TomTom XXL 540S 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

• TomTom GPS navigation with a 5-inch, full-color, TFT LCD widescreen touch display
• Pre-loaded maps of U.S., Canada, and Mexico with TomTom Map Share, Advanced Lane Guidance, and 7 Million POIs
• IQ Routes Technology gives you the fastest route every time by using actual average speeds of travel on your route to calculate your trip
• With TomTom Map Share technology, you can instantly modify street names, street direction, POIs, road speeds, and turn restrictions on your own device
• Award-winning Fold and Go EasyPort mount, folds flat against the device, making it easy for users to transport

History with GPS Navigation:

I've used built-in Honda (Alpine), standalone Garmin, and Ford 'Sync' audio GPS navigation devices.

I loved the Honda navi for its size, and I hated it because updates were sparse and expensive.

I loved the Garmin for being up-to-date but I hated it because it always seemed to change its mind a lot, or direct me into strange areas.

I didn't really care for the Ford Sync navigation, as it wasn't a visual navi. Included for free with the car, but I choose not to use it. Maybe only good as a 'back-up' in case the TomTom fails-though I don't think it ever will.

I sold my Honda and needed a new navigation system.

I bought the XXL 540TM for...

1) Screen size

2) Frequent map updates (4x a year + Map Share)

3) Ability to customize it (lots of settings to play with)

4) Well Known & Quality (I've always heard 'Garmin' is the best, but when I've tried Garmin, I didn't like it!)

5) Lane Guidance

6) IQ Routes (figuring out which roads were best to use)

By the way, in case you were wondering the "TM" stands for "Traffic" and "Maps", indicating there are free traffic and map updates. I had NO problems entering the "Lifetime Maps & Traffic" code provided.

What's in the box:

-> GPS device itself

-> Window mount (with suction cup)

-> Dashboard 'sticky' pad

-> USB cable (to connect to PC)

-> Car Power adapter

-> Set Up Guide

-> Slip of paper with 1 code, valid for Lifetime Map/Traffic updates

The first thing I did was hook it up to my PC and run all the updates. (A newer map was available + GPSFix + Map Share.) It took about 1.5 hours to update all of it. After it was done, it took up about 96% of the 2GB built-in memory. (I didn't check how much it used before updating.) Not a lot of 'wiggle room' to add more features. No built-in SD slot to add memory, either.

One major downside is that I don't like how easily the device 'pops off' the windshield mount. (See further explanation under "The BAD" below.) I am considering getting a (non-adhesive) weighted/padded mount to put on the dashboard.

The GOOD:

+ Screen size met my expectations. Easy to see everything on the screen

+ Startup time (including time to lock onto satellites) seemed fairly quick

+ Roads were up-to-date and labeled properly. Didn't find any errors

+ Allowed me to customize just about everything I wanted to.

+ It functioned perfectly as a Navigation device. This is where I felt Garmin was lacking. With all the features a Garmin has, it never seemed to 'navigate' the way I liked. Of all the features, the 'Navigation' is the most important, and TomTom does it well from what I've seen.

+ It pronounced some 'hard to say' roads perfectly! I'm sure I'll find some that are not right, but Garmin/Sync had a hard time saying road names.

The "OK":

+Traffic is only updated by RDS (sent by local FM radio stations). This is what I paid for. RDS updated only major roadways (Interstates) and marked some accidents / road construction / road closures. It only worked when the power cord was plugged into the accessory power port on the car (as the cord functions as the antenna.) I would have preferred TomTom's GO/Live line of products which has a built-in 'cell phone' to grab more detailed and current traffic information. But, these were out of my price range. The XXL 540TM does "just enough" traffic to make it useful.

+It takes some time to calculate a long distance route. But, I also know that it is using IQ Routes to choose the best roads. It seemed 1 or 2 seconds longer than it needed to be, but certainly not a huge problem.

The BAD:

Internal memory not expandable. 96% used up without any 'extras' installed? Hope I don't need more...

