Satnav round-up: The best satellite navigation systems

If Christmas is a time of giving, then it stands to reason that it's also a time of receiving and despite these credit crunching times your close friends and family will be expecting some expensive gifts in a couple of weeks' time.

If you're struggling to come up with something to give your nearest and dearest consider the humble satnav. Dads likes gadgets, the kids need to know how to get to the latest Jonas Brothers gig; and Mum needs to navigate to the new out-of-town supermarket. That's probably what the marketing blurb suggests, anyway.

In reality the satnav gift ticks several boxes at once: gadget-y, useful, thoughtful and with that reassuring seal of expense that says: 'I spent at least 100 quid on this'.

With this in mind the MotorTorque team has rounded up some of the best on the market and given them a thorough going over. Modern satnavs don't just tell you how to get somewhere - they'll spout as much lifestyle information as you handle, warn you of accident blackspots, do all kinds of fancy interfacing with your mobile and advise you on your driving.

So, if you need a quick no-nonsense gift that makes you look good and requires virtually no thought whatsoever, read on for our reviews of some of the best satnav systems on the market.

TOMTOM GO930T

SatNav: GO930T

Manufacturer: TOMTOM

Price: £400

How is it powered?

Powered from an internal battery. The GO930T is supplied with a USB charging and connectivity docking station allowing you to charge the device from your PC. In car charger also included.

How do you turn it on?

Simply press the power button on the top right of the device to switch it on – couldn’t be any easier.

What’s the interface like?

The GO930 has a touchscreen, which provides simple navigation through the available features. The screens are well laid out and the interface is generally clear and very easy to use. In addition to this, the GO930 includes voice recognition functionality allowing you to set your destination city, street and house number without taking your hands off the wheel!

Setting directions

Setting directions is straightforward. The GO930T can hold your home address and recent destinations for ‘One-Click’ navigation, navigate to ‘Points of Interest’ - which includes hotels, hospitals and the like or you can just specify an address either by postcode or street, town.

There is also the option at this point to use the voice recognition feature to set your destination, which is a fantastic feature although it does struggle with particularly rural locations. This is only available for UK addresses.

Accuracy of directions

The GO930T displays maps clearly and the spoken directions are simple and accurate to follow. The spoken directions include lane assistance, which gives you plenty of notice and is very useful, particularly when faced with complicated junctions. It will also stop you missing your exit off the motorway.

The new IQ routes TM Technology ensures you get the best directions for the time of day considering average speeds. Directions will also vary from weekdays to weekends – very comprehensive.

Additional info given:

• Mapping for 31 countries

• Traffic monitoring

• Bluetooth connectivity for mobile phone interaction

• Live traffic News Updates

• MP3 Player

• Safety Camera warnings

• Map corrections allowing you to update maps and share with others

Does it stick to the window?

Very easy to stick on to window and generally stays put as long as you’re not too heavy handed! It did fall off a couple of times during testing though.

Conclusion

This is a fantastic satnav with all the features you could need – and then some. Learning to use it was quick and very simple although you do need to spend a little time with it in order to make use of all the additional features. The maps are clear and the spoken directions excellent and timely. The only drawback is the price and at £340 this is one of the most expensive satnavs around but you do get what you pay for!

It is very accurate and does give you confidence to rely on it to get from A to B in the shortest possible time. If you do a lot of driving then I would highly recommend the GO930T.

Would you give it as a gift?

Great gift for a very special person! Unless you spend £340 on all your friends. Anyone who likes his or her gadgets will be seriously impressed.

Clarion MAP680

Satnav: MAP680

Manufacturer: Clarion Price: Circa £190

How is it powered?

The unit is powered by the in-car cigarette socket or battery. However, the battery life is quite limited, and tended to last only a couple of hours before switching itself off.

How do you turn it on?

A simple sleep button on the right hand side of the unit puts it into a very low-power sleep mode, or it can be switched off by holding the off button.

What’s the interface like?

The intuitive interface is a touch-screen display with large icons, making it easy to pick up and use from scratch without having to refer to the manual.

Setting directions

The interface asks you for an address or postcode to tap into the on-screen keyboard, which can be a little fiddly at times to hit the right letter. Calculating the route takes just a few seconds, and you can programme the system to avoid certain road types such as motorways, as well as include detours such as petrol stations.

Accuracy of directions

The display is very clear and precise at all times, allowing you to keep your attention focused on the road rather than the display. The auditory directions can be a little sketchy at times - the system will sometimes tell you to "go straight over the roundabout taking the first left", which can be a little confusing at the more complicated roundabouts. Otherwise very clear directions given, using a multitude of different voices and accents.

Additional info given

Speed camera detection system can be turned on, but it did not seem to pick up many speed cameras along the journey. It also allows you to avoid traffic hotspots which is a useful feature, as well as find hotels, tourist attractions, shopping, restaurants etc.

Does it stick to the window?

The sucker can be a little fiddly at times, and the whole system can tend to fall off the windscreen on occasion.

