Sony NVU 53 G

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Sony no longer make sat navs for the European market and are thus slowly stopping support for the current line-up. So it looks as if there will be no further map updates for Sony sat navs. A real shame, i think, as i believe they could have gone on to produce some great products.

After much consideration, and research, I decided that the Sony was exactly what I wanted - a basic system that would replace the hassle ...
...as with screens on all Sony products, is superb. Whether you use it day or night it won't disappoint, and it automatically changes its brightness so you don't have to. Having the large wide screen also means you can see lots of the surrounding area including nearby villages/towns etc, which are clearly labelled. You would be looking at paying at least £30 more for the equivalent screen size on other makes.

I also love the ease of operation ... more

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Sony no longer make sat navs for the European market and are thus slowly stopping support for the current line-up. So it looks as if there will be no further map updates for Sony sat navs. A real shame, i think, as i believe they could have gone on to produce some great products.

After much consideration, and research, I decided that the Sony was exactly what I wanted - a basic system that would replace the hassle of map reading and, thus, save a marriage! I liked the screen size and the look of the wonderfully drawn maps. And, at current prices (around £100), there seemed no other option.

I ordered the goods from Amazon and they arrived quickly. I knew exactly what I would get in the box but the lack of AC adaptor didn't seem important enough not to buy this product. The unit charges via the USB port of the computer, or via the cigarette lighter socket of the car, with the cables supplied. I don't foresee myself purchasing an AC adaptor as, so far, I can't see any need for it.
The battery life of this unit is no more than an hour so if your car doesn't have a cigarette lighter socket then this sat nav is not the one for you. If you do, then there is no need to use the battery power. Most sat navs are the same though.

The screen, as with screens on all Sony products, is superb. Whether you use it day or night it won't disappoint, and it automatically changes its brightness so you don't have to. Having the large wide screen also means you can see lots of the surrounding area including nearby villages/towns etc, which are clearly labelled. You would be looking at paying at least £30 more for the equivalent screen size on other makes.

I also love the ease of operation of this device. From the moment I turned it on I knew how to use it instinctively. The on-screen buttons are big so even those with larger fingers shouldn't have a problem with using it. The menus are clear and well set out, with the major options easily accessible.
The screen includes all of the information you need to know and optionally you can include nearby Points of Interests (POI). There are plenty of POIs to choose from. My only complaint is that they are very small on screen.

The estimated time of arrival (ETA) is very accurate and you really can trust it - depending on traffic conditions that is! A few forums have raised an issue with the clock on this model. It has been known to re-set itself or show the wrong time, affecting the ETA. This happened once with mine after connecting it to the computer. However, I took it outside and as soon as it got signal the correct time was showing.

The unit will show your speed but only when you haven't programmed a route. I don't know why this is but personally I don't see the need for it. The speedometer is right in front of you! Having seen a TomTom in operation I know that they tell you when you are exceeding the speed limit, though in the course of a 40 minute journey it got the limit wrong twice!

Having previously registered with Sony for other products setting up the speed cameras was quick and easy - though I don't find their web site the most intuitive. I did however have a little help from some online forums to properly activate the 'safety' cameras so I would be verbally warned. This works well though it does tend to warn you about cameras that are in nearby roads as well!
I also didn't find the software provided that brilliant. This is something Sony has failed on with other products. The main issue was the constant 'connecting' sign on the unit when it's connected to the computer. I have since found out that this is normal and it will say this even when synced and not transferring information.

I found the major advantage of this unit to be the very clear voice instructions - she tells you which road number to follow i.e. A123 which is something a lot of competitors don't offer. She also gives plenty of warning to keep to the left or right etc so you know which lane to be in. This makes the journey so much more stress-free.
The maps are also very clear and don't look like a childs drawing unlike other manufacturers. So far, I have found the maps to be very accurate, including some fairly recent roads, and haven't come across any unknown roads as yet.

Signal is usually picked up within a minute - it's never taken any longer than that for me. I guess it depends on where you live though. Even when signal is lost going through a tunnel it is a matter of seconds before it's back on track having come out the other side.

As with many portable devices (cameras, ipods etc) there is no case supplied in the box. At the price I paid for the sat nav an extra £10 for a case from halfords did the trick. This is a definite must if you intend to take it around with you. Put it this way, I wouldn't leave it in the car.

Another aspect which attracted me to the Sony was the attachment. This, in my opinion, is much better than the TomTom, which is prone to falling off the windscreen (seen it happen) and cannot be attached to the dashboard unlike the Sony - unless you purchase a separate attachment. This also makes your car much less of a target for thieves who look out for suction marks on the screen.
Attachment to the dashboard is very simple and very sturdy. The Sony also clips nicely onto this attachment with ease.

I have seen many reviews talking about the unresponsive touch screen. These are true to a point - sometimes it takes two or three pushes to get it to respond. However, this is no problem especially as most of this is done prior to the journey. The TomTom I used had a similar problem.

As a Mac user I was disappointed to find out that the Sony isn't Mac compatible. Although you can work it from the box there are a number of features such as adding/removing maps and languages that do require a computer. Thankfully I also have a PC for such situations.

I I have previously mentioned I have also seen a TomTom in operation. I can see that they do have advantages. Firstly the TomTom's seem to be more accurate, to within about a metre whilst driving along. The Sony seems to be about 5 metres. So when you are passing a road junction the Sony may show you as still coming up to it.
Even though the TomTom I saw was about a year or two older than the Sony I noticed that even when it was in a tunnel and without signal it carried on going. Can't see a great advantage to this but it's still clever. Only the top of the range Sony's have this ability.
I also noted that the TomTom was marginally quicker at re-routing should you take a wrong turn. Although not sluggish the Sony was noticeably slower, but not enough to ever cause a problem.

Some nice features that I'd like to mention about the Sony are:
If you select the 2D map you can search the entire pre-loaded map (close up or far away) and tell it where you want to navigate manually. So if you don't know the postcode but know where it is on the map then this is a handy feature.
Also, if you happen to particularly like the area in which you are currently at you can save your current location and it will store it for you.
Gesture commands are another nice touch. These are like a speed-dial on your phone. Simply draw a '^' on screen and it will navigate you home. Draw a '-' across the screen and it will take you to the nearest petrol station. I think this is an excellent, and safe, feature that really does work.

For those who like the celeb voices that the TomTom has to offer the Sony (as yet) will disappoint. The female voice included is currently the only one available. I'm sure this will eventually change but you have to remember Sony haven't been in the market long.

Overall I'm very happy with this unit. It does exactly what I want i.e. navigate me to where I want to get to without the stress of map reading. The few nice extras are a plus and selecting the 'nice route' instead of the obvious 'fast route' has taken us through some lovely places nearby which we would never have seen otherwise. 

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