Is There Any Point In Sat Nav Systems Any More?

Since the rise of Google Maps and in-built manufacturer systems, proper standalone sat nav sales have plummeted. But are they now pointless? We got hold of a TomTom Go 61 to find out
Is There Any Point In Sat Nav Systems Any More?

Not so long ago, separate sat-nav systems were the car accessory. No longer did you have to thrust a tatty, potentially out-of-date road atlas in your passenger’s lap, or slap a post-it note on your dash with some vague directions scrawled down: instead, you just suckered a little box with a screen to your dashboard and getting lost became a thing of the past.

Over time they got slimmer, the screens bigger, the technology inside them more intelligent. But, demand for separate sat nav systems has dropped dramatically in recent years. The increasing prevalence of in-built, factory-fitted nav units is a factor, but arguably the biggest reason for the drop is Google Maps and other apps of that ilk. After all, what’s the point in spending over £100 on something your phone can give you for free?

Is There Any Point In Sat Nav Systems Any More?

With that in mind, it’s no surprise to see companies like TomTom forced to diversify with other products, such as the cleverly packaged Bandit action camera we’ve been testing (above). And along with the Bandit, the company sent over its new Go 61, giving us a chance to see if it’s still worth having a separate sat nav.

The first thing you notice is the screen size. At six inches across it’s larger than even the most obnoxiously large smart phones. It’s worth noting the touch screen isn’t quite as responsive as something like an iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S7, but all the menus and sub-menus are nice and easy to navigate. Easier to navigate than the latest systems from Garmin it’s important to note, and without the irritatingly cartoonish colour schemes they seem to be blighted with.

Is There Any Point In Sat Nav Systems Any More?

It strikes a good balance between giving you a reasonable amount of information without barking pointless, repetitive updates at you, and the map is always very easy to follow. It also seems to redirect you quicker than Google Maps and a lot of manufacturer-fit systems manage: if you’ve another route in mind, it’ll pick up on it quicker, rather than shouting at you to turn around for a few miles before working out what you’re up to.

The benefits of a unit like this over a smart phone go further than just screen size, too. The GPS system is better than a phone’s, so it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever have the signal drop. Frequent use of Google Maps is also going to use up a hell of a lot of data if you’re not on an unlimited plan. You will still use some data with the Go 61 if you want to tether it to your phone and get traffic information (there’s no embedded sim card card here), but we’re talking a few megabytes a month rather than hundreds.

The ‘Lifetime’ speed camera information is genuinely very useful and as a bonus can be updated for free - not that I ever speed, officer. Then of course there’s the whole power thing - trying to keep a phone topped up from a 12-volt car socket is never a fun experience when you’ve a navigation app annihilating the battery.

Is There Any Point In Sat Nav Systems Any More?

So, is all that enough to make one of these things worth buying? It’s not a simple yes or no - it depends entirely upon your circumstances. For the occasional use, it’s quite hard to justify a system like this - the sim-less Go 61 is more of an entry-level nav but it’s still £169.99. For a lot of people, Google Maps and other free apps will do the job just fine, and the benefits of a standalone system aren’t going to be enough to warrant the outlay.

However, if your own car doesn’t have in-built navigation - or you own a car with one that’s irritatingly useless - and you rack up a lot of miles going to unfamiliar destinations - there is something to be said for these things. You’ll soon find it’ll become a trusted travel companion. And if you are going to buy one, the TomTom Go 61 looks to be a damn good choice.

Comments

Steve Buscemi

[DELETED]

05/07/2016 - 08:06 |
0 | 0
DanielD

Here Maps, is available for ios and android, its basically the new version of what nokia maps was, but it has nearly all the maps from around the world and they can be pre-downloaded on your WiFi at home with life time updates. So uses a a lot less battery since it doesnt download maps as it drives. The only data you need is for traffic updates, and if you want to search for a particular place, ie not a street address. Worth a try if youre looking for a new Nav app

05/07/2016 - 08:10 |
114 | 0

There’s one navigation app existed. You know it as Waze.