Conclusion

Overall, the Clarion MAP680 is a great satnav. Although I have always been reluctant to use a satnav it's clear that it is a great use when travelling to unfamiliar areas or trying to avoid heavy traffic. The ease of operation makes it a breeze to use in-car, and is very easy to pick up and use even without having to refer to the manual.

The 4.3 inch display is ample size to refer to without having to lose attention, and the antireflection screen is also very good in bright sunlight. Apart from a few minor confused auditory alerts at some junctions, I found it to be a delight to use.

Would you give it as a gift?

The cost of the unit probably prohibits it from being an every-day present, and it is more suitable for motorists who drive on a regular basis.

Garmin Nuvi 265T

Satnav: Nuvi 265T

Manufacturer: Garmin

Price: £150 - £160

How is it powered?

The unit comes with a cigarette lighter power lead and so is mainly powered by the vehicle. An optional USB lead can be purchased to transfer data to / update the unit as well as charge it from the computer’s USB bus.

How do you turn it on?

The main power switch is located at the top left of the unit, the switch also encompasses a “hold” mode, which prevents the user accidentally turning the unit on or interfering with its operation when the unit is activated.

What’s the interface like?

Initially you are presented with a warning screen about the dangers of using the device while driving. The user interface itself is simple and very intuitive with simple touch screen operation.

The security options allow setting of a pin number to activate the unit. Initially the user is presented with a “Where to?” and “View Map”. The “View Map” function allows you to see where you currently are.

Setting directions

Directions are entered via the “Where to?” mode which presents the user with a set of categories and options ranging from favourites (previously saved locations), food, shopping, petrol stations, tourist interests etc. Mainly I used the unit by entering either a post code or a street name. The process is easy with the system auto-completing selections on many occasions. The unit calculates the route in a matter of seconds, and is very responsive.

If you need to add a stop on your journey you do this by setting a “Via point”. This can be a useful feature for long journeys.

It also supports journeys by bicycle or pedestrian routes on foot. There is also an ‘Off Road’ mode, which provides point-to-point routes, without regard for roads.

Accuracy of directions

The screen is clearly labelled with the next step in your journey listed at the top i.e. “keep right on M62”. In the bottom right the unit tells you when to expect the next action or turn off, i.e.“500 yards”. The spoken voice is clear and concise and repeats important turnings within 300 and 100 yards.

If you take a wrong turn, the unit quickly recalculates your route to get you back on track, also if you detect trouble ahead you can also instruct the unit to find an alternative route.

Additional info given

This particular unit includes maps for Europe and also a set of speed camera locations which can be updated via the use of a paid subscription to Garmin. Careful research will reveal sites on the internet that will update this data for free.

Map data updates are for free but require a USB cable (which is a standard socket on the unit and can be purchased from any good electrical retailer). FM radio receives updated traffic information too.

Does it stick to the window?

The included windscreen bracket is easy to use. It attaches and releases via a simple lever mechanism.

Conclusion

The unit is simple and easy to use and finding directions is straightforward and error free. The battery life is good, however, mobile speed camera safety zone warnings can be irritating as the unit beeps every 100 yards for about what seems like 5 minutes.

The device also has a SD card slot so that it can be used to store more map data and also be used as a digital photo viewer. I’m not sure why this is useful though! Other features include a calculator, currency converter, unit converter and a world clock.

If you’re looking for a system that is easy to use, and has extensive points of interest (POI), then this system is a serious contender for your money.

The Pros include a strong GPS Signal, Easy to use touch screen controls, speed camera warnings out of the box, Excellent point of interest database.

The Cons are that there is no USB cable included, and the volume does not adjust automatically to the speed of the vehicle.

Would you give it as a gift?

This would be an ideal gift for any car driver, it is suitable for all users as the unit includes a built in help system and is very easy to use. The response time for finding locations and calculating routes is excellent.

Co Pilot Live 7

Name of gadget: Co Pilot Live 7 for Windows Mobile

Manufacturer: Used on HTC Touch Diamond

Price: Around £60 for Co Pilot Live 7

We also had Co Pilot Live 7 for Windows Mobile and were supplied with a spanking new HTC Touch Diamond mobile phone on which to use it. The keycard slots into your phone

Points of interest include the likes of nearest petrol station, hotel, car park, restaurant.

Problems arise if you need to look at your phone – although directions are presented clearly you’ll have to take your eyes completely off the road unless you can rig up some sort of bracket for your phone.

You will need a fairly high-spec phone to use the software.

Installation is pretty simple, simply requiring the entry card plugging in to your phone. You’ll then need to set up GPS setiing, which may require a modicum of brainpower.

The interface is clean and simple and the simple graphics make navigation very easy.

You can also save common locations as home and the office and load up those routes with one touch.

You can also recover recent journeys, which will handily allow any passing car thieves to work where you live if your phone falls into someone else’s hands – so beware.

There’s a choice of 2D and 3D map views that zoom into your destination the closer you get.

A noted pro of the Co Pilot software is its speed in loading routes – noticeably quicker than some dedicated satnav units.

The software does need a little more finesse in terms of its spoken instructions and things like lane information.

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