When browsing maps (dragging my finger) it is a bit 'laggy'. I don't expect perfection, but it seemed sluggish. Fortunately, I don't plan to browse maps often, so I'll deal with it. I tried turning off Points Of Interest (POIs), and turning off 3D maps (using 2D maps instead), and it really didn't seem to make a difference. I'm impressed with the detail it showed, but wasn't thrilled about waiting 10 seconds for the entire screen to finish 'drawing'.

Windshield mount seemed to 'pop off' too easily. When suctioned to the windshield, I have to use 2 hands to 'hold' the GPS and keep it attached to the mount while I adjust. I suppose it is useful for people who leave the mount stuck on the windshield. I prefer to remove the device AND the mount and hide them when not in use. (I figure a thief will know that the mount is for a GPS, and that the GPS is hidden in the car somewhere.)

I have yet to try this out on a LONG or COMPLEX road trip, but I have no doubts from what I've seen so far that it will be just fine.

OVERALL, I'm happy with the device. Happier than I was with Sync, Alpine, or Garmin. I consider myself an 'Average' navigation user (not a beginner, not an expert) and will update the review after using it more.

Sidenote: I ordered through Amazon, using "Beach Camera" seller. It was delivered ONE (1) business day after I ordered it! I used 'Standard' shipping, and FedEx (Home service) had it delivered fast. Very pleased with Beach Camera's shipping emails and speed!

=========================

UPDATE 11/18/2010:

I thought I'd provide an update after 6 months of using this TomTom device:

1) I am still very happy! It's the 1st GPS I've used that "just works" and I'm glad I don't have to mess with it.

2) I've mastered the technique of adjusting the screen position while simultaneously holding the suction base. Back in May when I first reviewed it, I was concerned about how 'easily' it popped off. Now, it is still annoying, but I've minimized the amount of times it happens by holding it appropriately. It doesn't annoy me enough to buy a different stand/holder.

3) The suction cup still holds on quite well. It hasn't fallen off yet. (I attach/detach from the windshield every time I use it.)

4) Traffic Receiver: I've been satisfied with alternate directions/road closings. It is quite accurate, even in rural areas where I didn't expect road closures to be displayed.

5) Long-distance travel: I've used it for a few long trips (1000+ miles) and had no problems whatsoever with it. I found the 'estimate' of time to be extremely accurate. It was no more than 10 minutes off. (I calculated the time I stopped for gas and added it to the original estimate.)

6) Battery life: I've found the battery life to be holding a little less charge than it used to, but nothing that I feel is alarming. Most of the time, I have the power cord connected anyway (so I can grab the traffic updates with the antenna built into the cord.)

Overall, this is my favorite GPS. I've been hooking it up to the computer less and less (meaning I am forfeiting new 'map share' corrections). I even decided NOT to get the latest map update. Why? Well, I feel everything is working just fine the way it is. I may update if I have the free time. This is in sharp contrast to my previous GPS experience, where I'd pray for updates to fix stubborn issues. The TomTom is just fine and I have had no major complaints. I am NOT in the market to buy a new GPS because I'm finally satisfied.

=========================

UPDATE 06/03/2011:

Here is an update after 1 year of using this device!

1) The battery is holding less charge than last year, but it still lasts 6-8 hours without needing a charge. Not a problem for me, because I use the car adapter most of the time.

2) I drove to Canada, and the maps were accurate! In fact, I liked that TomTom still told me the speed limits of the roads. (Sign said 100kph speed limit, TomTom showed 60 mph limit.) I found this helpful so I didn't have to squint at the tiny "kph" on my car's speedometer. I've made this trip before in the past (without my TomTom), and I chose to "Avoid Tolls" on this trip. TomTom found a very nice route that I had not known about. It used IQ Routes to get me around the rush-hour traffic too! I used the "Itinerary" feature for the first time, and found it worked quite well. I programmed 6-7 destinations the night before my trip. The next day, I simply opened the Itinerary and it asked me if I wanted to travel to the 1st one. I also ended up re-ordering a destination to later in the trip, and found an option to re-order. Very helpful!