05/07/2016 - 08:47 |
34 | 2

Ive been using here maps for more than 4 years on both windows phone and android, it is an excellent application, however people who live in more rural regions should still stick with google maps because Here updates pretty slow, ive been diverted to a road that was under construction twice. That said for most busy highways its simple, fast and always reliable.

05/07/2016 - 11:02 |
8 | 0

I use here maps for cycling and oh boy is it good that it needs only your location and not huge amounts of data

05/07/2016 - 15:31 |
4 | 0

Exactly my point. That’s the best offline navigation app. My 50 euro Lenovo has no problem runing it. And “the big 3” are all using Here maps in their factory-fitted navs. Here’s a quote from wiki: “In December 2015, Here, at the time a division of Nokia, was sold to a consortium German automotive companies as HERE Global B.V.; Here (styled as “HERE”) is a company co-owned by German automotive companies Audi, BMW, and Daimler.” So yeah…

05/08/2016 - 11:05 |
2 | 0
Panik✠Pitbull

In reply to by DanielD

Didn’t they want to stop this service? I thought I read about it

05/08/2016 - 18:02 |
0 | 0
Is There Any Point In Sat Nav Systems Any More?
BC modify

I agree with this post

05/07/2016 - 08:45 |
0 | 0
Is There Any Point In Sat Nav Systems Any More?
BC modify

I agree with this post

05/07/2016 - 08:45 |
0 | 0
Morris

My iPhone 3GS, which i still use, can’t navigate so i have no other choice than using a satnav :D

05/07/2016 - 08:48 |
4 | 0
Anonymous

Id still go for a good tom tom more than for that stupid smartphone .. but thats just me.
In my opinion Google maps is not working as good as a real naviagation system like tomtom.. Google maps is just a troll :D but again , thats just me The only thing what I find totally pointless and useless is an build in navi in your car , and paying extra for it when buying the new car.. just to have it ..

05/07/2016 - 08:50 |
2 | 0
Bartek Tymoszuk

I’m making car computer based on Raspberry PI 2 with navigation as a base for my Bachelor’s degree, and as a justification as why would one use such device I gave few points:

  • Raspberry has better hardware specs (1GHz Quad Core, 1GB RAM) than most stock devices
  • some cars still got sat nav as an expensive option
  • owners of used cars might have had no choice of such things or they are simply slow and outdated
  • it’s also easy to upgrade with anything you like like reverse camera, android phone usb internet tethering (stock), bluetooth devices and basically anything with support on Linux system and GPIO compatibility. You can’t upgrade stock systems.
    if someone’s interested i might provice some photos ;)
05/07/2016 - 08:51 |
46 | 0

I am certainly interested in your project
Contact me on Facebook if you can mate :)

05/07/2016 - 11:22 |
0 | 0

That sounds interesting :D
Keep us updated if you can pls… I want to see how it goes

05/07/2016 - 12:56 |
2 | 2

That’s so awesome man, I think you should write up a blog thing on car throttle once you are finished with your project and hopefully some people will want to buy it

05/07/2016 - 15:21 |
2 | 0

Wow this sounds interesting! Keep us updated! Please!

05/07/2016 - 19:53 |
0 | 0
allride

no, because it offers effortless navigation in every country you go to without roaming costs of using your data plan outside your country AND they offer it for a fraction of the price (about 1/10th?!) of a built in navigation system. add those expensive manufacturer system updates into the equation and a tom-tom becomes an even better deal

05/07/2016 - 09:07 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Had TomTom, Car SatNav systems … since I use my 6+ with Waze I declare any expense on SatNavs as stupid.

05/07/2016 - 09:20 |
0 | 0
Ben Conover

I just use google maps and hook it into my aux jack.

05/07/2016 - 09:41 |
0 | 0

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