Originally Posted by badcompany3004:
“Hi Everyone,
I have recently started to venture further afield and out of my geographic comfort zone. And so I have decided to invest in a SatNav - I have decided on the tomtom brand only because people seem to be impressed with them alot.
But I was just wondering what is your opinions on the different models? If you have other types like a garmin etc, I will be glad to hear about them and if one is impressive enough to sway me I will consider, but primarily I am looking for helpful suggestions on TomTom models.
Thanking everyone in advance.
BC3004”
What exactly do you want to do with the Sat Nav (I know that sounds like a stupid question but read on

). There are various levels of TomTom with all sorts of bells and whistles that may or may not be of use to you.
Generally the core navigation functions on all TomToms are the same. Most new models do extra tricks like IQ Routes which select a different route at different times of the day based on expected traffic patterns (ie avoiding jams as much as possible).
Then you have the Advanced Lane Guidance feature which shows a graphic of the correct lane(s) to be in at certain junctions.
As you go up the model tree you then get all sorts of add ons like being able to use the TomTom as a handsfree kit for the phone.
Some models do traffic information. Most of the new models do it by themselves (the LIVE versions) which means they have built in GPRS technology to download the information from TomTom. Previous models had the option to connect via bluetooth to a mobile phone and make a data connection that way to get the info. And there is/was the RDS dongle. This is a little module that plugs into the base of the TomTom and receives FM radio broadcasts that transmit traffic data via RDS.
The other thing to note with TomTom. Generally speaking the higher the model number in each range group the more internal storage it has for maps. So if you never stray outside the UK then you won't really lose anything by getting a GO550 instead of the GO950 for example.
But for simple A to B navigation then the Start range will do just as well as the top of the tree GO range. It's only if you need the extras
If you like the widescreen models and fancy the LIVE traffic service then the XL Live IQ model is pretty good value.
http://www.tomtom.com/products/produ...tegory=0&Lid=1
Just bear in mind however that the LIVE service is subscription so will add an ongoing cost if you want to use it. It's £7.99 a month currently.