3) I updated my map just once (right before my trip to Canada). I installed this on a new computer. I was worried that TomTom wouldn't 'know' that I was eligible for free maps on my new computer. But, I had no problem whatsoever! For those of you who don't know, all your map updates, downloadable color schemes, icons (etc) are done through the TomTom HOME software. You create an account with TomTom, and the TomTom HOME software uses that account to 'know' you're eligible for Lifetime Map updates.

4) I did discover 1 piece that doesn't work for me. I cannot use the "Safety Cameras" add-in from TomTom HOME. I haven't researched it though. I got an error message when trying to add it. No big deal for me, since I only planned to add it for curiosity. A quick Google search didn't reveal it as a widespread problem. I'll update this review if I find a cause/solution.

5) Yes, the GPS still "pops off" the mount too easily. It bugs me from time to time, but still not enough to buy a different mount/base.

6) Am I in the market for a new GPS? Nope! Still very happy with this one. (I got sick of every other GPS within 6 months of using it. But, knowing I still love this TomTom after 1 year says a lot!)

Good job TomTom, you exceeded my high expectations. Thank you!

=========================

UPDATE 02/23/2012:

Aproaching 2 years with this GPS. Nothing much to report. Still going strong! I made 2 more 1000+ mile trips since my last update. I have had NO problems with this TomTom GPS. And, I am still receiving free map updates without a problem. (My fear was that the "Lifetime maps" would be a problem, but it has thankfully proven NOT to be true!)

I still recommend this GPS, after ~2 years of usage. I have no regrets and feel it is a good investment.

=========================

UPDATE 11/19/2012:

2.5 year update!

No problems. Still going strong. It is still being used regularly (5-6 times a month). The only thing I will add is some advice! Ever sit there and wait for your GPS to find the satellites? If you plug in your GPS once a week to your computer, TomTom will suggest 'QuickFixGPS' updates. Updating weekly will speed it up, because the updates tell your GPS exactly where to find the satellites that week!

Buy TomTom XXL 540S 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Now

The GPS market has come a long way in the past few years. A decade ago, there were very few after-market GPS units, they were mostly expensive, and they were also mostly mediocre. The best units cost more than a thousand, and while they'd get you from here to there, didn't feature a lot of bells and whistles. Factory installed GPS units--then limited mostly to high end cars--generally cost $2-3k.

A growing number of portable GPS units have come to market in the past 5 or so years. Over time, the hardware has improved, the software has (for the best ones) gotten pretty good, and prices have (especially in the past year or so) dropped tremendously. (That last point--the tremendous drop in price--has forced many manufacturers out of the market. At this point, it is mostly dominated by names like TomTom, Magellan, and Garmin). There is also now competition from high end smart phones, most of which have a GPS unit built in.

(Amazingly--or perhaps not--the cost of factory installed car GPS systems has stubbornly remained around $2,000!)

While there has been substantial brand attrition in the GPS market, there is no shortage of choices. That's because each manufacturer now offers an almost ridiculous number of models, many of which are only modestly different.

GPS units can basically be differentiated as follows

1) Screen size (usually 3-5" diagonally)

2) Ability to acquire a GPS signal

3) The GUI (graphical user interface) presented to the user

4) Quality of the maps (how often updated, what geographical regions they cover)

5) Does the unit incorporate traffic data?

6) Quality of routing (how good are the driving instructions generated)

7) Does the unit offer text to speech? (Does it tell you the names of streets, or just say "next left"?)

8) Does the unit offer voice recognition

9) Does the unit incorporate blue tooth to communicate with your phone and/or FM transmission to play over your car radio?

10) Does the unit have expandable memory; play mp3s; etc?

11) How good is the included mounting hardware?

