Bit of a random one but then again this is the sin bin! Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced cheap sat nav that takes traffic into account when it calculates your route? Obviously the cheaper the better but I definitely want it to traffic into consideration. Thanks in advance

Good question



I'm looking for a new one too as my last one got binned when it started randomly reciting all of its messages like HAL in 2001 Space Odyssey.

I've been looking at some 5" and 7" unbranded ones from UK dealers on eBay for around £40 to £60 that have 4gb memory included (for other gubbins) but I don't think they do traffic reports.

TomTom for smartphones is about the best around I've used.

Yeah I'd be surprised if I managed it for under £100 but sitting in traffic is hardly cost effective either. The average journey with my current one is:
- Put in postcode, if it was built within the last decade I'm goosed straight away
- Wait absolutely ages for it to find where I am, particularly awkward if people are waving me off, particularly as it definitely won't find me if I'm doing more than 10mph
- Once it finds me, move an inch, at which point it realises I'm facing in the opposite direction and has to recalculate for just as long as before. Doing a U-turn to face the direction it thought I was in just seems to make things worse
- Make a bee-line for the nearest traffic jam*
- Once on the motorway, take me off at the odd junction, send me straight through a roundabout and back onto the same motorway
- Randomly tell me to turn left/right when the map shows straight on, or vice versa
- Stop to recalculate if we go through anywhere built post WW2

*There was one exception to this when Wigan got Featherstone away in the cup. It sent me down a single track farmers road up and down some massive hills that ran parallel to the motorway. This was daft but I can't have a go at the sat nav too much for this because it was the most fun I've ever had in a car with my pants on. My Dad and my best mate were in the back and would definitely disagree like and we were late for the game.

Does that take traffic into account? How do you get your smartphone in a position where you can see it while driving?

Quote ="Grimmy"Does that take traffic into account? How do you get your smartphone in a position where you can see it while driving?'" The android version does, dunno about the iPhone version. Take your pick from here www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw= ... t&_sacat=0

Quote ="Grimmy"Does that take traffic into account? How do you get your smartphone in a position where you can see it while driving?'" The android version does, dunno about the iPhone version. Take your pick from here www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw= ... t&_sacat=0

Whats the refresh rate like on a smartphone though ?

I know someone who had satnav on their iPhone a couple (maybe only one) year ago and it was pants, to the extent where he went and bought a satnav.

It's fine. Modern smartphones are far more advanced computers than the ones inside your average standalone satnav unit.

I've not used TomTom in recent years, but I've used Google's on Android and more recently Here Drive on Windows Phone and both are fine. Here Drive factors traffic into account when deciding on the route and when on it as well and is working fine (For example taking me down the M62 and M60 when the M56 was blocked last week. I wouldn't even consider a standalone sat nav unit having used the smartphone ones.

I only use it in town as I can generally find my way to major towns and cities , it more than keeps up with my driving.

The iPhone navigation system seems particularly crap, certainly the one on Emma's phone is. Didn't Apple have a major problem with Google maps when they launched the iPhone 5?

I've got a Garmin Nuvi with live traffic facility and have usually found it to be excellent. But then my marine navigation and fishfinder are also Garmin, so I could be prejudiced here.

That's why I recommended the TomTom app.

Had to go to Bradford yesterday to pick something up so as always she sets the sat-nav.
Was hungover so I didn't have the energy to tell her that she doesn't really have to turn it on the moment we pull out of her driveway.
Anyway, she taps in somewhere off Thornton Road (is that the longest road in Britain) anyway we manage to miss it and end up somewhere in the hills up Halifax Road.
Being a little p!ssed off I told her to pull over and the gadgey walking the dog seemed to garner some satisfaction in telling us that we wanted to be back about 4 miles the way we'd come.
I thanked him through particularly gritted teeth.

Not quite. They had a major problem with iOS6 because it remove Google maps and replaced it with Apple maps, which was crap.

My old man has one (Coach driver) and he cannot recommend it enough. Especially with some of the places he has had to go to in his time.

Looks like Garmin has it! I've just ordered the Garmin Nuvi 2200T for £85 with free lifetime traffic. Thanks for your advice everyone

Traffic updates are free anyway mate, lifetime map updates cost £75

Downloaded Skobbler's SatNav2 for my iPhone and its pretty good, although not sure it has traffic info. It does have a speedcam facility which I guess most do, but its very up to date

Yep. The closest I've come to switching from an iPhone was when they did that. Google maps was excellent and Apple maps is just rubbish by comparison. Fortunately I think Google have produced their own free maps app now which seems just as good as before

The only problem when using your phones as sat navs, it eats into your data allowance and if you’re in an area with a poor 3g signal, well you might as well dig out the atlas!

Sat navs operate by satellite, so rarely loose signal, unless underground.
A sat nav will always give an approximate time of arrival, based on the distance and the average speeds in the settings.
Live traffic, is exactly what it says on the tin, live traffic, in usually in urban areas and motorways where traffic is monitored. Very useful for going long distances with a tight timescale.

Surely the benefit of the sat nav, no matter how old, is you can head in the wrong direction and it will automatically give you an alternative route. So if you’re facing the wrong direction, just carry on and it will autocorrect, providing its not a dead end or one way street?
Most sat nats, can be updated, by simply plugging into a pc. If it’s that old, then look here


[urlhttp://www.techradar.com/news/car-tech/satnav/best-sat-nav-which-one-is-right-for-you-936587[/url

No it doesn't, it only uses push notices for traffic updates and they are tiny.
All you need to do is stop it using aGPS which you don't need anyway.

Just used the new one for the first time today, seems to be pretty good! Finds where I am straight away and even has the roads of the industrial estate I work in (the other one would tell me I'm on the motorway when I was in the car park). No idea how good it is at re-directing me to avoid traffic yet because I only took it up the road but we'll see

If you're using a smartphone and worried about using data, download 'Navfree' from google play. Takes a while to download - use wifi - but puts the map into your phone, then just uses satellites to navigate you. You dont need an internet connection to get about then.

I’m not worried as I have a live traffic sat nav. I also have an I phone, which on the odd occasion I use Google maps for live traffic checks, I find very useful. BVut always good to know there are other alternatives out there.

If you've got the latest maps - DON'T UPDATE UNTIL THE VERY LAST OPPORTUNITY - you won't have any problem with redirecting, Garmin are [is[/ihit hot on that