Aftermarket Sat Nav suggestions - not Tom Tom

[jberks]

5th gear did a review of the various portable units. Their conclusion was that the new smaller tomtom (1?) was head and shoulders above the others. I believe they had the two you are considering and rated them lower than the tomtom. Not exactly a scientific test but I've yet to hear anyone complain about a tomtom and as the market leader, there tends to be more add-ons for them.

 

[blassberg]

C320 CDi

congratulations

My outlaws got a Navman 320, online, Comet, £159 inc delivery

Cheapest model out there. I tested it so I could tell them how it worked.

window mount impressive, thought would be poor

what a bind having to take it out all the time - but cheaper than an integrated option - but more expensive than a map...

directions "good" but shortest route only I think and no fastest option

ignoring the route and taking the bypass resulted in quick recalc

I had to wait at the end of a slip road off, for a gap in the traffic. Unit thought I had gone straight on and recalulated.

 

[gcrockford]

Thanks for the feedback --- but I am also considering the look of the unit. The TomTom 1 is much better looking than the the regular Tom Tom units - I currently use a PDA and tom tom software so am used to it -- but I did like the look of the other two...more of an "upmarket" look --- lol

 

[gcrockford]

anyone tried the garmin nuvi 350 ?

 

[Stulc]

Iv'e been looking at this also, as I allready have a Kenwood system inc changer so shouldnt be any (or not many) changing of cable's.....NOT from fleabay though, I would buy over the counter.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KENWOOD-KNA-D...846635702QQcategoryZ75327QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Either this or the Tom Tom whatever model is best (I would need to read all the suggestion's again)....lol

 

[imar]

Sorry if this should be posted as a new thread - I just fitted a Becker Indianapolis on a 99 CLK cabrio. I have 3 problems - the uppermost connector block (of the three) doesn't fit, and I have no control of vol/stations on the steering wheel; the lowest connector which apparently should provide the links to speed and reverse doesn't seem to work; the GPS aerial which comes with the Indy needs sticking to the dash, which would look horrible - since Mercedes (not always) fits Becker radios, where is the GPS aerial on the newer cabrios? Any idea where I could get one? It would presumably work on the Indy.

 

[concordepilot19]

I have Tom Tom Navigator 5 software on a Fujitsu Siemens Loox 720 PDA. It speaks by Bluetooth to the matchbox-sized Tom Tom receiver. It works very well and both items sit comfortable in the little recess between the gear shift and cd holder in my c220 cdi. You can charge the units via the cigaratte lighter adaptor that comes with the Tom Tom (only necessary if journey more than 2 or 3 hours and the PDA runs out, the TomTom lasts all day.)

I carry the PDA in a Proporta aluminium case and it looks fine. I bought one of those suction devices but it looks terrible in the Merc so it is now gathering dust.

So far I've used the Tom Tom software in Orlando (city map expires before the 192 / 27 junction but so what), New York where annoyingly I could only get a signal on the ferry to Ellis Island due to the building heights blocking off the satellites. GB is good, though many of the mini roundabouts are not shown. I've just bought all of Europe for €120 which is not bad.

You can also subscribe to Tom Tom Traffic and set the PDA up to download the latest info via your mobile GPRS service. It works a treat and automatically prompts you to permit a re-calculation of your route to avoid blocks and delays.

A cool bit of gear.Oh yes, I have also downloaded all speed cameras in the UK from pocketgps.co.uk or similar. You get a beep 300 yds before the offending camera appears.

 

[Wezzel]

I recently bought a smartphone (Nokia 6670) which came with a Nokia Route 66 sat nav kit.

The whole package cost me £39.95 and it works fine. The screen is plenty big enough and the voice instructions are clear. Also the phone holder is fitted to the air vent and is therefore at eye level.

Can't complain at that price.

 

[gcrockford]

Have just bought the Garmin Nuvi 350 --- it is really great far better than the Tom Tom I was using before and sits on a small disc on the dash and doesnt look "naf". Thoroughly recommend it.

 

[psmart]

Interesting thread. I'd avoid the Audio 30 APS, its lousy! My ML came with the Audio 10/Bose package and I upgraded to the Audio 30APS 6 months later. Sound quality, radio etc, its great. Navigation is wanton. Fiddly to enter destination details but its main problem is it taking 30 seconds or more to calculate a route. The maps (Im on the 2004 disks now) are out of date, so you more often than not get routed on non-existant or wrong way on a one way system. Make a mistake, and you could have driven to Baghdad before its calculated a new route!

 

[jamesferry]

If you want a quality product and not a cheap option.

Navman ICN 550 with traffic module is a good option.
Garmin Nuvi 300 or Garmin Nuvi 350 is equally good which also has the traffic module but it is an option extra

 

[Blobcat]

I have a brand new boxed Garmin 2620 for sale if anyone's interested. (£350.00) Checkout Garmin.com for full spec. All of Europe pre-installed onto 4Gbyte drive.
I have a Garmin 2610 which I use all the time and really rate. Difference between 2610 & 2620 is 2610 uses Compact Flash cards rather than an internal hard drive