Sat Nav in Canada
 

Does anyone have any recomendations for sat nav in Canada, Garmin vs Tom Tom or any other preferences?
I carried out a search on past posts but got mainly USA/Aus info and someone wrote that thier Tom Tom was about 20 metres out in Canada?:confused:

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Hi

We have the Tom Tom 300 and it has been a godsend for us. My hubby is useless with directions and has found it invaluable. When we were in the UK, we just downloaded the Canada map from the Tom Tom website, think it was about £20 but it covers the whole of Canada, not that we are planning to travel that far at the moment! It has had the odd blip though and did take him down a one way street once....but other than that we use it a lot to find points of interests etc.

We are planning to download the USA map incase we decide to travel further afield. People say we should just use maps, why if you can something that tells you the way!!

I think the new Tom Toms have the Canada maps built in.

HTH
Mel

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

I prefer getting lost. I've had great experiences by taking the wrong turn.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Hi

When Mels123 said that Canada maps are already downloaded on Tom Tom sat nav's - this isnt what I was told. Some of the more expensive Tom Tom's (£500 +) have a built in hard drive I do know that you can download the maps straight onto the Sat Nav but as far as Maplin's were aware there was a charge for this.

Having investigated Sat Nav's (as I only got mine a couple of months ago) I have gone with a Garmin Nuvi - this runs the mapping off like a photo card which you can buy on line or I do believe there are Garmin shops in Canada to go in and purchase them from.

Gaynor

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Tom Tom 910 can be picked up for around £300 (just saw this online). It has UK, Full European, US and Canada maps already loaded.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

We've gotten lost with our Tom-Tom and did meet up with some lovely people.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

What model of Garmin do you have?

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Thanks all. I can pick up the Tom Tom 910 from Curry's for £275 with discount which has European, USA and Canada maps already downloaded.
Seen mixed reviews about it's performance mainly with the fixing to the screen. I Have checked Future Sops web site and could only find the Tom Tom Go.
So undecided, Garmin or Tom Tom, decisions, decisions?

It's a bit like buying a new HiFi so much choice!

Really p***ed off at the moment the house we were after in Van has just disappearedoff mls!

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

My wife would got lost with Sat Nav and god help her navigation skills without.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Very happy with my Garmin. The only time it's been a pain was in the Windsor region. It would tell me my nearest ATM/food/gas was such and such miles but that was as the crow flies, in another country, with an actual journey of 2 or 3 times as long due to limited crossing places. I suppose that's just a quirk in that region.

Otherwise no complaints. I chose Garmin as it got better reviews than TomTom (on this continent at least). I read things like with the TomTom equivalent model, to change the volume, you have to go into a menu and tinker about - not too easy whilst driving. If I want it loud because the kid's screaming, I want easy access with a regular volume button on the unit :D

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

I have a nuvi 300 - i think

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Sound sensible thinking. We have young screaming kids as well. I will check out Garmin and Nuvi as well, thanks.

I must admit I have been very sceptical about these devices. We had a driver take us to Leeds Castle in Kent and I think the device put at least 10 miles on the journey! But being in a strange place such as Vancouver I think it is a must have.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Mine (C330) has setting options for vehicle type - taxi is one - do you think that adds a wee bit more to the suggested route? :D

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Nice one! I need a lift today (sorry no pun intended). Bad day.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

There are often two ways the units can be set: routing for least distance, or routing for least time.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

LOL! :D

You can set them to avoid U-turns (etc.), good if you have a motor home.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Ah! That's another slight gripe - I've got it set to avoid those but occasionally it suggests one. Actually it can't be that occasional, it's happened often enough for my kid to copy the British Garmin lady - I hear him playing with his toy cars saying "Where possible, make a u-turn" :D

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

LOL... throw him off stride by changing the voice to US-English.... then call him a hillbilly when he imitates her. ;)

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Even better change it to the Ozzy Osbourne voice as that makes me giggle so much! "At the end of the road, cross the f***ing roundabout" ;)

Not good when you have kids in the car though :eek:

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

The US voice should say.... ya'll can turn left when ya'll have a chance to free the Big Mac from your right hand and the cellphone from your left hand.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Y'all, innit?