Let's take these features one at a time for this particular GPS, the TomTom XXL540TM

1) The screen size of this unit is 5". This is at the high end of current offerings by the major GPS manufacturers. This doesn't really buy you any additional "real estate", i.e. the resolution isn't higher than the small GPS units. It's just a little bigger. That IS useful, to be honest, and is also helpful as it makes it easier to maneuver the touchscreen menus.

2) This unit, like all the current TomTom line, does a great job of acquiring a GPS signal. It can take far less than a minute with clear lines of sight, and my unit was even able to pull up 5 satellites inside my home with the blinds drawn. I also have GPS units from Sony and Garmin, as well as a built in unit in my car. The TomTom is better than the Sony at getting a signal, as good as the Garmin, and slower than the built in in my car (not a fair comparison, since the built in gets a much larger antenna).

3) This TomTom has a very good GUI. The touch screen is reasonably responsive and most everything appears where one would, intuitively, expect it to be. My biggest complaint is that there are a LOT of options and option screens you can drill through--way too many to deal with while driving. The upside, is there is a "simple menus" options that will present only the most significant option screens. It should be noted that some of the recent TomTom models (e.g. the 550) have eliminated a lot of the options/option screens, leaving ONLY the "simple" menus. That is a big negative, since some of these deep menus are quite useful. Bottom line: Good GUI and stick to a model like this that at least gives you the option of the deep menus.

4) The map data is good, and this particular GPS comes with lifetime map updates. TomTom also has a "map share" facility, which allows users to upload/download map changes. That means if a bunch of users discovery that a street is closed, they can note this information on their GPS and that info will get transmitted back to TomTom, who then shares it with everyone else. In this way, maps get corrected very quickly. This unit includes maps for both North America (US/Mexico/Canada) and much of Europe. The inclusion of European maps will be considered a major bonus for some, and irrelevant for those who don't plan to take this outside this continent.

5) This unit includes lifetime traffic data. The value of this data will depend on where you live. Major cities have great coverage. Smaller cities frequently get poorer coverage. The traffic data is also sometimes incorrect. But on the whole, the traffic data is good, and reasonably reliable (where you can get it). It is transmitted over the FM frequency, and an antenna is built into the auto power adapter cord that comes with this unit. The REAL value of the traffic data is that the unit incorporates the data when calculating routing information. I was skeptical at first, but have been VERY surprised at how well the unit picks the "right" route (not just the route that is shortest in land miles, or shortest based on posted speed limits). This is an A++ feature.

6) The quality of the routing with this unit is OUTSTANDING. Everything else aside, this is, in my opinion, where this unit really shines. They use what they call "IQ Technology" for routing. This is just putting a brand name on the following process: Incorporating frequently updated information on the real speed of various roads (and current traffic information) when generating routing information. It works beautifully. I tried several routes I frequently drive, where the real-world best route would NEVER be predicted on the basis of land miles or on the basis of posted road speeds. No other GPS I have used has ever predicted the real-world best routes--that includes a last generation Magellan unit, a last generation Sony unit (updated with their most recent firmware), and the unit installed in my car (also updated). In one case, the TomTom came up with a very good route, but not quite the best one. I went to the menus and indicated I wanted to avoid a certain road. The TomTom recalculated and subsequently came up with the correct (and not obvious) route. On the basis of their routing, I am a TomTom believer.

It's worth adding that this unit also includes "lane guidance", which is extra information about what lane in a multi-lane road/highway you should be in to prepare for your next road change. This feature is included in the higher end units in pretty much all the manufacturer's lines, and as with the others, it works very well here. I find this to be a very useful feature and would gladly pay to move up in a product line to get it.

7) This TomTom unit features text to speech. I find this a good feature, though obviously you can glance at the LCD screen to get the same info on a unit that does feature this feature. The TomTom is very good at pronouncing names that you might expect would present a problem (e.g. names derived from Spanish, or those derived from the names of Native American Indian tribes).

