TomTom or Garmin GPS.....Which is best ??

PardonTheWait said:
The Zumo also comes with a separate car mount, doesn't it?
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Yes....
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But i rather have a cheap £100 gps for the car incase it gets stolen...
 
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[TW]Fox;16233818 said:
What didn't you like about the TomToms you had?
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A few things to be honest:

1. Very slow to update when going around roundabouts, sometimes causing me to miss the exit because the satnav was behind my actual position in the road and I wasn't sure which exit I was supposed to take.

2. The fixed camera angle made it more difficult to position myself in the correct lane when leaving motorways because it wouldn't tell me where to go until I was almost at the top of the slip lane.

3. Slow sat fix on start up, and weak internal antenna - especially noticeable in built up areas with tall buildings. I used a work provided TomTom Go this week for a job and I see that is STILL an issue.

4. No European maps as standard.

5. No apparent way to update the maps or safety camera locations.

6. Very poor customer service from TomTom, also very hard to contact them in the first place.

7. Very bizarre route planning. I was led a merry dance on a number of occasions.

I admit that the very latest, more expensive TomTom models may have addressed some of the above, but I won't be rushing back to the brand TBH.
 
I've been using a Windows Mobile PDA since about 2005 and running TomTom on that. It was cutting edge in 2005, VGA screen resolution, etc etc but obviously its now very long in the tooth. The software, mind, still seems to be absolutely fine, and the maps are clear and look good and the routing seems ok.

The only issue is that its a faff using a seperate GPS receiver etc etc but it does mean I get almost instant locks etc.
 
[TW]Fox;16234027 said:
The only issue is that its a faff using a seperate GPS receiver etc etc but it does mean I get almost instant locks etc.
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One of the TomToms I had, and I can't recall the model number now, did have something similar. It was supplied with a matchbox size magnetic external antenna which attached to the roof. It did improve reception slightly, but it still took a while to lock on :(

I know you've been considering a retro-fit BMW nav for a while. I've never driven a car with one built in to the dash, do you think it's as safe as having one at eye level mounted to the window for example? I'd just worry about taking my eyes off the road.
 
chaparral said:
Guys which GPS do you think are best and why out of TomTom & Garmin ???
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As mentioned above, it really depends on which model. Both are very good makes, however I'm sure both sell cheap rubbish.

I've got an old Garmin nuvi with the latest maps and it hasn't let me down at all.
 
My experience of my Garmin Nuvi 300 has been good. Easy to use. Maps need an update by now. The new Blunsdon bypass in Swindon confuses it everytime.

If it were:-
Quicker to lock onto satellites
Cheaper way to update to modern maps without being halfway towards a new unit
Had the ability to start recognising your destination when typing without you typing it all in
Larger screen
Sucker didn't fall off windscreen at silly moments


It would be perfect.
 
Is the tomtom hd traffic worth the money?

I'm curently using copilot on my iphone 3gs (3g was a joke) and its actually pretty good, but I've heard the traffic is a bit crap so I havent added that to my subscription.
 
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My Garmin was retarded, always losing signal, obscure routes no matter how much I played with the settings.

Once it told me that I have to go via Luxembourg to go from Reading to Worthing :p

Got a TomTom now and its brilliant.
 
The TomTom has the best routing, most up to date maps, most map coverage and best interface by a mile.

Garmin has the opposite, except for more accurate lane and road guidance in some places because Garmin go out and drive the roads - lots of TomTom's mapping is done from the air.
 
I have an old TomTom one with hacked firmware and its the dogs dingle dangles.

My mate has a new Garmin in his car, we were driving through London on saturday looking for a car park and it was slow, took ages to relocate if you took a wrong turn and just extremely annoying!
 
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