Which Sat Nav to go for?

PNH80

PNH80

Low life livin' the high life.
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Afternoon all....

Ok so not necessarily an Audi related question but it'll be used in one so thats good enough....Oh and all your opinions are highly valued!

Anyway i'm looking for a sat nav (to velcro to the horrible GSM prep) and my options currently are: Tom Tom 720, Sony NV-U93 and Garmin 670 (i think?). All around the same price bracket and all supposed to be really good.
If i'm being shallow, the Sony will match the interior of my car better with the Tom Tom a close second! (black and silver). All of these units are a million times better than the RNS-E and i can use them on holiday out of the car for various applications as well so i'm not even considering installing an RNS-E.

So any opinions? Experience with any of the above? Any better alternatives?...And...Best shops/websites to buy from?

Cheers.

Paul.
 
Ever thought about a retrofit OEM DVD Sat nav Plus ?

Ive been in contact with a guy over on Tyresmoke who can fit the AUDI DVDSatNav for around £750. AUDI will charge you over £2000 if you tick the box on the new car order.

Its a desirable option to have in your 8P anyway so you will get a big chunk of the outlay back when it comes to selling the car on.

He also hooks these up to glove box mounted DVD players TV tuners etc. if thats your thing.

Cheers
Paul
 
Id go for the tom tom 720, if your interested I have a mount which you could fasten to the gsm prep and run the cable into the dash to charge it.
 
If I could have stretched to it, I'd have gone for a Snooper Syrius.
They use better software than Tomtom or Garmin, especially for speed camera sites.
This is just one of the many favourable reports the Snooper Syrius receives.
http://www.radardetectors.co.uk/snooper_syrius_our_review.htm

As things went, I was offered a brand new Tomtom XL for £120, so I went for that.
It's fine, for the occasional use I give it.
I still intend to go to a Snooper though, at some point.
 
I'd go with the TomTom as I have one (910) and its really easy to use and dont know what the others are like.
 
I'm not really interested in an OEM system to be honest. They may look good in the dash and arguably increase resale value but they are less versatile, not as freely upgradeable or compatible with other devices....and i want to make some use of the GSM cradle!
Never heard of the snooper before so i'll give that a look, i already knew the Tom Tom was very highly rated but no one seems to have much experience of Sony products. I have heard good things about the NV-U93 though.
 
The snooper has won all sorts.
It won Autoexpress,'WHICH' and MSN satnav awards, against all the usual suspects.
It's a nice looking thing too.
260x900_fitbox-front_on_white_gatso.jpg


I've just ordered a brodit clip for my Tomtom XL, to ditch the ****** awful sucker mount, which failed on the way home from Balckburn and dented my dash...
(the dent has since popped out, thank god...)
 
After a quick look around the net, the Snooper S600 does look brilliant. Seems to be very driver orientated with some excellent features. Looks a bit 'playstation' but i like it. Cheapest place seems to be direct from Snooper... £219.00 incl. VAT shipped with a load of accessories.
Hmm, thanks Bowfer & Bacardi for confusing me further....
 
:salute:

If you want, I'll sell you a Tomtom XL cheap and I'll put the money towards a Snooper...

Just joking, the missus would throttle me.
 
My Navman is far better than my wifes TomTom if that helps and i don't mean functions either , it's really slow to direct you, your already at the road it wants you to turn down before it tells you to turn! and if you go the wrong way it's really slow to catch up and give you a new route!

p
 
Can't say I've noticed any real navigation problems with the Tomtom, but my XL's speed display really, really bugs me.
It displays your given speed beside the road's limit.
For example, 45/40.
If you keep below the limit, it stays white and easy to see.
If you stray over the limit, it starts flashing red, like a blood pressure monitor!
It's really, really annoying, because it's really hard to see flashing red digits against a blue background!
If I were a regular user, that one 'foible' would have me selling it and buying another.

On the plus side, Mike Strutter's voice is a laugh.
(you can download it)

"Hey, where the f*ck you going?"
"You've reached your destination, you lucky f*ck"

:laugh:
 
This is something people don't look at, the internal processor. The cheaper systems will inevitably have a slower processor. Even equivalently priced units have different speed processors e.g. the Snooper has a superior processor to the Sony unit enabling it to detect change of speed and direction faster and react faster to alerts etc etc. So it's not just useless features you pay your money for!
 
Sod it, the XL is going on fleabay and I'm buying a snooper.
 
