As a self-confessed gadget geek, I probably shouldn't admit this, but I've never used a Sat Nav system, preferring to rely on a mix of paper maps, online route planning sites and blind luck. A method, which has often left me hopelessly lost, driving in circles, and usually no more than about 10 minutes away from my final destination! But I have watched developments in these devices over the years, and as technology has improved, I've recently started thinking about acquiring one. So, with this in mind I was excited to get my hands on the new TomTom XL.

So, the specs: The XL has a 4.3 inch colour Widescreen TFT LCD anti-glare touch screen, a newly designed EasyPortTM Mount intended to be kept attached to the device rather than left in the car, fully revised route planning software, and improved audio (so you can hear it over the radio or the passengers), Plus standard car connector and USB to hook up to your computer, TomTom Home desktop software, and in the 'Traffic' model an RDS-TMC traffic antenna.

From the start I was impressed, the packaging was neat, and did not, as is so often the case, dwarf the product inside. The unit itself is small and lightweight, just 118 x 83 x 25 mm, and weighing only 186 grams, you could slip it in your handbag or an inside jacket pocket quite easily, even with the mount attached. The instructions were easy to read, with plenty of diagrams and proved simple to follow. But more than that, to my delighted surprise it switched on instantly! No need to charge for hours before you can start using it. Unfortunately the day it arrived I didn't have access to the car, but I was eager to give it a test, so I settled myself in the garden with a drink and put it through its route planning paces.

It picked up GPS signal almost instantly, and sure enough it had me exactly pinpointed on the map with in a couple of minutes. The software was incredibly intuitive (which is excellent, I'm not one for spending hours with a manual!) and with just a few screen taps I'd planned my first route. Knowing I couldn't test it properly, I opted for a route I know well, mine to Alex's, confident I could draw an instant conclusion on its capabilities based on the options it offered me. It had a little think, and came back quite swiftly with almost exactly the route I use; I played around with the alternate route options, and was very pleased with the number of variations it offered me.
I attached the mounting bracket to my patio doors as a test, and was pleased by how quick and simple it was, having seen how older devices mount, I'm pleased to say they've definitely listened to feedback on that score,

I had a play with the various voices, but settled for the standard 'Jane', the standard options are quite basic, male & female with a selection of regional accents, but there are plenty of downloadable voices available, so I'm sure everyone could find one they like the sound of. There's also functionality to adjust the maps, setting roads as one way or closed for example, these changes can be kept to yourself, or shared with the rest of the TomTom community by use of its MapShare system. I had a fiddle; the road by my house has closed as a through route so I thought I'd update it. It took a bit of trial and error to make only the section you can't drive through blocked rather than the whole road, but once done it successfully prevented that road being used in all the following route plans I tried. Nice, although I can see the potential for abuse if the changes aren't verified somewhere*

Next, just because I could, I got it to plan me a route from Paris to Madrid, such fun! Now if could just convince Alex to let me test that route out! By this point I, just wanted to leap in the car and drive, but had to wait, patiently, for the car to come home!

A couple of days later I finally had to make a journey to somewhere I'd never been, the perfect opportunity to give it a proper test. I told it when I had to arrive, and it told me when I had to leave, I reviewed its chosen route, and felt confident to follow it exactly. I admit, I did leave a little earlier than it suggested, but I didn't need to, I got where it said I would, in the time it said it would take, absolute perfection. It took a little while to get used to having my windscreen bark instructions at me, but they were all clear (the enhanced audio obviously worked!), concise and above all sensible, and I soon got used to listening out for them. Speed monitoring, camera alerts and updates from traffic reports all added to the ease of the journey.

There were a couple of little niggles during, it had the wrong speed limit on one stretch of road, so told me I was speeding when I was well under the limit, and gave a couple of instructions a bit early, in one case a 'left turn ahead' that was actually the 3rd left on that stretch of road, but it was hardly a major problem, and all much overshadowed by the good points.

Overall, would I buy it? It's a couple of hundred pounds, but yes, it's a purchase I'd most definitely consider. Not the Europe version perhaps, I really don't do much driving outside of the UK, but I could certainly find a place for the TomTom XL on my dash.

RRP for the model tested is £229.99, with the UK version at £209.99, and lower spec versions starting at £149.99. Available online or in-store from the usual retailers.

 

* We have since received the heads up that adjustments to maps available on TomTom are verified.