TomTom Start2 3.5" Sat Nav with Europe Maps (42 Countries)

The name, Start2, implies what you will get - a GPS that has some specs of the other models either hidden or removed. However that's what I wanted.

I have borrowed more sophisticated GPSs, both Garmin and TomTom from friends, so I know what is to be had, but I did not find the bells and whistles all that useful. Recently I borrowed a Start and found that it did what I needed - which was to be directed to addresses in towns that I don't know.

So what's missing? The screen is small, but that can be a plus if you don't want a large object suspended above your dashboard, or in your pocket. Your options are more limited, but again, that may not be such a problem. For example, on the more sophisticated models you can specify, as an option, to go the fastest route, or the shortest route, or to avoid motorways. In my experience, those are not worth much. The quickest route, for example, can take you literally a 100 km further, just to shave 10 minutes off the journey. If you ask for shortest, you risk being taken through towns in some totally bizarre ways (I base this statement on transitting towns that I know).

The Start2 does some of this for you. For example it will start by trying motorways, but will check with you if you want to pay tolls. If you don't, then it will plot an alternative, often shorter but taking more time. It will allow you to specify "via", which is the safest way of getting it (or any other GPS) to plan a sane route.

The must-have options are still there, such as chosing language, voice, units and so on. And it still does nice things - like lane guidance, like telling you your speed, and also showing the speed restriction on that road, if known, and speed cameras.

The thing you might want to consider is price. You can get older, but more sophisticated, models for about the same money. Whether this has some more up-to-date technology embedded I don't know.

Anyway, simple is what I wanted, and I'm perfectly happy with it so far. Haven't tried to update the map, which has caused problems for some people on some models. I'm in no hurry!

>>>>Updated 3 July 2010: I have now connected the Start2 to my computer. I asked to update the map, but the response was that I already have the latest map, which is good. I did a "map share" update too. No probs at all. Also, power seems to be provided via the supplied USB cable so you won't need a mains adaptor.

When I purchased this from Amazon there were no other reviews for this product so I had to go searching various places to get the information I needed. I purchased this for myself as I decided it was time to stop fumbling with maps and get one of these devices. I am writing this from the viewpoint of someone who knows nothing about sat nav and has never owned or used one, hoping this review might be helpful to fellow novices (but appreciate hardened sat nav experts might be looking for higher spec models)! I am by no means a technophobe but simply had never got round to owning one (preferring to wait until the cost came down and features improved). At the time of writing I had only owned this for 4 days but had been out twice with it. These were on routes I actually knew so I could test it for accuracy. First trip was about an hour's driving, whilst the second trip was just over half an hour.

The four major reasons I purchased this particular device were: (1) It speaks the road names to turn into, (2) it has motorway lane assistance, (3) it warns of speed cameras, and, (4) the cost - ie. not the cheapest on the market but also not the most expensive plus it's free to update the maps.

The speaking the road names feature is helpful but it seems to only work when a "computer" generated voice is selected from the choice of voices stored in the device. The first time I used this I chose the Irish voice and no road names were mentioned throughout the journey, but it worked with a "computer" generated voice. I find this feature very helpful to confirm which roads I should turn into without having to take my eyes off the road.

Motorway lane assistance kicks in once you approach a motorway exit or need to change to a certain lane. It will give you a clear image of all lanes on the motorway and put green arrow(s) in the lane(s) you need to be in, above which is a clear blue motorway-type sign telling you where you need to head for. I have only tried this twice exiting and joining a simple 3 lane motorway but from what I saw it worked well.

As you approach a speed camera the device gives you two short beeps to warn you of the camera (but not so loud that it makes you jump out of your skin).

As you are driving it displays what speed you are going and the speed limit of the road you are on (if known). I believe the speed flashes if you go over the limit but to be honest I did not notice as I had my eyes on the road. I noticed that some of the speed limits were wrong though (best keep on the lookout for road signs to confirm the speed limit). Once it has calculated your route (you can enter the postcode or a place name) it will tell you the usual things such as how long it will take you to get there as well as your expected arrival time. As you progress on your journey it may make an adjustment to your arrival time according to your progress so far. If you go wrong or decide to take an alternative route (which I did on purpose to see what happened) it will reroute you from the new road you have taken (unless of course the only choice is to make a u-turn). You can also tell it you want to change your route part way through a journey (ie. if you discover a traffic jam) by tapping certain areas on the screen (I left this to my navigator so as not to detract from my driving but you could always pull over and do this). If you break down or if there is an emergency and you don't know where you are, you can press the "Help" button and it will give you the coordinates of your location so you can report them to the services. You can also look up nearest hospitals, police stations, doctors etc.

