Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Sat Nav - Recommendations Please

I was in France this time last week with a new Garmin 50LM (LM = Lifetime Maps). It took us to the front door of the hotel in Montreuil. I was impressed . Cost of the device was c.£110.

Mr B..... do you want one to purely navigate you from A to B or do you want to plan an itinery? The problem with the cheaper ones is that that they only let you do the former. If you want the former, I have a very nice, and up to date Garmin Nuvi 40 that you are very welcome to...(I've just bought a TomTom Rider for my motorbike which will work well in my cars as well) Give me a ring in a couple of days when I'm back from oop North.

Just a short update - found a decent article on AutoExpress in case it finds use.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/63573/best-sat-nav-apps-tested

I have Tom Tom Go from Tesco's as they were doing a deal c £80 last Xmas .
The only issue is the cost of maps etc. plus it has speed cameras on it which you must turn off in France.

I still have a c 8 year old one from a defunct comapany and in truth the maps are still good enough even if I never updated them.

I have recently downloaded Tomtom for Android onto my mobile.
Less than £30 and very impressive so far.
Only used for a few short runs to familiarise but it logos good.
My app is for UK and NI maps but other countries available.
I put the mobile in a dash/screen mount and use the power cable to maintain battery.
It's been recommended by Which and is awesome for the price.
Free lifetime map updates included too but safety cameras is extra.

Will test the waypoint next.
It has options for POI and traffic alerts as well.
In fact, it looks as good as my old Tomtom which recently died.

Many models now have free lifetime map updates. Annoying as I still have to pay for mine
All recent or updated TomToms have French speed cameras replaced by accident risk zones where speed cameras may exist but are not specifically localised.
A major defect of the current TT series is the limited number of waypoints and the total lack of itinerary planning. This is only a problem for long distance travellers and delivery drivers, but annoying as the previous series included decent itinerary planning.

Mine is a Garmin Nuvi 1490 and I would not be without it....As much a marital aid as a GPS which has preloaded european maps a little ariel extension to improve reception in built up or wooded areas. A suction cup mount to adhere to the windscreen and adjusts well to all angles. Recommend spending the most you can afford as its a must have for touring.

I live in Oz and bought a Navman at not insignificant cost. The plan was to download (the paid for) European maps for a Uk/France trip.

Navman has a Filipiino help desk which is useless so I literally spent a day working out how to download the Euro maps. Navman is no longer a US-owned company and the new owners care zip for customer care.

On arrival in Nice we had to switch from the Aussie to the Pommie (!) accented directions as we fell about laughing at and couldn't comprehend the Aussie spoken French street names,

That said it worked well in France where it was invaluable leaving central Lyon for the airport in the predawn darkness.

I have previously had experience of Garmin sat nav in hire cars in Denmark and France where we were taken round in circles and not always small ones! We didn't have that problem with the Navman.

Incidentally en route to Lyon airport that morning, we also successfully used the hired Mercedes' sat Nav to 'calibrate' with no contrary instructions.

Wanting to avoid mega costly data charges overseas I avoid using my iPhone so can't compare them with Navman.

...you can download (some of the) Google maps on an iPhone so you can use them offline... click here.