Other church or 'religious' police forces

[David + 4,981]

I have a TomTom that's around 2 or 3 years old.

 

It doesn't really need replacing as it does work perfectly, but I have been reading that newer models are actually far clearer with images of the actual road rather than just (sometimes) vague instructions especially when it comes to busy cities with multi-lanes, ring roads and all the rest. Satnav devices as good as they are I do not feel handle that well.

 

What are people's feelings on newer models which are even clearer?

[Shmook + 532]

We use tomtoms at work, and one guy bought the app for his phone.

They are great for telling you which lane to be in, but it's always perfect. Maybe 1 time in 10 it can't decide.

We have an older garmin too, which doesn't tell you lanes but has never got a destination wrong.

I'd go with tomtom though, but that's because I'm used to them

Edit, re read my post. It isn't always perfect...

Edited December 7, 2014 by Shmook

[Clear Left! 41]

I have a TomTom that I got last year. It's the TomTom XL UK, ROI & Western Europe Classic 4.3" Sat Nav.

 

This model is currently £79.99 at Halfords: Click Here!

 

I use my TomTom whilst driving in London and it's fantastic. 98% of the time it tells you the appropriate lane to be in and displays the correct road layout on the screen. You can also download new road updates that other users have recommended to ensure that it's displayed correctly. In addition to this, like other models the TomTom will tell you when there's a speed camera and even on average speed checks.

 

On the motorways, it has a screen which tells you when to get off and shows you. I'll post an image of this below.

<------ Ignore the LIVE. Couldn't find a picture for the normal XL.

As for the picture quality, I've always found mine to be very easy to read. Even with direct sunlight shone onto it.

 

Hope this helps! 

 

Edited December 7, 2014 by Hotel Tango

[fruitandveg + 26]

Once I bought a Garmin, I never looked back. Better hardware, better navigation...plus bear in mind Garmin has a waaaay longer history in aviation GPS than road GPS. Plus all our work ones are Garmin, as was my old force.

 

Garmin all the way!

[Richhamdo + 877]

I bought a Tom Tom sat nav about three years ago,mainly to get make sure I got to one particular spot without getting lost and late,I can't say I ever really liked it as far as simplicity went, then as time went by I bought a Tom Tom 500 which had a much bigger screen,that was much better,and even I could understand how to programme a route,but then I couldn't find a decent spot to put it,so I got one those mat things from H to fix it to which sits on the padded area above the dashboard, I have to say that was definately one of my better buys,it's perfect and it all just goes in the glove locker as and when I want, but need to remove the screen first which I keep in a bag.the sort you get on an aeroplane with the socks and toothpaste etc in.Rich.

[mrhodes2705 4]

I've always been a fan of TOMTOM, but also use a Garmin Montana (with UK Road Mapping) on it, both work a treat. More recently I've been using the Waze App on my iPhone which works just as well and is sometimes more up to date as it community driven and also gives traffic alerts.

 

Not sure what Id go for if I had to buy a new device, although will probably have to do so as my TOMTOM is now old and i cant update it and the battery is failing :-(

[RailPlod 250]

We have TomToms is our job vehicles and they are awful. We don't bother using it on blue light runs as it cant keep up 99% of the time and I just pull maps up on my phone. However they arnt much better on normal driving and struggle to find a signal They are a few years old though so might have improved greatly. My dad has a TomTom XL like the one above and he says its good. I just use maps on my phone for a satnav, Just plug my external battery pack into it (I dont have a cig lighter in my car which I found weird!) and fire it up.

[David + 4,981]

I have a TomTom already but I find it does not handle city centres and their ring roads very well. The display needs to be far more obvious as well as the 'keep left' chant. What it sometimes means is, take the left hand lane, at others, the left hand lane-but-one of four but the one that carries straight on and is not the left turn only lane.

 

My understanding is the new displays actually shows street level buildings which makes the direction more obvious rather than just 'ahead keep left' which at times is meaningless.

[AnthonyB + 451]

I'm on my third Tom Tom and still use them all!

 

The oldest one goes in whatever I'm driving on duty as being city based the old maps aren't an issue and being 10 years old is disposable so no loss if anything happens to it.

 

I upgraded when my wife needed one after changing cars to one without a built in satnav and stuck to Tom Tom, getting a Go 600.

 

Good points - lifetime free map updates, clearer map, free and actually accurate traffic data and alternate route planning

 

Minus points - all the useful customisations, particularly with points of interest (I could add my own from the Tom Tom site so I had all the Premier Inns, police stations, hospitals, fast food places and much more added in as I travel all over the place) are gone and the preloaded points of interest are quite limited and the interface method and menus are totally different - it's a bit like the Windows 8 of Tom Toms!

 

There will be those that swear by Garmin & hate TomToms and vice versa! It's best to have a play with both if you can to see which suits you.

[Otee 41]

If you have a smartphone I would really recommend getting CoPilot GPS Navigation. I use it between London and Liverpool and it gives clear-cut instructions. Even when used in and around London it's great and the maps are updated weekly to conform to speed changes, traffic light cameras, speed cameras. It even warns you on variable speed enforcement zones on the M6 managed motorway section which overhead speed cameras are bogus or working.

 

• £19.99

 

I also have to point out how well it manages rerouting you around traffic, particularly in London. If it detects major buildups it will take you around on it. I usually reroute every time it warns me of 10+ mins of traffic but once I decided to test it and go through the original GPS route. I got stuck on the A40 for 40+ minutes due to an accident. It was pretty recent aswell.

 

On the road, CoPilot's sleek dashboard-style map display provides clear, non-distracting directions.

 

Lane Assist arrows, real signpost information and realistic ClearTurn™ display make navigating complex junctions effortless. An all-new walking mode makes it easy to find the way around a city on-foot.CoPilot helps you find your best way to any destination with a choice of up to three alternate routes, displaying journey time and mileage for each.

 

Fine-tuning the route is easy: simply drag the route or destination to the preferred street you wish to take or navigate to

[gsdk9 + 139]

I am going from an older tom tom to a new garmin nuvi2598.  I will let you know how it goes.

[Yes Its Me 10]

I use a TomTom on both the bike and car, can't fault them - eps the car on with live traffic

[Burnie 2,084]

I've just gone from an old Garmin nuvi300 to a new TomTom XL with lifetime maps.

Far far better. The lane assist guidance and much faster bootup time make it much better plus it gives me clear instructions well in advance and in plenty of time to take action and keeps up in densely packed city streets which is great when I'm on call as a CFR

But then I'm comparing a 2008 model Garmin to a 2014 TomTom...

Edited December 30, 2014 by Burnie

[Klaus 585]

I use the Google Maps app on my phone. Works great, displays live traffic, and is free.

 

I imagine there's better, but this one is freeeeeeeeee

[DB11 + 224]

My TomTom is quite old now, I'd estimate four years (as I got it when I started driving) but it does the job.

The battery is pretty useless so it pretty much always has to be plugged in, well it will last maybe 30 minutes if the battery is fully charged.

I have the Live services and the mad update but it isn't lifetime maps.

The feature whereby it tells you what lane to be in is quite good.

If I had to get another one I'd probably stick with TomTom