Best sat nav for France?

[Lulubel]

I'm looking at buying sat nav for our first trip to France later this year.  (My partner can't tell one end of a map from the other, and driving and map reading at the same time is hard enough in the UK, driving on the left side of the road .....)

Can anyone tell me which is the most reliable in terms of giving useful directions in France?  We used TomTom at the place I used to work, which was pretty good most of the time, but I can still remember a few funny moments when it tried to send us through a gate and up a bridleway.  I'd really like something that at least sends us along the roads, and not right through the middle of every major city we come within 10 miles of.

Any suggestions?

[sid]

Hi Lulubel

I have TomTom (actually the Rider version, which is a more robust model for motorcycle users) but the mapping is the same as the other TomTom devices. I find it good enough, although I've had a couple of minor errors. I think it's important to buy the map updates perhaps once every year or 18 months if you're going to use it a lot, but I have friends who are still using maps 3 or more years old!

Personally I prefer maps so that I can see where I am in relation to the rest of the country rather than being told to turn left here then turn right here, but maps are impractical on a motorbike so the TomTom is a good solution for me.

Other people will swear by Garmin (and other makes) and it's probably a case of what you're used to, and also how much you want to spend!!

Bonne route

Sid

[Scooby]

We have a Garmin and have only had one hiccough - trying to find a B&B in rural Normandy where we ended up on a dirt track outside a five bar gate...miles from the B&B.  That incident cured my OH of his implicit, blind faith in his little box of technology.  Like any tool, the results it produces should be used with a modicum of common sense! 

[Dave&Olive]

hi ok

             When we have guests using Tom Tom sat nav they always arrive at the door ,the ones using garmin or other ones tend to phone us from the village because they cannot find us ....end of story [:)]

             Dave

       

[KathyF]

We have a Navman (maps at least 3 or 4 years old now) and we've never been sent somewhere inaccessible and we always get where we're going.  Very good at showing all the lieux-dits in our area.

[Martin963]

I don't think they are on sale any more,   but PLEASE AVOID ViaMichelin products.

We bought the Britain/Europe version 18 months ago,   thinking that it would be reliable in France.

Quite the WORST £165 I've spent in a while,   wholly unreliable data (one way streets particularly),  poorly timed announcements leading to panic mode due to subsequent misunderstandings,  I could go on,   but in summary I bitterly regret not going for TomTom or Garmin.

As I say,  I don't think ViaMichelin had the nerve to carry on selling such a lamentable product,   and I believe they now stick to conventional mapping (and I daresay tyres!) but steer well clear of the SatNav stuff they make.

[Beemer1150]

Another vote for Garmin. Generally reliable so far, but we have many unsurfaced roads around here (17) which seem to have the same status as the smaller surfaced roads... so far only once has our camping car ended up an unmade track through a forest, but you do have to use these things with a modicum of common sense!

I'd avoid Binatone - I had three, all replaced under warranty for different failures, and it also had some very strange ideas of the best routes around here!

[Braco]

I have a TomTom 920T, and am very happy with it. I update every week on line. Another plus is that it acts as a hand free.

[Scooby]

The Garmin that we have acts as a hands free and if we look up nearest points of interest (i.e restaurants etc) it gives the telephone number so you can call directly from SatNav.  We update ours regularly online too - very easy to do.

[AnOther]

I've had a Garmin for about 3 years and with the usual caveats of not throwing common sense out of the window it's served us resonably well.

If buying again I would go for one which permits multiple waypoints so that you can plan a journey not only from A to B but something far more convoluted. My Garmin only allows one. I must admit that I'm not ready to replace the Garmin yet so I haven't really researched which models offer the facility.

On the plus side it's very compact and hence easily portable so you can carry it around in unfamilair places having tagged the location of the car park say and use it to find places like toilets and restaurants etc. etc.

[Scooby]

Our Garmin allows us to insert route points - though ours is also about 2.5 years old now.  We also use ours if we are walking around a strange city - mark the location of where we have parked the car before we start out on our wanders then when we've had enough use the SatNav to get us back. Ditto if we are on holiday and I want to explore on my bicycle - I can happily wander off taking random roads knowing I can always get back home. 

As an aside, if you are concerned about the accuracy of your SatNav going to a strange (say french rural) destination ask your host etc for the grid co-ordinates rather than a post code.

[Iceni]

[quote user="Scooby"]

As an aside, if you are concerned about the accuracy of your SatNav going to a strange (say french rural) destination ask your host etc for the grid co-ordinates rather than a post code.
[/quote]

I would be of no use, I have no idea what my grid co-ordinates are. And please don't bother to explain how I might find out - I know where I live and how to get there.

John

[Scooby]

The easiest way is using your SatNav at the location - save the location and then check the coordinates the GPS has saved.

