A day with my TomTom

pvr

pvr

Dutch
 Ruler of the South East UK
Had to take the Abarth for the first service, and as they only come in Flimper spec, I had to take the TomTom to find this Abarth garage near Maidstone.

Well, I can honestly say that it was a nightmare, I was going all over the place as the recalculations were slow, seeing which exit you need to take on a roundabout was very unclear as the arrow covered a number of them at the same time, when there are two roundabouts in a row it just can't deal with it quickly enough and the arrow suddenly jumps.

I can now understand why people drive so bad on roundabouts as I was one of them having to quickly shoot across all lanes to get to the exit I was just about to miss (again). Trying to zoom in whilst driving is almost impossible when the car is bouncing a bit trying to press that little + symbol and it automatically decides again for you that you should no longer need the zoom (at the most crucial point of course ...).

Sure was glad to have the nice big clear BMW navigation available again today to see where I was actually going and zooming in and out is just via a nice turning knob rather than trying to touch a moving screen.

I am sure that the new models might be better (have the one XL Europe), but it sure was painful to use it.
 
I think you just get used to the particular style of the device you have, then when you change device and it's all wrong and confusing.

Am currently using CoPilot live premium on my iPhone, it speaks the directions and so you don't have to really look at it so often, just listen. It also has live traffic and will advise a quicker alternate route, if there is a delay on the current one, without having to tell it.
 
I swear AT my TomTom. Now redundant as both cars have built in Nav. Although I have to say for the cost of a nav disc for the cars, you buy a new TomTom!
 
Never really use GPS now, prefer looking at a map before hand. I found when I had GPS I,never researched the route before hand so more frequently got lost, was late, or drove erratically! Occasionally they definitely have their time and place though!
 
I suppose once you have been spoiled with a clear big screen which shows the junction in split screen, using a small TomTom that is graphically so "vague" is always going to feel like a backwards step.

I was just surprised how confusing it actually was with "jumped" corrections and massive arrows on the screen covering multiple roads so it was so unclear which one to take. The colour scheme is not good either, with the roads and arrows the same colour with a slight different shade!
 
cj_eds said:
Never really use GPS now, prefer looking at a map before hand. I found when I had GPS I,never researched the route before hand so more frequently got lost, was late, or drove erratically! Occasionally they definitely have their time and place though!
Click to expand...

TBH, given that no GPS is perfect I always check on Google first, then usually print out a map. I do like my built-in nav though - updated the software to give the 'perspective' option, now all I need is a 2011 disc from BMW. RE-routing is as quick as my Garmin, and zooming is really easy with the knobs. When it feels like it the nav even seems to show roadworks / congestion. Just need cameras now, but I have a road angel for that if I feel the need.
 
I think it's a Tom Tom One I've got - basically a couple of years old and the cheapest one they did at the time. Cannot fault it at all. Much better than the ancient Garmin i3 I used previously. An absolute godsend when we travelled throughout France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, etc on holiday in the van. Got to admit I rarely use/need it in the car as I don't often go to places that I don't have at least a basic knowledge of.
 
when i changed from my coupe to my e89 it took about a month before I broke the habit of reaching for the heater knob to adjust the Satnav... :rofl:
 
Never had a problem with my TomTom. The nice Irish lady always tells me where to go, and the recalcs are pretty quick too.

Though I've hardly used it since I got the Zed, but I much prefer the TomTom's GUI and the way it operates.

For one, you can't just type in a postcode into the Zed. :x
 
Im with PVR - the Z4 nav is absolutly fantastic and has never let me down and always fast.

yes its not as "fancy" as some other aftermarket units out there, but it does exactly what it says on the tin...
 
ah yes, don't remind me that the TomTom lost reception whilst driving underneath a flyover as well on a massive roundabout with no idea where to go ... :x
 
My TomTom is excellent, and crucially it doesn't make a mess of the dashboard. I pity M owners with that nasty OEM device :fuelfire:
 
i had a garmin in the States... now that is bad, i find the tom tom better then the OEM... least it has a full 7 digit post code.

Only problem is tunnels... and losing reception.. where the inbuild one must have some sort of link to the speed sensor... so keep going.
 
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