The right direction

By Darren Challis
July 16, 2005
The TomTom GO 300.

The TomTom GO 300.

Satellite navigation may be a little excessive if you're only driving between your home and the local grocery, but if your work takes you on the road, or you are planning a holiday to somewhere new, a portable in-car navigation system will effortlessly lead the way.

A sat-nav device receives signals from four or more Global Positioning System satellites so that it knows your whereabouts to within a few metres. You enter your destination - a street address or a "point of interest" such as a park or restaurant - and the unit determines the best route. Along the way, it displays a map and highlights all turns you will have to make. Spoken instructions through a built-in speaker will alert you to upcoming turns. And if you make a wrong turn, the system will recalculate a new route to set you back in the right direction.

The four units tested here all have in-built, touch-sensitive colour screens that display overhead two-dimensional and stylised three-dimensional maps. In each case, the unit includes a Secure Digital card containing pre-installed maps covering most of Australia. These battery-powered units can be used away from the car and recharged with AC or car adaptors.

The four models offer a similar range of features that includes allowing you to choose between the quickest or shortest routes, or a route that avoids tolls. They allow you to input a roadblock and will then calculate an alternative route. You can add your own points of interest and set up warnings for when you approach them - which is great for red lights and speed cameras.

Three of the four models are all-in-one units that integrate the Central Processing Unit, screen and GPS antenna, and include a suction-cup mounting bracket for use in your car. These three all use the Sensis Whereis maps. The odd one out here is the Destinator 3 bundle, which includes a hand-held Pocket PC with a separate GPS receiver wirelessly connected via Bluetooth. It is the only system to use MapInfo maps. Each map publisher claims superiority but there appears to be little practical difference between them.

The maps are updated annually and you can expect to pay $25 for the Destinator updates or $100 to $200 for the others - much more than a street directory. However, it's unlikely you will need to update the maps every year. Of course, for a grand you can buy a lifetime's supply of street directories, but if it saves you from causing an accident while trying to read a map and driving, then it's a grand well spent.

Also, part of the appeal of these portable systems is that they are transferable, so you can share one among a household's multiple cars.

For an in-depth video review of the TomTom GO 300, go here.

Four contenders

TomTom GO 300

Price: $1099

Rating: * * * * *


New to the Australian market, the TomTom GO 300 is simple to use yet very flexible. It's fast and offers crisp graphics and clear, natural instructions in an Australian accent. (There are 47 different voices included; six are different English accents.) It is also the most extensive system, which, for instance, allows you to buy and download additional voices. You can pair the TomTom with a Bluetooth phone and - hopefully soon in Australia - download traffic information and weather. A GO 500 version that includes Bluetooth hands-free for mobiles will be released soon. The main disadvantage is its form: the TomTom's rounded rump is too bulky to slip into a pocket or a briefcase.

Destinator 3 Acer n30/Leadtek Bluetooth Bundle

Price: $899; software and GPS receiver, $799; software only, $599

Rating: * * ½


The Destinator software runs on a range of Pocket PC units, but the bundle with this Acer n30 is great value if you are thinking of buying a PDA for other uses. However, a Pocket PC is not custom designed for navigation and so the Destinator is awkward to use, especially in a car. Destinator offers CompactFlash card GPS receivers as an alternative, but its maker claims the separate, matchbox-sized Bluetooth receiver is safer since you can place it on the dashboard and keep the PDA away from your windscreen. In reality, having a separate little box to charge and carry is an inconvenience.

Garmin StreetPilot c320

Price: $999

Rating: * * * ½


Garmin has years of experience in GPS systems, offering products for flying, boating and hiking, as well as driving. The StreetPilot c320 is a solid system with the simplest touch-screen interface. It's close in appearance and functionality to the GO 300, but lacks the TomTom's flexibility and personality. Like the TomTom, it is too big to fit into a pocket. Nice features include a trip meter and an option for taxis and emergency vehicles that may have access to additional roads. However, the StreetPilot lacks some power-user features such as multistop itineraries and custom points of interest.

Navman iCN 510

Price: $999

Rating: * * *


The iCN 510 is a PDA-sized unit with a flip-up GPS aerial. Its combination touch-screen and push-button interface is a little more complex, and the graphics are more cluttered than its competitors - not what you want while on the go. It is the slimmest of all the units tested, making it an easy fit for pockets, purses or briefcases, but this appears to lead to some performance issues. Our testing revealed it to be the least accurate, often thinking I was driving over water or parkland. Its speaker was also a little too tinny and quiet.

The verdict

The purpose-built units are definitely superior. Even at about $100 more than the competition, the combination of ease of use, accuracy and flexibility means the TomTom GO is, well, the go.


Most car manufacturers offer optional in-built navigation systems. Without a need for mounting brackets, these are neater and less susceptible to theft. Portable systems need to be removed from the car or hidden away, but they do have the advantage of transferability to other vehicles, features, yet are considerably less expensive than the $3000 to $5000 most car including hire cars. At about $1000, the portable systems tend to offer better dealers charge.

They are also updated with the latest mapping software, while built-ins are typically two versions behind.