8) This unit does NOT include voice recognition. Although I would consider good quality voice recognition to be a MAJOR advantage, my experience is that the voice recognition on most portable GPS units is poor/worthless. Some of the high end Garmin units feature reasonable voice recognition, but they are expensive and the feature is still, to some extent, a work in progress.

9) This unit does not offer blue tooth connectivity to your cell phone, nor FM transmission through your radio system. To be honest, while these features sound good on paper, the ONLY blue tooth systems I have used that have ever been worth consideration are those factory installed into a car (at a cost of...$2000, or so...) When blue tooth is available on these portable units, it's mostly bad, and frequently horrible. So the lack of blue tooth on this GPS is no loss.

10) This unit does not have an external memory slot, and the memory cannot be expanded. Full loaded with both North American and European maps, this device uses about 3.7Gb of the 4Gb that are built in. But you can easily remove the maps for either North America or Europe in standard use, if you need more space in the future. The lack of external memory means you also won't be using this unit for playing music or videos or whatever. Again, this is no loss in my opinion. Few people use these features even when they are included.

11) The included mounting hardware is, sorry to say, very poor. The design--where the mounting bracket folds to nearly flush with the unit when not in use--is quite cute. Unfortunately, A) the suction device doesn't work very well and loses suction fairly quickly, even when applied to a good, clear, level surface. (When that happens, your GPS comes crashing to the floor!); B) the quick release bracket that allows the GPS to be removed from the mounting bracket is poor, and if you try to adjust the direction of the GPS, it comes off too easily; and C) even if A & B were not true, the included bracket allows only a very limited amount of motion--not enough to really adjust the GPS to the angle and direction you'd want (and certainly not enough to be usable with the increasingly popular "beanbag" dash mounts...) I would STRONGLY recommend that you buy a high quality after-market mount system made for this device, specifically this one: ARKON TTEP115 TomTom EasyPort Windshield / Dash Mount. At the time of writing this review, it's about thirteen dollars from Amazon, and worth every penny. It works great with this GPS and fixes all the problems that the built in mounting system presents. The only downside is that it can't fold away flush with your GPS when done!

On the whole, this is a very very good GPS unit. Outside of voice recognition, it offers pretty much all the desirable navigation features of the current generation GPS units, and it performs quite well. The "IQ Navigation" feature, which calculates routes based on real-world speeds of roads, works incredibly well in my tests and differentiates this unit from the competition from other brands. The included mounting system is the only Achilles heel, but this can be solved by an inexpensive after-market mount, as noted above.

It's worth adding a final note about this particular TomTom model. TomTom has a large number of current models. By and large, they are very similar in terms of the hardware related to the GPS features that positively differentiate the GPS reviewed here. (E.g. good at pulling in satellite signals, excellent "IQ Navigation", good maps, etc.) The different models vary primarily on the basis of screen size, whether they include lifetime updates of map data, whether they include traffic data, and whether they include such inessential features as blue tooth and mp3 play. I found the IQ Navigation feature, which incorporates the traffic data, to be so good that I would strongly recommend one of the models that includes traffic data, at least for those who live in/near the urban regions that get good traffic data service. Some of the recent units (e.g. 550) used a "simplified" interface, which I would avoid. This is, by and large, the "simplified menu" option that this unit offers, but without the ability to move to a more elaborate menu system when desired.

Beyond these two recommendations, you should probably choose the unit that is consistent with your budget, knowing they will all function as a GPS about equally well.

And plan on buying the after-market mount!

Read Best Reviews of TomTom XXL 540S 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Here

I bought the TomTom XXL 540S a few weeks ago. This gps is the big brother to the TomTom XL 340S. This gps just has the bigger and brighter 5" screen.

I have very mixed feelings about the gps. There are many things that I like about it, but there are also so many small details and functions that are lacking on it that TomTom either decided not to work on or decided to exclude. These little things that are missing drive me absolutely crazy at times and I don't know if I can stand them or not. I may consider returning this gps and getting either a Garmin or Magellan instead. I don't know yet. I really hope TomTom starts addressing some of these issues.

