Which TomTom to buy ?

Raymond Lin · 24 Nov 2012 at 15:13

Currently TomTom is doing free life time maps on certain products and the 2 i am interested in are:-

http://www.tomtompromotion.com/maps/gb?WT.Click_Link=home_promo_box

Start 60

http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/product...start-60-europe/?WT.Click_Link=home_promo_box

6" Screen
UK/Europe
3D maps (no sure what that is)

Via 135

http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/product...ia-135-regional/?WT.Click_Link=home_promo_box

UK/Ireland
Bluetooth
Voice control

Which one should I get? The 6" one seems good but less features?

Daniel · 24 Nov 2012 at 22:05

I have the Via 135 and have had it about 6 weeks. I got mine from Halfords with the UK/Western Europe maps with the free lifetime map updates for the same price as seen everywhere else.

The voice command thing is a bit hit and miss as you have to speak the whole address as it won't do postcodes. You can type post codes though. The bluetooth works well with a phone which will give you handsfree and allow you to call people using voice command.

All in all I am pretty happy with it. If you take a wrong turn, it is quick to update and get you back on track. The spoken street names are good but they only work with one installed voice. The other voices just give you the so many yards instructions. Updates are a bit of a pain. Sometimes it can take 30 mins plus to update a small file but I think this is the same with most of the newer TomToms.

lordrobs · 24 Nov 2012 at 22:14

Get the one with the European mapping in my opinion.

NickXX · 24 Nov 2012 at 22:47

Who still buys sat nav?! Do you not have Navigation fitted to your car??

FakeSnake · 24 Nov 2012 at 22:50

NickXX said:
Who still buys sat nav?! Do you not have Navigation fitted to your car??

I have nav in my car, but the cost of updating the discs is redonkulous!!! so i bought a tom-tom with lifetime updates!
for less that 1/3 of a disk, i got a tom-tom!

Raymond Lin · 24 Nov 2012 at 22:53

NickXX said:
Who still buys sat nav?! Do you not have Navigation fitted to your car??

No, and I am not buying a new car for a satnav....

Vertigo · 24 Nov 2012 at 22:55

NickXX said:
Who still buys sat nav?! Do you not have Navigation fitted to your car??

Had this very conversation with TomO earlier today. There's no real reason why most cars can't be provided with SatNav as standard nowadays, especially as most already come with a decent sized screen already.

I think it's more marketing than technology at this stage, with most manufacturers still charging an (often considerable) premium for navigation. Give it a few more years though and I think competition will lead to most cars being shipped with it as standard.

MagicBoy · 24 Nov 2012 at 22:58

NickXX said:
Who still buys sat nav?! Do you not have Navigation fitted to your car??

Not everyone drives a brand new beemer with all the options ticked.

Average age of a UK car is 7.5 years. I could have had Factory Sat Nav on my car when purchased new 7 years ago, however it added £1200 to the £12k price. A TomTom was £100 and far more capable. God knows how much the map updates would cost from the manufacturer.

NickXX · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:30

Raymond Lin said:
No, and I am not buying a new car for a satnav....

What do you drive, I thought you had a z4?

MagicBoy said:
Not everyone drives a brand new beemer with all the options ticked.

Average age of a UK car is 7.5 years. I could have had Factory Sat Nav on my car when purchased new 7 years ago, however it added £1200 to the £12k price. A TomTom was £100 and far more capable. God knows how much the map updates would cost from the manufacturer.

My car is 9 years old! Never paid to update the maps.

PMKeates · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:33

I had a TomTom, back when I was poor.

Raymond Lin · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:33

NickXX said:
What do you drive, I thought you had a z4?

I have a last gen Yaris. (was toying with the idea of a Z4)

PMKeates said:
I had a TomTom, back when I was poor.

Good for you?

NickXX · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:34

Can't you balance your iPhone 5 on your dashboard and use the navigation on that?

PMKeates · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:38

Raymond Lin said:
Good for you?

I'm only winding you up

I never had a TomTom - I still have it, in the cupboard... as my beemer with all the options ticked has professional navigation.

NickXX · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:38

Raymond Lin said:
I have a last gen Yaris. (was toying with the idea of a Z4)

Oh. I thought you had a good car.

Raymond Lin · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:39

NickXX said:
Can't you balance your iPhone 5 on your dashboard and use the navigation on that?

Don't have an iPhone 5, I have the iPhone 4.

TomTom app is like £60 and the proper TomTom dock for it which boosts the signal isn't cheap.

I've tried various Nav apps and none I found is as good as TomTom. I actually quite like good old Google Map app....but then iOS6 took care of that.

Raymond Lin · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:39

NickXX said:
Oh. I thought you had a good car.

The Yaris is a good car, it fits my needs.

NickXX · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:43

Raymond Lin said:
The Yaris is a good car, it fits my needs.

I thought you needed Navigation?

Raymond Lin · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:48

NickXX said:
I thought you needed Navigation?

I got it 18 months ago.

It had NOTHING went wrong in all that time. (nothing that isn't my fault)

It literally cost me nothing but tax, petrol and insurance to run it. There is no monthly repayment, not PCP, not a lease.

It seats 5 people if need be.

Yes, it is not a £30,000 BMW with iDrive and Satnav but I never expected to be. Life is such that some compromises had to be made when buying a car. Sure, I could have gone and got a z4 with Nav built in when I got the Yaris, but it would be a 03 plate one....how good are the Nav is in one of those I ask you?

Or would you suggest I go buy a brand new car 18 months ago because I want a up to date Satnav and subscribe to BMW/Audi/or whoever to their updates (I have no idea if this cost money and how much).

I am not made of money. TomTom works. This thread is about which TomTom is preferable, not whether I should go buy a new car for a SatNav, now if you are going to buy me a new car with it built in for Christmas, it would be very much welcome, but seeing I don't think you will, I am not sure how you questioning what car I drive have any bearings on anything whatsoever?

NickXX · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:54

Raymond Lin said:
I got it 18 months ago.

It had NOTHING went wrong in all that time. (nothing that isn't my fault)

It literally cost me nothing but tax, petrol and insurance to run it. There is no monthly repayment, not PCP, not a lease.

It seats 5 people if need be.

Yes, it is not a £30,000 BMW with iDrive and Satnav but I never expected to be. Life is such that some compromises had to be made when buying a car. Sure, I could have gone and got a z4 with Nav built in when I got the Yaris, but it would be a 03 plate one....how good are the Nav is in one of those I ask you?

Or would you suggest I go buy a brand new car 18 months ago because I want a up to date Satnav and subscribe to BMW/Audi/or whoever to their updates (I have no idea if this cost money and how much).

I am not made of money. TomTom works. This thread is about which TomTom is preferable, not whether I should go buy a new car for a SatNav, now if you are going to buy me a new car with it built in for Christmas, it would be very much welcome, but seeing I don't think you will, I am not sure how you questioning what car I drive have any bearings on anything whatsoever?

Weren't you looking at e93s? A lot of those have Nav.

Raymond Lin · 24 Nov 2012 at 23:57

NickXX said:
Weren't you looking at e93s? A lot of those have Nav.

Yes, if I have £15k right now and want a car right now I will go buy a E93 right now with a Satnav.

Seeing that I don't plan to buy a new car this week. I will buy a £120 Satnav to tie me over and not spend £15,000 on a car for the Satnav.

I thought the logic here is very simple.

Buy a new car for a satnav? Really? That's your solution? Add to that, buy a 5 year old car with an out of date Satnav is really a good idea?

How much is the update of maps for BMW again?

I think you should either stop drinking or stop trolling...