8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Nice feature-filled GPS
Date of Review: Dec 27, 2007
The Bottom Line: I recommend it. Large Screen, intuitive interface, good features.
Purchased this unit and have been using it for about 2 months now.
Bought it prior to a 6 hour car trip out of state that I was having to make at night.
I also lived in Europe for a while and had a vehicle there with a built in GPS Unit, and thought for a "trip into the unknown" a GPS would, once again, be a good asset to have on my side.
I am NOT an expert on GPS technology, and had limited time to research and purchase a unit. Thus, originally being from Europe myself, I must admit that the european origins of TomTom probably helped sway me in going with this manufacturer, rather than one of the other well-known ones. This is NOT meant to take anything away from them, by-the-way. I am sure they sell excellent units as well.
This unit came "ready-to-go" with the maps pre-loaded. The acompanying software installed flawlessly and easily. The software interface is intuitive, easy to use, and easy to follow. Automatic software updates were flagged immediately, and installed without problems. I enjoy the fact that the computer interface dock allows you to use the unit and play with it from your computer monitor. It is also more convenient to customize the interface to your liking via your computer---very convenient feature. Maybe competing units do this as well. If so, TomTom's implementation of this is excellent in my opinion.
This unit, in my opinion, performed exceptionally. It got me where I needed to go --- safely and without complaint. I will add that my destination was a VERY rural area a few states away. I was, and remain, impressed with the way this GPS assisted me to my destination, and got me back home.
I very much enjoyed the points of interest which became an interesting pass-time while driving. Saw a point-of-interest pop up on the screen and started looking for it --- and found it. (OK, I'm easily entertained).
This unit has the option of transmitting the voice commands to your factory radio head via an FM modulator. Although easily set up to do so, I found the volume of the voice commands transmitted via the TomTom FM modulator to be very low. One then cranks the radio volume up to hear the TomTom commands, forgets, and then upon switching back to your music, you end up blowing out your windshield if you forget to turn the volume down.
I then connected the TomTom unit to the Aux Input jack of my factory radio head, via an appropriate cable that I had purchased at Radio Shack ($4), which worked extremely well, had good fidelity, and allowed me to keep the volume where it was. Of course, now, you have yet another cable to weave around and stow while driving. Didn't bother me, necessarily --- just something to be cogizant of.
This unit has the capability to, via a blue tooth cell phone, capture live traffic info and assist to re-route you around the problem. I didn't, and haven't, used this feature. The number of compatible cell phone models appears to be very limited. This is definately a negative, and a feature which, in my opinion, thus, has limited applicability. If you value this, insure prior to your purchase that your phone will work in conjunction with this unit via TomTom.com. Thus, I could have purchased a somewhat cheaper mmodel minus this particular feature.
This unit has a LARGE LCD display which is sharp and clear. Compared with the other competing units on display in the store at the time of this purchase, the display size on its own would have been enough to sway me. The other units had smaller screens that I found to be too small for my liking and need.
The windshield mount is very good and sturdy. I bring this up only becuase previous TOmTOm units, apparently, had a differing windshield mount design which was not as robust. IF this is true, this problem has been resolved via the present mount design.
The unit has a built in, re-chargable battery, as well as the option to work off your vehicle's acessory plug. SO, if you're using the audio out cable AND the power cable, take some time and figure out a clever way to "manage the wires" ... :-).
Entering destinations occurs via tapping functions on the unit's display. This can be cumbersome while in the vehicle. TomTom claims a remote control is available to operate this unit. This is an accessory I would love to have. Only problem is: try finding one. It seems that TomTom's dealer network is not supported as well as it could be by TomTom. I am still looking for the remote. Maybe I'll find it soon...
Route processing is quick and painless. Haven't had any issues with this.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this unit. I would have a hard time not recommending it. As said, if your blue tooth phone is not compatible with this unit, you can save a little money by going to the next less-expensive model not having this feature.
I am happy with my purchase and would recommend this unit if asked.
