TomTomStart 20 4.3" Sat Nav with UK and Ireland Maps (discountinued by manufacturer)

After researching various differnet sat navs and despite the many negative reviews on this one, I decided to go with the also many positive reviews and try it out. I have never used a sat nav before and so had nothing to compare it to. I am absolutely delighted that I did buy this TomTom Start 20 because it is brilliant. I turned it on straight from the box and after a few minutes it did pick up a GPS signal, although it does say that it may not pick up a signal indoors. I logged onto the website before connecting the device to the computer (mainly due to the reviews stating that all maps were lost after updates)I followed the online instructions and once I did connect the TomTom it installed the waiting updates and the latest maps. After I disconnected the TomTom and switched it back on everything was perfectly fine. The TomTom is so user friendly, it really is so easy to use. It took me straight to my intended destination and back home again with no hiccups. I've used it a few times now with no problems whatsoever. I went off course to see if it would re-direct me and it did. I dont need a sat nav to commute, I only wanted one for peace of mind when going on journeys with the children.

I bought this unit as a replacement for my tom tom one which has recently been playing up, and couldn't be happier with my purchase. The screen is a good size, the maps are great and the directions (both audio and visual) have improved. The main improvement maps-wise is the close-up lane function on motorways/complex junctions. I haven't had a chance to test it on motorways yet, but I tried it on a complex roundabout near where I live and it showed where to come off better than the tom tom one, although it didn't zoom-in - this feature may be for motorways only.It also picks up the GPS sat nav signal very quickly on start-up, literally within just a few seconds - it really is amazingly quick. Even if you go into the on-screen menu straight after turning it on and check for a GPS signal, by the time you get there it's usually already locked on to several GPS satellites - that's how quick it is.Another new feature is that you can now personalise 2 quick-access buttons on the main screen (I've set mine to 'sound on/off' and 'day/night colours', which means you can mute the sound (or turn it back on), and switch from day to night screen at the touch of a button.Overall I highly recommend this product, in my opinion it's only worth paying more for a unit if you need the traffic information, which I don't really need. Finally, due to the problems other Amazon reviewers have had with upgrading the map free of charge (on 'My Tom Tom'), I decided against it because to me it's not worth the risk of the unit freezing up. The pre-installed map is dated April 2011 which is quite recent anyway, so I'm happy with that.Overall, highly recommended!

For the occasional travelling I do, this sat Nav is great! It was easy to set up and navigate through the menus and has all the features I loved on my old tomtom.I haven't updated the maps yet so can't comment on that but have done a few journeys and it has got me there no problem. It is quick to find gps signal and easily reroutes if you go a different way. spoken street names is quite handy although you only get this option with the first voice setting. Fortunately, she is not annoying!Advanced lane guidance also very handy!Downsides are that the route demo doesn't appear to have a speed change setting so you have to watch in real time. Biggest problem is the battery life. Very lucky to get 2 hours out of it! Once battery sign turns orange you don't have long! If you want this for long journeys make sure your in car charger is working!On the whole, very pleased with this purchase.

The TomTom Start20 is a great little unit, once you finally get it to work.It doesn't work out of the box, and I spent almost three hours online updating the maps, and rebooting the unit and reading countless posts on TomToms user forum.You HAVE to sign up to myTomTom if you want it to work. And I don't just mean register, actually sign up and become a member. You also have to clear the cache on the sat nav before it will work.I'm not exactly a computer whizz, but I can imagine some people really struggling with this.It works now, and the instructions it gives are clear and timely, and the display shows you which lane you need to be in at MWay junctions. My wife feels comfortable using it and following the directions it gives so it's worth it just for that peace of mind.I would recommend it, but it only gets three out of five from me because of the hassle involved in getting it updated and working.

I had a TomTom previously and found it excellent,especially compared with the very limited built in Sat Nav in my Peugeot. However, it died after about 5 years and would have cost more to repair than to replace so I was a bit nervous about buying another TomTom in case the same thing happened. However, after reading reviews and taking advice from users I took the plunge and am glad I did. The main reason for needing it was 2 young adult offspring both of whom were about to embark on jobs that involved visiting pople in their homes and neither or whom will read maps. The door to door capabilities of this device for that purpose have turned out to be excellent. If you know where you're going you can spot that it doesn't always take you the best way but if you don't, which is the point of having one, it gets you there accurately and right to the door. I have tried it out myself a couple of times, one involving a journey from Kent to Cheshire to visit friends at an obscure address and it took us to the door with no problem. I haven't tried to download any updates (which is why, I was informed, my old device died in the first place) mainly because I have been a bit scared off by the comments from other reviewers about problems doing this so I can't comment on that aspect of it. So I guess, if I don't it will become less accurate as time goes on until I bite the bullet again and try to update it. But from a start-off viewpoint I have found the device excellent for it's purpose.