Some of my pros vs cons are below which I hope will help others who are trying to decide on a gps.

Pros:

+ IQ Routes (TomTom uses historical speed data for roads based on the time of day and day of the week, so that it can give you the best possible route)

+ Big 5" Screen, which is easy to see.

+ Very loud speaker. (Option in Volume Preferences to link the volume to your cars speed if you want)

+ Satellite acquition is fast (less than 10 sec for me). Shows usually around 9 satellites.

+ Map Color can be changed.

+ Can change the color of the car symbol in 3D mode

+ Auto Day/Night mode changes the brightness and color.

+ Ability to prepare a route with any Depart and Destination coordinates.

+ Shows the current street that your on at the bottom of the screen and the next street to turn on in the top right corner.

+ Advanced Lane Guidance on the highway is displayed really nicely. Shows an arrow with the lane that you need to be in and also sometimes shows a 3D sign for your exit. It is nice and big and it stays on the screen long enough to be viewed so that its clear to see where you need to go.

+ Status bar can be customized to how you like it. It can be displayed either horizontally or vertically. Can show the remaining time, remaining distance, current time, arrival time, your speed and the speed limit, distance to your next turn, compass, ect.

+ TTS (text to speech) instructions are very helpful in letting you know where to turn and also preparing you for your next turn as well. For instance it will say something like "After one qurter mile turn right". Then as you get closer to the street it will say "Turn right Main St. Then take the second left"

Cons:

POI (Points of Interest) Map Screen shows the POI name, street and cross street, phone, city, and state. But it gives NO street addresses! So you don't know the address or what side of the street the POI is on, unless you call the place ahead of time and ask. All you get is a checkered flag shown in the middle of the street with TomTom saying "you have reached your final destination". On the Go model the POI Map Screen has a "Details" button that shows the street address, zip code, and food cuisine type for instance. Why TomTom decided to remove this on this model I have no idea.

No AutoZoom enable/disable option (like on the Go model). You can manually zoom in or out on the map, but about 5 sec later AutoZoom will kick in and take you right back to what TomTom wants you to see. Its very frustrating because I like to zoom in and out sometimes so that I can see more map detail, but TomTom won't allow me to for anymore then about 5 sec. When I turn on the gps the zoom level that TomTom has picked is so bad that most all of the street outlines around me have completely vanished from the screen. All that I see are a bunch of street names just floating around on the map with no streets being shown.

Doesn't speak which side of the street your destination is on. (If you enter a street address for a destination however it does show a little arrow on the map pointing to the left or right hand side of the street when you are approaching your destination. Along with a little checkered flag on the side of the street your destination is on.)

Change Preferences screen is 6 pages deep and only has a button to advance foward to the next page. There is no back button. So if you say accidently go past the screen you wanted to be on you have to then press the foward button 5 more times just to get back to that page.

No simple way to get into the Browse as Text turn lists display from the main screen.

Browse as Text route instructions, the text and arrows for the turn list is just way to small. Also there is no Auto Scroll function. To view the next page of new upcoming turns you have to scroll down the list manually yourself.

POI Map Screen in Night mode shows the cross street text in black, which is extremely difficult to see unless you get very close to the screen.

3D mode during the day the maps background brightness isn't consistent across the whole screen. There are noticable lines across the screen where you can see the various brightness stages. Towards the bottom of the map its the brightest and then as you pan up the screen it gets slightly darker.

Can't enter the street name untill after you have entered the city. Its bad news if you know the street but unsure of the city. You should be able to search for the street in any city near you or near the city that you entered (if it was incorrect).

TTS (text to speech) of multiword street names sounds sometimes garbled.

TTS pronounces some words and streets pretty poorly.

Can't change the color of the car symbol in 2D mode.

Can't search restaurants by cuisine type.

No MicroSD memory card slot for expansion. Room is pretty tight with only 2GB of internal flash memory. After removing all of the voices except for computer voice Susan and removing most of the car symbols. I still only have 105mb of space free remaining.

