TomTom VIA 1530

TomTom does not announce when it is recalculating a route. It does recalculate pretty quickly. If it does not find any alternate route it will tell you to make a U-turn but if it "thinks" that the route it has recalculated is faster it is going to send you that way.

My last experience was that several seconds after one of the instructions ( I was not sure if I made a correct turn)I paid attention that my estimated trip time increase by 30 mins. Lucky me seeing this. I immediately made a U-turn and got back on the correct route...

My TomTom (GO 720) will occasionally tell me to "Turn Around Where Possible" if I miss a turn. However, I wouldn't be surprised if it offered a slightly longer alternate route instead. Using "pull a U-turn" as the default recommendation would clearly be dangerous and stupid. If we miss a turn and there is some doubt about how best to proceed we really should pull off the road and then re-plan our route.

Guys,
my GPS was stolen and I need a new one. I'm disappointed with Garmin. It always prefers highways even if it takes twice the distance and 10 minutes longer time.
Thinking about taking tomtom again. Costco has good price for 1530. Any advise?

Thanks

I have the TomTom GO LIVE 1535, which is very similar to the 1530, but with a slightly different feature set. I have been generally satisfied with it, and would not hesitate to buy one if I needed a GPS.

I have used the CoPilot Android GPS app but have never used a Garmin, so I cannot compare the TomTom 1530 with any of the Garmin models from personal experience.

In regard to the gripes you have about the Garmin, are you sure that this behavior is not due to settings made on the device? I know that there are options on the TomTom that might result in behavior similar to this - although those are not default options, so you would have to force the TomTom to behave that way.

- Tom -

I have used older Garmins, but not the Nuvis. One advantage the TomTom has is IQ routing, where you can choose options such as the fastest, shortest or most economical route based on historical data collected from TT users. Garmin lets you choose various types of routes, but they are not based on historical data. I have heard Garmin is now offering something that is supposedly similar, but I don't know if it really is the same.

Both TT and Garmin let you change your route in various ways, such as avoiding a certain street or traveling via a certain place, etc.

Personally, I have chosen to use the TT app on my Android. However, if I did buy another PND, I would buy a TT.

Shooter