TomTom ONE XL Europe

Having put off buying a sat nav for a few years now I decided to finally take the plunge!

I've always preferred road maps to be honest as I find it gives you a clue about where you are going before the journey as opposed to just following a computer.

However, after doing to European trips last year I can promise you it is easier to do things abroad with a sat nav!

I waited for the sales to come around after Christmas and had a quick look around at various types. There are so many different ones around that it is quite hard to know what to go for.

Tom Tom have always seemed to have a good reputation and a few friends had them so this seemed the logical way to go (mainly because if I got stuck with it I could ring them). What initially confused me was the fact TomTom do different levels of service with the units which mean some can receive traffic updates and some can't (be aware if you get one that can do traffic updates it needs a mobile phone to connect to via bluetooth!).

I plumped for this unit (One XL Europe) because the XL comes in the widescreen format which, having used a standard TomTom One on my last European trip, I found quite small (the screen is only 3.5" across. The wider screen is just easier to glance at I've found.

I paid £154 for mine from Halfords and I couldn't find any shops doing them any cheaper.

Upon getting home and opening the box its all well packaged and you are greeted with the unit on the top in a clear protective plastic case. Also in the box is a car charger, car mount, USB cable (will charge the unit from the USB connection on your PC) and a quick start guide/installation CD.

The actual unit is quite light (lighter than I thought it would be) but the plastic on it appears to be of good quality and feels like it could withstand the ruff and tubmbles of being thrown around in a glovebox.

On the base of it is the USB connection and an SD memory card slot to allow for upgrades etc.

Upon installing the software (which was very straight forward) it immediately found an update for the unit which I was impressed with and it downloaded staight away for me. However, the software immediately froze which didn't give me much confidence in it (I'm running Windows Vista so it could be a fault with the software). After a quick restart though everything was tickety-boo!

The software allows you to update everything on the sat nav (voices, maps etc) and is easy to use. The only downside of the software I have found is that in order to plan routes you have to have the sat nav turned on in order to do so. I think it would be easier to be able to plan and save certain routes then upload them later but hey ho!

When turning the sat nav on you are greeted with the TomTom welcome screen that takes around 5 seconds to go. From here (depending on how you set it up) you either go straight to the navigation screen or password screen (set up via the software to stop anyone else turning it on and using it). The screen is bright and clear and displays GPS signal strength, distance to go and how long it will take to arrive at your destination as well as the relevant times (i.e. arriving in 4.35 hours at 20:00). The road names are easy to read which is a bonus and the touch screen is set at just the right sensitivity so only requires a gentle tap rather than a stab.

The main menu is accessed by tapping the actual map (centre of screen) and there are three pages in all. Page one incorporates "navigate to", "find alternative", "help" (for finding hospitals etc), "add favourite" and "change preferences. The help function is a clever idea I think, how often I'll use it we'll see though (hopefully never!).

Page two shows "prepare route", "browse map", "map corrections", "manage phones" and "itinerary planning". Map corrections is handy as every now and again I've seen the unit try and send me one way believing the street you are going down is one way. This function allows you to alter things like this and does come in handy.

Page three is probably the least useful bar one button. It starts off with "TomTom traffic", "plus services", "clear route" (the useful one!), "view route" (useless if you're doing a 500 mile journey as it shows the whole thing which on a small screen is rubbish) and finally "guided tours". Guided tours is useful for figuring out how to use the sat nav as it's all interactive, and let's be honest, that's how people learn the best.

The unit picks up satellites within a minute (unless indoors when it takes 4-5 mins) and starts to work quickly and effectively which is why we buy these things.

The voices on the unit are loud and clear and at full volume really do make you stand to attention.

Overall I am more than happy with the unit and believe that it's worth the £150 I paid for it. Why anyone would want to spend nearly £300 on one of their top models I don't know because they are still (at the end of the day) just a sat nav. I don't need one that works as a bluetooth hands free kit as well!

Would I recommend one to a friend, simply, yes.

The only downsides I have found is that the manual is on CD which I think for all manufacturers is just a way of cutting costs but that's why things like this are getting cheaper so I shouldn't moan really. Also it doesn't always find the quickest route (despite being set in that mode). For instance, when playing around I was driving home and told it to navigate me there. Instead of just going straight down the main road, right and then left in to my street, it told me to take the right two turns before, down to the end, left, first left, right then left, then right in to my street!!!!! God knows why, maybe it just wanted to see the surrounding area! Perhaps this is something that it will learn from more use (hopefully).

The unit is very straight forward so I haven't actually read the manual. In the packaging is a quick start guide but again, I haven't read it because everything is so straight forward.

Hope all this helps.