Only supports USB 1.1 transfers. So when you install maps or performing backups its very slow.

Miscellaneous info: gps chipset on mine was a GL2 BCM4750 (Global Locate 2), The CPU speed is 266MHZ. 64MB of RAM.

Want TomTom XXL 540S 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Discount?

This is a good product, that is reliable, works as expected, and comes with good customer support. After I purchased and tried out this TomTom XXL 540S, I promptly installed and used TomTom Home to update it, and used the Map Guarantee for my free full update. All this worked exactly as expected. Once I had the device and started using it, I noticed how easy it was to operate and configure. It does a better than expected job of routing, and map accuracy is also pretty good. The Text to Speech function works pretty good, this is what gives you spoken street names, places and addresses. The voice is clear and loud (I had to turn down the volume a bit from maximum). It does fumble some odd or foreign street names.

More recently I got a notice of new maps available in TomTom Home, and attempted to purchase and update while signing up to the Map Update Service, which is an excellent value, as you get 4 more map updates during the next year, and you do get those, as TomTom releases 4 full map updates per year, every year. This is where the support comes in. During this update I was offered 1 full map update for about $12 when combined with the Map Update Service for about $52. This is for the North America Maps which include the US+Canada+Mexico. It let me purchase the full map update, but not the Map Update Service, and it would not let me download and install it. I called TomTom customer support line on a weekday about 10AM, got a customer support representative in just minutes, and when I explained my issues to him, he was ready with a solution. It involved TomTom correcting a problem with my online account so my purchase registered correctly, and manually deleting some files from TomTom Home and the TomTom device, after which the update was successful. We also figured out that this same issue was preventing QuickGPS data from updating, and that was corrected as well. Over all I spent about 40 minutes on the phone. Excellent and polite service.

I also had ordered a Magellan 4700, and this device was compared to that. After 2 software updates, no map updates, and no map updates expected for 12-18 months (as per Magellan documentation), their map guarantee is worthless. Also, in the less than 30 days I had that unit, I applied 2 software updates to correct issues with crashing, performance, satellite acquisition, and position accuracy, it still did not work correctly and I returned it.

There are some things I wish they would improve. On this 5" unit it becomes apparent that their display is low resolution. I like the Magellan display much better. However, the Magellan is much slower to power up, and seems much less responsive. The TomTom turns on and off very quickly. And as long as QuickGPS data is current (a QuickGPS update is good for about a week), it gets a fix in less than 15 seconds. In 3D view, which is normal for navigating, you can see some color banding as the shading goes off into the distance. The TomTom is a little thicker than the Magellan, but some of that is due to the larger speaker the TomTom uses. I like the compact windshield mount, but it is a little tricky to snap on and off the device. The windshield mount has a fairly stiff swivel joint, so you need to adjust it with care using two hands or with the device detached. The joint being stiff is a good thing, as there is little flex, vibration or bounce during driving. But if you attempt to adjust it with your hand on the TomTom, you will just detach it from the mount. I believe this is intentional, so that the mount does not move when you attach or detach the device for theft or break in deterrent. The device reminds you to remove it on the shutdown screen for this reason, the reminder can be disabled. I wish they would make a more feature rich version of this device. It is their largest display, but only has the most basic features. This is equivalent to the ONE series. It does not have bluetooth, live services, or any extras except for an optional traffic receiver/power cord. I tried the traffic receiver, but coverage is spotty, and updates take too long to be really usefull. A TomTom GO Live edition with an internet connection through a bluetooth connected phone is much better, but also pricier. I got this for it's large display, as my folks are going to be using it, and they have trouble seeing, and operating a small touch display. More room for fingers and bigger text. One last issue, this unit has 2GB of memory, and it is just enough. There is little room for extras. I have removed foreign language voices, especially the text to speech, and all extras I did not need to maintain some free space, and allow the few customizations that I installed. I installed a vehicle cursor that matched my car, and custom shutdown and startup screens. This issue is fixed on the TomTom XXL 540S World Traveler model, which has 4GB of memory, to load additional maps for more countries. This model does not have a SD card expansion slot for additional storage. I wish I could get terrain/elevation mapping, and 3D landmarks. Watch the sky above the horizon in the display, it changes from day to night. There are clouds in the sky during the day, and twinkling stars at night.