Alternatively: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/find-longitude-latitude/ (For UK locations it defaults to the street name but if you use the send link option the latitude and longitude are embedded in the link.)

[jo]

We have been using a Tom tom One, for several years, get on with it fine, my only complaint is that somtimes I can´t look at the screen to see whether the turn I´m taking is the correct one, and the road ,or very busy island at the same time, But we would not be without it, I love our Tom Tom!!

[baypond]

TOM TOM Europe...superb.

[Stan Streason]

Tom Tom is good but you need to update it.  Because of the time lag in computerising the data even new maps are 18 months out of date.

You do need to test it out however.  It insists the quickest route for me from near Potiers to the tunnel is via Paris yet everyone goes via Rouen.

Need to have some idea where you want to go and I often use google maps and compare its view on routes first then put in waypoints to tomtom.

(some asides - my Porsche inbuilt satnav is much better than tomtom (apart from no postcode option un UK) and go to google earth and it will tell you your grid coordinates)

[Braco]

The only problem with built in systems is that you cannot use them easily in the US.

[AnOther]

[quote user="Braco"]The only problem with built in systems is that you cannot use them easily in the US.[/quote]Well that's handy to know [blink]

[Quillan]

I also have a TomTom 920T with European maps (standard on this model) and its very good. We used it for a touring holiday in Spain and never used a map the whole time, it took us to the door of every hotel we booked even in Madrid with no problem. We also used it for walking round the cities to things like museums etc.

I am not sure I agree with the maps being 18 months out of date. On some regular routes we take it already had marked a roundabout that had literally been built some three weeks prior to us getting the TomTom. It also went on about a roundabout that was not there but three months latter they started building one in the spot it said.

One nice feature which might be a worry to some (if you dont have it) is that you get a code number in the box when you buy it. The first time you connect you enter the code and it downloads the most up to date map FOC although I suspect Garmin does the same thing. Map updates are free but they are additions to the existing map so as somebody else said its best to get a new map every 18 to 24 months, You certainly don't need to buy one every year.

Another nice thing about the 920T is that it does not rely on just GPS signals, it has accelerometer's inside just like aircraft systems so if you loose the satellite signal it carries on navigating. Very useful in cites, large towns or in the mountains and gorges. The 'T' version also has a built in radio which takes information from traffic broadcasts and will change your route if there is a problem. The none 'T' version can do the same but you don't get the aerial bit but you can buy it as an accessory.

The 'hands free' for the phone is pretty cool as well. Sometimes I have the TomTom on just so I can use it especially after getting a 29 Euros fine a few years back for using a mobile phone on the road (even though I was stopped and the engine turned off). You need to have a phone with 'Bluetooth' to use this function. You can even send your position to another TomTom user via your mobile so they can find you although I have never tried it, you can get weather conditions along the route as well, again never tried it.

Theres a 'Help' button you can hit in emergencies which can put you in contact with hospitals and doctors nearby or take you to the nearest petrol station for instance.

Processing power is important as this determines how fast the GPS can work out a route and more important re-calculate if you go wrong. A good example of how important it is can be best explained by the fact my new Nokia N95 has GPS built in. On a 4km journey to my local town it only just finished calculating the route by the time I got there. Slow units also tell you when to turn as you view the turning in your rear view mirror, most aggravating.

The user interface is also important in its ease of use so assuming you are in the UK I would go to somewhere like Halfords where I believe they sell GPS units and you can have a play with them.

Having had other systems in the past (except for a Garmin) I would say the TomTom is my best buy. If mine broke I would also look at Garmin but probably end up with another TomTom.

[Quillan]

Sorry I forgot to say I live and use my TomTom in France most of the time.

[PaulT]

Have a Tom Tom One which seems happy in France. Never had a problem when going through a town or village that has had roads closed for markets etc in the device planning another route.

As for Rouen v Paris dependent upon traffic I think you will find that the Paris route is shorter and my experience is faster. However, if there is traffic it can be another story plus it is not a very pleasant journey - I use Rouen / Chartres.

I do find these Sat Navs not very good in as much as you have to stick them to the windscreen or attach them to a part of the dashboard.

Soon I shall install a double DIN radio/CD/DVD unit with sat nav.

Paul

[baypond]

The only advantage I find of 'in-built' systems over the external options is that in-built systems seem to have satellite lock on immediatley (even from cold start up), where as external systems can take up to 5 mins to hook up to satellites.. I don't know why in built systems are so quick, so if anyone can answer that I would be interested to know.

[Weegie]

Possibly to do with the aerial.  Better sited and matched on a built in unit?

[Beemer1150]

... or because it is always switched on again at the same place it was switched off and doesn't need to search for the sats?

[AnOther]

[quote user="P2"]Soon I shall install a double DIN radio/CD/DVD unit with sat nav.[/quote]Not forgetting that inbuilt systems cannot easily be used in the US [:D][:D][:D]