There is also a "POI" (points of interest) feature where you can look up nearest shops, restaurants, petrol stations, places to visit. Only had a quick glance at this but noticed it wasn't quite up-to-date as a petrol station that no longer exists was still listed. Similarly, there are major roadworks near me and although I went on the internet and updated my maps it still does not recognise the new road (quite funny driving across what it seemed to think was a field - just a blank green space on the screen - which was actually a new slip road)! However, I am sure given time they will get this right.

Purchasing this device gives you access to "TomTom Home" whereby you connect the device, via the supplied USB cable, to your computer and you can then update the maps via the internet (after you have downloaded the software from the TomTom website). You can also download different car icons so that it shows the car of your choice driving along on the map! I quite liked the VB Beetle car icon that came with the TomTom but downloaded an icon of the car I own for when I feel like a change!

The suction device seems to work quite well. The holder and suction are an integral part of the design and once you are holding the TomTom in position on the windscreen you twist the base of the sucker and it attaches securely to the windscreen. Simply untwist to remove afterwards. It also comes complete with an in-car charger that works via the cigarette lighter (and the aforementioned USB cable for connecting to a PC). The supplied manual is very brief and doesn't go into enough detail (just the first 9 pages of the 32 page manual are in English) but you can download the full manual via the TomTom website. In very bright sunlight the display is not very clear but this is often the case with other devices such as mobiles (plus you still of course have the spoken instructions to guide you).

There were a few driving instructions I thought were odd, such as one instance on a dual carriageway when I was asked to "keep right" for no apparent reason (something which could annoy the driver behind you if you were hogging the right lane expecting to receive further instructions). There was also a case of when the instructions were to take "the third left" turning, which turned out to be the first left but the final instruction to turn left was given just as I drove past the junction, making it too dangerous to swerve left at such short notice, particularly as I was not expecting to. Generally though, instructions to turn off are given in good time. Another thing I noticed was it told me to "turn left" then "turn right" on a continuous road (ie. there was no need to turn off - it was just a left bend followed by a right one). Another time it said to "bear right" when it should have been a "turn right" (ie. cross the road to turn onto another). Having said that, in general it is good - I think at times you just have to bear in mind that directions might not be quite as they are described ... and if you go wrong then it can always reroute you!! I thought I read somewhere that one thing this is bad at is letting you scroll on the screen and zoom in on the maps but I have not tried this feature yet. So far I have just driven wherever it told me to without knowing beforehand which roads it was going to take. Having said that I am still very pleased with my purchase - for the money it does all that I need it to and I'm looking forward to my next adventure with TomTom!!

PS: A year on and this is still working fine. I have noticed that some of these reviews refer to the UK and ROI version whilst others refer to the Europe version. My review was based purely on the UK and ROI model.

I got this new european starter tomtom for a recent trip to france. I previously owned an old tomtom one and the progress over those four years is amazing. The satellite lock now happens in 20-30 seconds as opposed to anything up to four minutes. The new menu has fewer icons but doesn't seem to lose any core functonality. The speed camera warnings are very useful and spot on as I noticed many hidden cameras and was able to react accordingly. The lane guidance is great, as it allows me to get in the correct lane early. It can also read out street names in a weird computer voice which is quite nice to hear to check you're on the right track. The maps using the IQ routes are also a bit more intelligent - a local route that I take (and had to ignore on my old unit) is now recognised by this little guy. Not perfect but so much better routefinding than before. But the best new thing is the mount... it actually works!! I lost count of the number of times my old unit fell of the windscreen and I had to reach down and reattach it while driving along. This one is integrated just twist and it is straight on! Much safer and easier and one less lump of plastic less to carry about.

My only minor quibble is that I would like to press a button and explore the chosen route in detail. You can't pick a section and zoom in so you can't decide to say pick a little village halfway and think about where to go for lunch. I'd also prefer a case included. It could also be a smidge louder.

I'm glad I didn't go for the bigger XL units. For me paying less for a smaller unit seems like a double win!! Who needs a wide screen when the thing is two feet from your face anyway? Pay less, carry less and get the same mapfinding abilities. Easy choice!

I can honestly say that I'm thrilled that I took the plunge and splashed out on this unit as the rate of advance in satnav land has been a relavation! Don't delay - you really will be pleased with this if you buy one.