Tom Tom, Navman or Garmin

[malmacdowall]

Hi all... The Tom Tom has finally died and needs replacing.... Not sure if I should go Tom Tom, Navman or Garmin or the new ones from Kogan (based on where is maps) ? Any advice.....

Regular map updates would be good, using mainly in SYD so it need to be quick and accurate... Sick of the Tom tom telling me to turn right in the lane cove tunnel....

Would be good if the unit also provided some information when the gps signal is lost... The Tom Tom would loose signal and you were pretty much left to guess... Came out of a tunnel in Sydney into an intersection, so with no gps had to decide and turned left.... I managed to cross the harbor bridge 3 times in 20 minutes.... A 30 min trip took nearly 1 1/2hrs....

So what do you recommend ? Particularly interested to know if you've tried a few different ones..... Thanks Mal

 

[samh004]

The newer GPS models from all manufacturers should manage driving into tunnels a lot better, but if you're competent with TomTom, sticking with what you know might be best.

I've always found the TomTom GUI to be easier to use.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Tom Tom on iPhone best thing I ever did - free updates after initial purchase - and no need to carry second device.

I assume also available on Android platform.

 

[malmacdowall]

Tom Tom on iPhone best thing I ever did - free updates after initial purchase - and no need to carry second device.

I assume also available on Android platform.

The iPhone app would be great if my Optus 3G network wasn't so flaky.... Any other suggestions?

 

[Homer]

The iPhone app would be great if my Optus 3G network wasn't so flaky.... Any other suggestions?

Um, Telstra?

 

[gumpy]

I got garmin because at the time they offered lifetime maps and had NZ included.

Other than this I have no reason to believe any of the brands are better than the other...

 

[Oneworldplus2]

I'd say go with what your comfortable with.
I'm a Tom Tom user myself. Some of my mates only use Navman. Go with what your used too. l got free updates for 1 year with my purchase.

 

[samh004]

Tom Tom on iPhone best thing I ever did - free updates after initial purchase - and no need to carry second device.

I assume also available on Android platform.

Did you buy the holder for it too, that improves GPS, or find it wasn’t necessary?

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Did you buy the holder for it too, that improves GPS, or find it wasn’t necessary?

Yes bought 2 Tom Tom cradles from USA when first got my iPhone 3 - my 2IC here then got an iP4 but was still able to get it to fit to iP3 cradle

Not only improves GPS but also enhances charging and audio - but still works fine most of the time when interstate - and whats more I am with Vodaphone.

 

[Keith009]

No experience with Tom Tom.

Avoid Navman. We borrowed a Navman from a friend a couple of years ago and it lagged, ie it'll identify the road you have to turn into 2 seconds after you pass it. Not sure if they've improved since... FWIW it was a pretty high end model.

We got our Garmin 2 years ago when we bought our car. No issues so far, other than taking a little long to get satellite reception at times. I can certainly recommend Garmin.

 

[Homer]

Did you buy the holder for it too, that improves GPS, or find it wasn’t necessary?

I bought the TomTom app for my iPhone before leaving for our European trip late last year. Unfortunately the cradle was out of stock at the time but I thought I would just pick one up over there. That proved tricky. They had the old model (pre iPhone 4) at both the Louvre and Opéra Apple stores in Paris and I understand it works with an iPhone 4 but I wanted the new model cradle. Similarly there was no sign of one in Italy so I wound up driving the country roads of Tuscany, and the motorways between Bologna, Modena and Parma with the iPhone just sitting on the dash of our rented Audi A5 which thankfully had a non-slip surface so the phone just stayed put in the corners.

It worked perfectly without the cradle except for one thing - battery life. Because I didn’t take a separate car charger, expecting to be able to use the cradle’s power, my iPhone battery would fairly quickly drain if I left the TomTom app running. The app doesn’t release the GPS even if it becomes a background app, which I suppose is right because if you are switching between things you wouldn’t necessarily want to wait for it to re-acquire its position, etc. So what I did was to terminate the TomTom app whenever the display told me I had to drive on the current motorway for, say, 50km or more. Then I’d just turn it back on in 50km and the navigation would start right back up again.