Thats it we hardly ever use ours so we got cheap ones , the wifes is a TomTom one EU, mine is a Navman ( can't remember the model ) same-ish price tho!

Tha Navman must have a faster processor in it.

p
 
bowfer said:
Sod it, the XL is going on fleabay and I'm buying a snooper.
Click to expand...

Sorry, has all this sat-nav talk made you spend money? I feel partly responsible!
 
Snooper and Garmin use 'Navteq' software, which seems to be acknowledged as the best OS.
 
PNH80 said:
Sorry, has all this sat-nav talk made you spend money? I feel partly responsible!
Click to expand...

Ach, don't worry about it.:thumbsup:
I really wanted a Snooper Syrius in the ****** first place, but I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity of a new Tomtom XL for £120.
It wasn't a 'back of the lorry' job, it was a girl I know that got it for nowt with a new Renault Clio.
The cheapest I've seen an XL online for is £149.99, more like £169 in the shops.
I shouldn't lose much/any money selling it to a friend/colleague.
 
bowfer said:
Can't say I've noticed any real navigation problems with the Tomtom, but my XL's speed display really, really bugs me.
It displays your given speed beside the road's limit.
For example, 45/40.
If you keep below the limit, it stays white and easy to see.
If you stray over the limit, it starts flashing red, like a blood pressure monitor!
It's really, really annoying, because it's really hard to see flashing red digits against a blue background!
If I were a regular user, that one 'foible' would have me selling it and buying another.

:laugh:
Click to expand...

You can turn this feature off somewhere in the settings, think its in preferences. IAlso its not always the right speed.


The Tomtom 720 has a lot better processor than the tomtom XL, its refreshes a lot quicker, etc etc
 
bowfer said:
Snooper and Garmin use 'Navteq' software, which seems to be acknowledged as the best OS.
Click to expand...

The Sony NV-U93 also uses Navteq mapping and you're right it is the best by a mile apparently.
This whole sat nav thing is more complicated than i first thought. They all use various Intel and AMD processors (some faster than others), different mapping software (Navteq etc) and all use various operating software (e.g. Windows or Linux) and then not to mention the range of features.
The Snooper seems to be by far the best driver orientated unit but the Sony has some great features for leisure use when you remove it from the car. Kinda becomes a travel PC with MP3 player, photo viewer, video player etc. This may explain the different choice in processor...Raw data calcs Vs. More entertainment based uses. Not sure if the Snooper or Tom Tom have these capabilities? I believe the Garmin does though.

To be honest i think it's going to come down to which of the units i can get for the best price. All have pretty much the same RRP within 20 quid.
 
mattandrew said:
You can turn this feature off somewhere in the settings, think its in preferences. IAlso its not always the right speed.
Click to expand...

You can switch off the speed display, you are quite correct.
However, I want the speed display.
I just don't want it to flash when I go over a limit.
You can't turn off the flashing option.
 
bowfer said:
If I could have stretched to it, I'd have gone for a Snooper Syrius.
They use better software than Tomtom or Garmin, especially for speed camera sites.
This is just one of the many favourable reports the Snooper Syrius receives.
http://www.radardetectors.co.uk/snooper_syrius_our_review.htm

As things went, I was offered a brand new Tomtom XL for £120, so I went for that.
It's fine, for the occasional use I give it.
I still intend to go to a Snooper though, at some point.
Click to expand...


This is a really nice unit!!

Thinking of getting one myself!

Hey bowfer do you now if the Snooper is available with a brodit clip for the airvent as I don't want the windscreen sucker thingy.....

Pedro
 
newbiecrg said:
This is a really nice unit!!

Thinking of getting one myself!

Hey bowfer do you now if the Snooper is available with a brodit clip for the airvent as I don't want the windscreen sucker thingy.....

Pedro
Click to expand...

I've emailed DSL developments, as they seem to be the biggest brodit seller.
They don't actually list 'snooper' in their dropdown list of satnav manufacturers, but someone in their 'chat' section has said he's fitted one, with a bit of modification.
I'll post reply on here.
Same as you, I want to know I can get a brodit before I order.
 
Interesting.... I was hoping for an air vent proclip... might give them a try, hop it does not damage trim...

