TomTom ONE XL Europe

...device on the market is TomTom and it’s not that hard to see why. Having spent some time with the One XL Europe, a replacement for an aged BlueMedia Satellite Navigation device, I have been amazed at how quick and easy the device is to set up and use. The first thing that strikes you is that, unlike TomTom units of old, it actually looks and feels like a more expensive device.

The One XL Europe is exactly the same device as the One ...
...available to you on your TomTom device.

From the user interface you can configure your preferences, such as screen brightness, colours, volume level (including an ability to increase volume the faster you travel) and many more other, less significant choices. You can also access the Traffic Update features and Speed Camera features that are included in this device. Most importantly, however, is the device’s ability to navigate you ... more

Satellite Navigation is an invention born from great need. Without such utensils we would never have been able to invent missiles that can locate targets from great distances, guide army troops into unknown territories. Without satellites we would never have been able to invent Google Earth.

But, most importantly, Satellite Navigation was really invented for one reason and one reason only: to disguise the fact that men really can’t read maps and refuse to stop and ask the fat man walking his dog whether he needs to turn left or right at the end of the road.

We all know, as testosterone-fuelled men, women are better map readers than us, we just don’t want to admit it. Yes, they do strange things like turning the map upside down, but really we’re just jealous that we didn’t think of that first. So, to get round our envy and embarrassment, we invented Satellite Navigation, originally a £5’000 option on the £70k Mercedes S-Class but these days a mainstream commodity in any rep-mobile and the fastest moving automotive supplementary product purchased from your local Halfords. Oh, and it’s also the most nicked item from any car parked in a dark alleyway, thanks to the driver’s inability to remember to a) switch it off and b) remove it from the windscreen.

So when it comes to getting yourself a satellite navigation system the question is which one do you choose? If you’re buying a brand new car it might be worth looking at the manufacturer options – yes, they’re more expensive, but the system is DVD-based, so it’s quicker, carries more information, and automatically updates via the traffic signals on your stereo system. It’s also fitted neatly into the dashboard so it doesn’t look like some half-arsed after-market add-on. If you already own your car, or are buying a second-hand motor that doesn’t already have a system fitted, then your options are the selection Halfords, not to mention any decent automotive website, have to offer you – and they start from as little as £99.99.

I wouldn’t recommend buying the cheapest unless you are desperate for electronic guidance and have a limited budget, but you don’t have to spend much more than that to get yourself a decent Sat Nav device.

The best-selling device on the market is TomTom and it’s not that hard to see why. Having spent some time with the One XL Europe, a replacement for an aged BlueMedia Satellite Navigation device, I have been amazed at how quick and easy the device is to set up and use. The first thing that strikes you is that, unlike TomTom units of old, it actually looks and feels like a more expensive device.

The One XL Europe is exactly the same device as the One Europe – the only difference is the size of the screen. The 4.3 inch screen is a whole 0.8 inches larger than its smaller brother but, as those map-reading ladies are fond of telling you, scale really does matter. The screen is clear and bright and the functions easy to use. Simply touch the screen and you are faced with six large, easy-to-understand on-screen buttons that let you access a plethora of options available to you on your TomTom device.

From the user interface you can configure your preferences, such as screen brightness, colours, volume level (including an ability to increase volume the faster you travel) and many more other, less significant choices. You can also access the Traffic Update features and Speed Camera features that are included in this device. Most importantly, however, is the device’s ability to navigate you from A to B, perhaps stopping at C and D in between, and it does this exceedingly well.

Tap the “Navigate To...” button and choose from your Home address, a Favourite (previously stored, so maybe a less annoying mistress), a Recent Destination, a Point of Interest (nearest petrol station, restaurant, mountain etc...) or type in an address directly. TomTom is fitted with a complete knowledge of all UK and Ireland post codes and even goes down to street address level anywhere in Western Europe. Finding somewhere in the UK is easy – put in your postcode, it’ll provide you with the appropriate address in its database, and then you select the house number or name that you want and sit back. Not being DVD based and, instead, working off an internal memory card, the TomTom – like all standalone navigation systems – will take longer than a manufacturer fitted device to work out your route. (A recent trial of getting it to navigate from Milton Keynes to an address in Rome proved that it could work out an exact and accurate route from location to destination, but such a journey took it over twenty minutes to calculate. I went and made a cup of tea while I was waiting.)

Once the route is calculated, the TomTom’s clear wide display shows you an overall map of the route before slipping into its default 3D view of your location, from where it can direct you with a bright screen, an obviously marked route to follow, and clear vocal directions. The TomTom’s voice system is clear and concise, although it does seem to suffer from a speech impediment on the English female voice. Instead of saying “Cross” for ‘cross the roundabout’, it says “Corse” – or something similar. A blue directional arrow on screen shows you where you are versus the route you are taking. It’s all very simple and logical to follow, even for a novice.

Map options are straight forward: the 3D option is my favourite – it gives the screen a ‘bird’s eye view’ of where you’re going and TomTom’s clear display shows the street names as you navigate. You can also switch to a 2D overhead view – equally as clear but not as appealing on the eye; however, it does swivel in the direction of travel so it tends to follow the female logic of turning the Ordinance Survey upside down... fortunately, you can switch that off so North is always North whichever way the car is facing. It just depends on your preferences. And your manliness.

Once you’re on route, this little device can do more than just tell you where to go – politely, of course. The One XL is fitted with a Bluetooth option to connect to your mobile phone, and it also has a complete database of all European speed cameras pre-installed. Using the Bluetooth connection, TomTom One XL can make a data connection with your phone and pick up traffic-related information; it will then inform you of these as you drive and, if you so choose, will make alternative route arrangements based on the information it receives. Like your average map-reader, this isn’t as dynamic as it could be – or would be, had you fitted the manufacturer’s pre-installed system instead – but it does work well. The data connection may cost you to use on your mobile phone bill, depending on your contract arrangements, but most allow you a megabyte or two of free data transfer before you start paying for it. On a journey to Loudwater from Cambridge, the total traffic data used 13kb of my phone’s data transfer – just 1.3% of a megabyte, or virtually nothing in the world of data, to put it another way.

The speed camera database is loaded and updated by connecting your TomTom to your computer via the included transfer cable and the software that comes in the box. To get regular updates a subscription is needed and then each time you plug your TomTom in to your computer it will check to see if any new cameras have been found or if any have been removed.

Both the camera database and traffic alerts require an annual subscription, but purchased together you receive a discount and the total annual cost of both is €49.95 (£34.00 in British money), which is exceptional value for the information it provides you if you are on the road a lot. You can expect to pay about £229 for this particular device although the best price I’ve seen is £215 on the Halford’s website.
In short, this is a superb after-market Satellite Navigation system.

What it doesn’t have is an MP3 player or photo viewer like more expensive versions, but why would you need them? When you’re in a car you have a stereo to listen to your music on and if you want to look at pictures then, at some point, you and the rear of an Eddie Stobart lorry are going to become very intimate with each other. What it does have, however, is a superbly usable interface, clear and concise directions and the ability to navigate you from one point to another while on the way informing you of any potential traffic danger spots or speed camera sites. It even runs on batteries as well as from your car cigarette lighter, so you can swap it from car to car easily. What more could you ask for?

The only really downside is that the default voice is a woman’s – and we all know how men hate taking directions from ladies... 

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