I finally found a TomTom cradle for the iPhone 4 at the Apple Store in Munich (those Germans are up to date). It looks good and seems fairly functional but by then my rental car was a Mercedes M-class with in-built navigation so I never got to use it.

My suggestion: try the TomTom app on your iPhone because it works just fine without the cradle and then, if you like it, add the cradle to your kit to hold your phone in view, power it and improve the GPS and audio (the first two reasons being the most compelling uses of the cradle, in my view).

 

[Travel Guru]

Does the Tom Tom app for iPhone use any data or is it stand alone?

I'm doing a driving trip through France and Italy later in the year and rather than buy the maps for my Tom Tom I might just download the app if its not going to chew through data.

TG

 

[Homer]

Does the Tom Tom app for iPhone use any data or is it stand alone?

Completely stand alone save for traffic reports which is an optional component anyway. It’s a big install, but the advantage is that it doesn’t consume data while you’re roaming.

 

[Travel Guru]

Completely stand alone save for traffic reports which is an optional component anyway. It’s a big install, but the advantage is that it doesn’t consume data while you’re roaming.

Nice, thanks

 

[jsd]

I can certainly recommend Garmin.

+1

My phone came with Garmin maps built in (and heavily integrated into the Android platform as well) which is expected granted the phone was built by Garmin themselves

The quality of the maps is fantastic (there are streets in Hobart that have only just been built and they are already in the maps) and the guidance is extremely good as well, updates are a piece of cake as well...

Highly recommend Garmin

 

[Taezar]

I use a Garmin (in the old days they were the only ones that were Apple compatible so got into the habbit of them) - but am due for a new one and seriously considering picking up a new TomTom.
We used to have NavMan's at work (terrible), and while the old TomToms were a bit loopy (ie send you around a block when you need to go straight ahead) I do like their new interface. We just bought a stack at work and I really like them - especially while on the motorways.
The only issue I have have with the TomToms is that in the CBD they are terrible for reception. In Brisbane I can hack it cause I know the one way streets, etc - but when I was just down in SYD it was impossible. I had NO idea where I was going and TomTom kept thinking it was somewhere else - so I was constantly in the wrong lane. Also, the way it finally sent me to the Harbour Bridge was actually closed in the morning - so I ended up just driving around anyway till I found a way on.

 

[oz_mark]

The only issue I have have with the TomToms is that in the CBD they are terrible for reception. In Brisbane I can hack it cause I know the one way streets, etc - but when I was just down in SYD it was impossible. I had NO idea where I was going and TomTom kept thinking it was somewhere else - so I was constantly in the wrong lane. Also, the way it finally sent me to the Harbour Bridge was actually closed in the morning - so I ended up just driving around anyway till I found a way on.

I had a TomTom that had a habit of instructing me to go off freeway exits, only to then be instructed to take an entry ramp back onto the freeway.
As for Sydney, driving down George St was a painful experience - the satellite signals around the tall buildings sent it into another world. I understand the newer models can cope with the situation better.

 

[JetLagged]

Hi Mal,

We've used all three brands - we own Garmin's, which we let a friend use for 2 weeks while we use dhis Navman, and used a TomTom while in UK (and had forgotten to pack our Garmin).

Our recommendation is : go with the Garmin. While none of the systems are absolutely, 100% reliable 100% of the time (TomTom had has turning around in major direction changes to get us back to the same spot, etc), we had VERY little hassles with the Garmin (and some humour with its pronunciation of place names -Mount Alexander Drive became MT Alexander Dry, for instance) .

And, if it is any endorsement to you, Garmin is the military GPS of choice: confirmed by my major cousin!

 

[Groundfeeder]

I have used Garmin systems professionally and bought a Nuvi 660 privately for a bigger screen. (Not a w#nker but I use two Garmins on the hi/loway - one to keep a downloadable track and the other to read without glasses!) Have used SIL's Navman but couldn't quite fathom the logic of finding locations. Haven't used TomTom. Garmin for me.

 

[lmere12]

In Today Tonight or Current Affair a few months back they did a test with the 3 brands in all the aspects that you generally look for : garmin rated best, tom tom then Navman.