Pedro
 
After much deliberation it's a 2 horse race between the Snooper Syrius S600 Plus and the Garmin Nuvi 760. Both can be had online for the same price...Roughly £220 incl VAT.
Both have won pretty much every award going between them. The Snooper wins hands down for the variety and accuracy of speed camera recognition and general driver aids whereas the Garmin has slightly more versatility and additional features. Looks wise i prefer the Garmin, narrow bezel and concealed buttons so looks a bit less like a Sony PSP than the Snooper!
If i spent a lot of time on the road it'd be the Snooper every time however seeing as i don't have to travel around much and the device will be used in and out of the car for leisure use as well as short commuting the Garmin might be slightly edging it.
Wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of each to have a look at...

Paul.
 
newbiecrg said:
Interesting.... I was hoping for an air vent proclip... might give them a try, hop it does not damage trim...

Pedro
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I'm doing.
Proclip onto the middle dashboard airvent, then an angled mount facing me.
I'm left handed, so perfect for me.

I should get commission from Snooper...:whistle2:
 
PNH80 said:
After much deliberation it's a 2 horse race between the Snooper Syrius S600 Plus and the Garmin Nuvi 760
Click to expand...

What's the difference between the Snooper Syrius and the Syrius S600 plus??
 
bowfer said:
Yeah, that's what I'm doing.
Proclip onto the middle dashboard airvent, then an angled mount facing me.
I'm left handed, so perfect for me.

I should get commission from Snooper...:whistle2:
Click to expand...

Mine's covering the GSM eyesore.... Recon i could make cunning use of velcro pads or should i attach a specific clip to the GSM cradle for the sat nav? I'm thinkin that could make it even more of an eyesore!
 
bowfer said:
What's the difference between the Snooper Syrius and the Syrius S600 plus??
Click to expand...

I believe the Plus is the new one, probably just software upgrade or extended maps...God knows. You'd be best looking at the Snooper site than trusting my words of wisdom...
 
Post photos when/if you get it?
I'll have to find a buyer for my Tomtom XL before I can commit to one.
 
Can you figure out if/how you can load extra maps onto the syrius/syrius S600 plus?
Can't see how on their website.
I need to a Czech map loaded in August.
For the Tomtom, you just buy a map on an SD card.
 
The do sell a Syrius S600 Euro Plus version for around £50 more than the UK only version.

Are you taking the Alpina to the Czech Republic. I thought you had decided to fly!
 
The S600 europe only does Western Europe though, no option for Eastern Europe.
I'm not driving to the the Czech republic, but I will be driving once I'm there.
 
Anyone fancy an as new Tomtom XL, with a BRODIT tilt and swivel mount (unopened) thrown in?
First £110 gets it, with free postage.
The Brodit mount was £20 odd quid alone, so it's a bargain.
I'm not a greedy bloke.

SP_A0154.jpg


SP_A0155.jpg




:thumbsup:
 
Just for information, I have a Snooper Syrius and its a cracking bit of kit.
I have always used Snooper devices and always been happy with the products and support.

Friends and Family have the Tom Toms and I am not a big fan, if you do go with a Tom Tom dont waste £20 on the camera database, so much stuff is not on it, better to spend the £20 on a sub to the speed camera db forum / websites that exist.
 
dalepearson said:
Friends and Family have the Tom Toms and I am not a big fan, if you do go with a Tom Tom dont waste £20 on the camera database, so much stuff is not on it, better to spend the £20 on a sub to the speed camera db forum / websites that exist.
Click to expand...

They come pre-loaded with a safety camera database.
If you mean the yearly update subscription, which you don't have to buy, they have an offer on just now actually (emailed to me today).
It's £16.60 a year now.
 
I was going for a TomTom as I will be bringing my car to London and will need it sometimes so in the city without sat nav... but after seeing this thread I will go for Sirius they seem to be a very well finished product!!

Thanks for that bowfer!
Pedro
 
Well, that's my Syrius S600+ ordered.
Did everyone go for the snooperdirect.com option?
£219.99 delivered, with a load of extras including carry case and double fag-lighter extension etc.?
I noticed Amazon were doing it for £204.99, but no mention of extras.
 
bowfer said:
Well, that's my Syrius S600+ ordered.
Did everyone go for the snooperdirect.com option?
£219.99 delivered, with a load of extras including carry case and double fag-lighter extension etc.?
I noticed Amazon were doing it for £204.99, but no mention of extras.
Click to expand...

Yeah i think i said above that the best deal seemed to be snooper direct. Can't say i've seen any better price on the net. If i go for the Snooper over the Garmin thats where i'll be getting mine from.
 
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