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Friends of ours from the UK visited last summer and used their Tom Tom in the rental car they had over here. They'd downloaded BC maps whilst in the UK and thought it would make life easier whilst travelling around the province.

On a day trip out with them from Kamloops Tom Tom came close to being ejected out of the car on half a dozen occasions. It missed turns and had intersections pop up miles out of place. Can't say I was too impressed really :rolleyes:

I drive around Vancouver regularly and not living there don't really have a great idea about where I'm going, so just visit Google maps before a journey, set 'too' and 'from' locations, print them off and use those.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

I think you are right - thanks for correcting my 'merican slang.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Not at all. The grammar of that expression is a hot topic in our house. Some consider it slack usage to use y'all in the singular, whereas I see that as being an acceptable regional variation.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

I once heard a Virginian say "y'all y'all" for plural :scared:

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Yeah, it's my Young Republican friend from Virginia who uses it in the singular. The OH, being originally from NC runs screaming from the room when I do it. Of course, y'all in estuary tones aint quite authentic in the first place.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

TomTom uses maps from Teleroute (Belgium based) whereas Garmin uses maps from Navteq.

Navteq are considered to be much more accurate today in North America.

If you buy a European Garmin you can buy later on maps for North America whereas on the TomTom 910 they're included already.

Personally, I'd get a Garmin. If you're going to be in Europe for a few months more, get a cheap (maybe second hand) TomTom or Garmin and buy a new one in Canada. BTW TMC traffic announcement systems are different in Europe and NA - a European aerial won't work - you need to buy a new one. All this additional stuff ain't cheap.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

All I can say is Tom Tom 710 although she has had a bit of a spaz in the mountains from time to time, ........................saved loads of arguments since we moved though.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Bought the tomtom 910 for the specific reason it had both uk and canada maps on it.

Very good for directions etc with options to change direction etc

Only issue with it is the windscreen fix unit, as stated by others sites i looked the unit tends to droop down so have overcome this with putting something on the dash underneath the unit so it rests on that.

Also can tie in with mobile phone and has space to keep mp3 music on the large hard disk that comes with it.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Found this interesting article while researching Sat Nav systems. Anyone had any similar personal experiences?

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/0...many_satnav_dc

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Common occurence for bmw drivers. With or without satnav.:D

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

...........and a few others I could mention. I saw a Beetle today that had just wrapped itself around some railings on an estate and couldn't for the life of me figure how they managed to do it. No traffic, good weather, slow easy road etc.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

I've never followed it blindly until this Saturday - stupidly went on a 6hr round trip without checking the weather. Got caught in a large snowstorm and couldn't see the road at all. The sat nav was pretty useful in telling us if it was a straight stretch, curve coming up, etc. Rather scary all the same though :eek:

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

You must have waaaaay more faith in the accuracy of the mapping than I do!

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

I have a Nuvi (UK) and bought the North American maps on DVD for about £70 from gpscity.com. I loaded the Canada maps from the DVD onto an SD card.

I used it extensively for a month-long trip to Canada in October and it was faultless.

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Got a tom tom go 500 and got the Canada maps works fine 2. Was in Vancouver last year and hired a Hertz 4x4 that had hertz never lost in it. What a load of rubbish. So i would think at sometime or other they will all screw you over!!!. It kept losing its positioning in the city!!!

Re: Sat Nav in Canada
 

Just to be different we have a Navman sat nav which we had in the UK and bought with us. We always used it in the US on trips and it has got us out of some tight spots.

We find for Canada it is just as good and we have yet to travel anywhere that it does not recognise. The only difference we find is that in the UK you would see lots of roadside graphics such as lakes, other roads etc, but in Canada, particuarly in rural areas you don't always get that. But I suppose as long as the road you are on is showing it should not be a problem.