my friend's one has fallen off numerous times)

I'm not a fan of sticking sat navs on the screen, much prefer a Brodit ProClip on the dash, much more professional looking and less obtrusive.

Russ

 

[Xtractorfan]

I have a Binatone..cheapie..bought it on a whim... it has got main route and quickest route ..and bluetooth. which is brill... Only problem.. I think Anne Diamond is the voice..

 

[Developer]

I'm not a fan of sticking sat navs on the screen, much prefer a Brodit ProClip on the dash, much more professional looking and less obtrusive.

Russ

I agree - when I had mine I tried very hard to locate it somewhere below windscreen level, where I think they look naff.

 

[newman2000000]

I'm not a fan of sticking sat navs on the screen, much prefer a Brodit ProClip on the dash, much more professional looking and less obtrusive.

Russ

I don't like it either, I tend to find somewhere neat to place it (e.g. opening the ashtray and it sits there nicely). But when using any other car, and I need to put it on the windscreen, at least with a garmin you know it will stay there.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Stick it

on the glass front of the MB radio - Audio 10, 20 etc.

 

[Chrishazle]

I have Brodit mounts in both cars - will just have to get new clips if/when I get the new satnav.

But - Murphys Law kicked in over the weekend.

On the way from home to daughter's place near Aylesbury, stupid Navman played up all the time, so I took the update map card out and gave it to daughter - who also has a Navman F20. She was delighted, as the card was all of europe, so she now has Italy as well as UK.

Forgot to tell my Navman to reload maps, so initially on Sunday it played silly B's - but once I reloaded the UK maps, it behaved perfectly all the way from West Wycombe to Kidderminster then back to home! So now I'm wondering if I relly need to spend £200 on a new satnav!

 

[S.Speed]

I have a TomTom XXL which has a 5" screen..
Its my 4th TomTom and easily the best..
It has an interface thats sooo easy to use, you dont need the instructions.
To date, it has NEVER let me down..
I agree about the standard screen mount being a weedy affair..
I upgraded my screen mount to a German made "Banana" mount..
This brings the TomToms screen much closer to the top edge of the dash and so is closer to hand and eye level.
my TomTom is on the link below:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TomTom-XXL-...9L6U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303282788&sr=8-1

The Herbert Richter "Banana" mounts are below..
These are a much, much better quality item than the standart TomTom device.
http://www.holdersandmounts.co.uk/tomtom-go-banana-windscreen-suction-mount-in-car-holder.html

I prefer my TomTom as near eye level as possible so that when i glance at the screen The road is still in my periferal vision.
The biggest drawback to theCOMAND system is where its located..
If you look at the latest generation of cars now, they have their SatNavs mounted much higher up in the dash..
Therefor I suggest I am correct with my observations about low dash mounting a SatNav.

 

[Mercedes-2010]

****** Sat Navs!!!!! PIA..... :neutral:

I've got a Blaupunkt, nice, but OMG!

I'm sick of swearing at it....

The AA 2011 UK & Ireland is always spot on though

 

[47p2]

I would never rely on sat-nav, look it up on the map first and take a couple of notes, then when the sat-nav tells you to take a different route ignore it. Handy around a town you don't know for getting to a particular street though

 

[television]

I would never rely on sat-nav, look it up on the map first and take a couple of notes, then when the sat-nav tells you to take a different route ignore it. Handy around a town you don't know for getting to a particular street though

I live on the South Coast, I went to Brighton to a meet and there is a coast road all the way home, I punched in home and after a couple of miles I checked the route that it had chosen, It was only taking me up to the M4 all along to Bristol and then dropping down to Lyme, all 150 miles further than the direct route.

So now as you say I enter a few towns on the way to where I am going and this gives me the route I want or need