Hello
Having used a Tom Tom 700 I have found this most useful piece of equipment ( and toy ) especially when travelling on the Continent. I am now considering whether to have the factory installed version sat nav system on my new car later on this year. I know is a very expensive option to have in a car. What I need to know is the VW installed version just as versatile as the Tom Tom or does it have better functions etc
I would be grateful for any comments on the comparison between the two
Many thanks for your help
Hugh
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The VW one (MFD2) is also a well featured stereo that can be specified with CD changer. Its also a flexible tv screen that can play DVD's. You can also get them on ebay for 500 quid or so and plug right in.
BUt as you have a tomtom, I wouldnt pay the extra for the built in version.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I use TT5 on a PDA every day, and SWMBO has an EOS with the VW system (used this morning).
TT% advantages
- You can programme it sitting in front of the TV.
- It has excellent "roadblock" avoidance / avoid part of route
- Can add lots of favourites / points of interest (and some POI files are available from the web)
- It does not occupy the CD slot in the dash (SWMBO has a six disc changer as well) My boss fell down this hole with his Merc!
- Much easier to enter a point on the map as a destination
- Much cheaper
- Transferrable between cars.
- Very good GUI
- Can fix the unit close to line of sight.
- Gives a speed reading.
- Will give you a route back to the car when in a strange city (if you can remember which street the car is on).
- Some of the later ones act as car kits as well.
TT Disadvantages
- Having to carry it and not leave it in the car
- Sometimes mis-counts exits at roundabouts
- Occupies the charger socket (not got around to hard wiring it yet)
- I have to charge the GPS receiver each night - (CF socket receiver's do not have this problem)
VW system advantages
- It tells you which road number to follow (but not allways right)
- It is less likely to get knicked (but there will soon be a market for these down the pub/on ebay as well)
- Gets a fix slightly quicker - but TT hardware might be quicker than my bluetooth Rikaline receiver.
VW system disadvantages
- Sometimes mis-counts exits at roundabouts
- Sitting in the cold car entering adresses
- Map is low so glancing at the map on approach to a junction means taking your eyes off the road for longer. It does repeat the instruction in the small dash display but see exit count problem above.
- Won't give you a walking route!
- Does not give a speed reading (that I have found)
All in all I do not think I would invest in another built in system, but then it probably won't be my decision!
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Now I wonder where the ebay units TVM has seen on ebay came from!
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In europe, lithuania seems quite favourite. I was always wary of them, but i hear of a guy who sent off his money and got what he ordered and it turned out ot be ok. NO idea about its source tho............
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I have used a variety of built-in systems including GM (Siemens VDO), BMW, VW and Nissan. IMHO the TomTom 6 on a PDA beats them all. The only advantage some of them have is that they work off the car (i.e. without a sat signal) when you are in an underground car park, which can be handy in Germany, Switzterland etc where they have a lot of these. With TT you emerge into the daylight not knowing which way to turn at the exit (until it gets a fix). A major advantage of TT is that updated maps and overseas maps are available at sensible price whereas the in-built systems rip you off horribly for map and software updates.
The GM systems in Vauxhall Vectra are dreadful, horrible map display and poor routing (I tried it back to back with my TTN6 and the GM system picked a much inferior route).
The BMW 'business' system is odd because it occasionaly tells you to turn the wrong way and then suddenly corrects itself (this on a June 2006 1-series). It doesn't display a map, just an arrow, and you have their rather wierd input system to deal with.
Nissan birdview is not bad. A Nissan system I had in a car in Tokyo was brilliant (full 3-D picture of buildings you could see in front of you on the screen!) Unfortunately operation was all in Japanese so I couldn't use it properly!
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Also the built-in one was designed about 3+ years ago, and things have moved on in the sat-nav world. A recent after-market unit can save you a CD-changer, phone connection, ipod connection, etc.
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I bought one from Lithuania via ebay, it was like new. Maybe that's where they're made?
Much better than getting a new one at full price, and won't void the warranty as it's a genuine part.
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Quite!! Seem most of them come from Lithuania. Maybe the owners order OE fitment and then find that the roads are not mapped properly, so they are sold as surplus. Or maybe not......
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I think the main advantage of built-in systems is the bigger screen, and personally I prefer buttons over a touch screen. But you do pay for them.
The worst thing about TT and the like is having to remove the unit and cradle every time you park up.
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Go for the Tom Tom. On the X10 models - e.g. 910 it has bluetooth phone capability that works well with most bluetooth mobiles. On the 910 it even reads out texts sent. It also reads the road names and numbers on the 910. (Though it says take the A two hundred and twenty nine - where I would prefer A two two nine for three digit roads).
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