MSN Direct vs. TMC Traffic

I use the 660 and subscribe to TMC. I have had some signal problems but believe it is connector related. That would be the same for either system. Same connector on the mount.

The traffic info is not perfect but overall it is pretty accurate. I check it against my xm radio traffic info if traffic reports something very bad.

I think that both of them need improvement, I had tmc on c550 wasn't accurate so as msn on my new c580 same thing

I have the 680 and travel the big city of Phoenix. So far, MSN has not let me down. As far as multiple routes, the 680 doesn't have it, but if I want to go a different way, it recalculates automatically. Since the 660 and 680 are much cheaper than the 760, I'd go that route unless money is no object. The MSN service is good for a year, then you must upgrade.

I use the nüvi 760 daily and have the following responses:

1) Yes. I will be traveling out of state for five days next week and I have already built and stored the routes with multiple stops in the GPS. It was helpful to do this in advance both to save time and to determine the best use of time while in my office rather than wasting time on the road.

2) Maybe. I have the TMC traffic and have found it to be very valuable both at home and in other states when traveling. Most of the reviews I have read lean toward the TMC being better for traffic, primarily due to the collection method for the traffic information. TMC does not have the gas price, movie or weather information of the MSN Direct, but that information is available to me via phone/internet. For me, the $60 per year fee paid for itself the first day I used the traffic information. I would be cautious about making the decision between the two just based on price alone. It is an invaluable service and the old saying about getting what you pay for rings true all too often. I would not trade the gas, movie and weather information for worse traffic information. I would hate to save $0.10 per gallon on gas and spend $10 in gas in a traffic jamb or be late.

I am very tempted to purchase an MSN Direct receiver to do a side by side, real time comparison, but have not done so yet. I am sure others will share their experiences.

Bill

I have both the 660 and the 680. So far, I say TMC is far, far better than the MSNDirect.
If the traffic info and transmission is not timely, the gas prices and movie times do not mean much.

I just saved the cost of the MSN Direct receiver thanks to your side by side experience. My GPS is a routing device and traffic is an important part of that process for me. I can get the other information on my phone, but my phone is a lousy route/guidance device.

Bill

I drive the Boston area often and find MSN direct works well for me.

Ray

Three of us at work bought the Nuvi 680 almost a year ago. We travel around 1500 miles/month and all over CA, especially the SF Bay Area. We all agree that is working just fine now since an update became available a while back.
Another friend has had the Nuvi 660 for over a year. He just let his TMC subscription lapse. Not very happy.
Another friend has the 760 arriving tomorrow. It will come with the 3 month TMC free trial. I will post his comments after he uses it for a while. As of last Friday though, he is looking at not renewing TMC and just buying the MSN receiver with the 1 year subscription when the 3 months are over. Time will tell.

According to them it's not ready for prime time.

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/12/disappointment_of_the_yea...