Overall I am very pleased with my purchase. The price at Amazon was good during Christmas, and free trial of Amazon Prime let me get free fast shipping on it. It meet the needs of my folks, and is easy to use for them. I have pre-programmed their most common destinations into it, and it performs well. With my familiarity of the TomTom interface and its easy operation, the mostly don't need my help, and if they do, I can usually walk them through the menu.

Sorry that this was so long winded, but I hope this provides some useful information for your decision making. And please understand, that for the purpose I purchased it for (my folks) it works really well and I am very satisfied. The issues I bring up are from my point of view, which would be a more advanced and demanding user. I have looked at a number of Personal Navigation Devices from various manufacturers, and I think the TomTom is the easiest to use, with good maps, frequent map updates, and good customer support.

Falko

Save 34% off

I am a long time Garmin user. Being too cheap to pay extra for map upgrades I decided to shop for a new GPS figuring to replace it every three years and live with the aging maps. I saw this GPS with FREE traffic and FREE map updates but hesitated because of the negative reviews about service, maps, etc.

SERVICE: Before I bought this unit I found and called the tech support number for TomTom (1-866-486-6866) to see if I would be on-hold for "6-hours". It was more like 3-minutes. The tech support rep was very helpful, answered my questions about Garmin vs TomTom (she owned one of each), and talked frankly about the problems they did have regarding the lifetime map updates.

After purchasing the unit I did have trouble with the lifetime map update codes and had to call tech support again. They picked up immediately this time. The trick is to upgrade the firmware and the one-time map update firstand then enter the code for the lifetime maps. Total time on the phone 10 minutes or less (and then it is 6 hours for the download).

FEATURES: They are covered in the other reviews. I'll just mention that my older eyes love the 5" display & the brightness. Sound is nice and loud too.

PERFORMANCE: We took a camping trip to Hocking Hills Park in rural southeastern Ohio this weekend. The unit worked great even in the rural hills. The route put us at the campground 15 minutes ahead of our friends who printed out a google map. When you are on a main road the unit displays the speed limit and your speed. When you get more than a few miles above the limit the display shows in redusefull here in Ohio where they really like to write traffic tickets.

VALUE: I don't talk on my cell phone while driving so I would have no use for bluetooth. Given the free map updates, free traffic, large display, etc. it's hard to beat the bang-for-the-buck of this unit.

Brief update 7/10/2010:

Likes:

1.) The unit does a much better getting you back on track from a big parking lot than my Garmin did. When I start out parked in the driveway it even tells me to turn around when possible to start my trip.

2.) I really, really like the big 5" screen

3.) Comes off the windshield easier than the Garmin.

4.) The "Lane Assist" feature is great when driving in unfamiliar territory.

Dislikes:

1.) When looking for a store it would be helpful if the unit said the destination was on the right or left. In a commercial area it can be hard to pick up the address.

2.) I have to turn the unit on every time I start the car. The Garmin started up automatically unless I turned it off.

3.) The Garmin is much better at picking up Points-of-Interest. The TomTom could not find my Gym (which is over two years old) or a nearby Mcdonalds (about a year old).

UPDATE 8/02Unit died after four weeks (just over the 30 day exchange-ugggh). Okthat happens. But the Peoples Republic of Customer Service at TomTom are completely awful to deal with. They are excellent at reading you all the footnotes & exclusions in their customer dis-service policy though. The best thing about my old Garmin unit was that in four years I never had to call customer service. If I could have a do-over I'd buy another Garmin (even without the traffic & maps) and I'd buy it from Costco so I could just exchange it instead of the ordeal of dealing with manufactures.