TomTom GO 5000 feedback thread NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This thread is for the MNers who've been trying out the TomTom GO 5000.

Below are some questions to get you started but please feel free to add other comments too.

In terms of your first impressions...

• What was your initial impression of the TomTom GO 500?
• How easy did you find it to set up your TomTom?
• What journeys have you made so far with your TomTom?

Please also note that TomTom may use your anonymous feedback comments on their website and social media channels, as well as elsewhere.

Thanks,
MNHQ

@EddieVeddersfoxymop

Been a while since I have added anything on the thread. I used the tomtom last friday in the heaviest traffic I've met with it so far. I found it slow to tell me about traffic - even when I was stuck in it! On one occasion it even showed the traffic jam was on the other side of the road from me.....but there was not a car in sight and my direction was the snarled up side.

Does anyone else find it irritating when you arrive at your destination and the map zooms out......why does it do that? I want to look at the map when I've parked to get a rough idea of my way out. Can this be stopped?

TomTom say: "Hello EddieVeddersfoxymop, the view changes from the guidance view to the map view when you arrive at your destination. With the Switch View button (on top of your Zoom level control on the left side of the screen) you can get back to the guidance view with just one click, though, and thus see your surroundings."

@MyNameIsInigoMontoya

I am still in a bit of a love/hate thing with mine.

I could STILL not get "Hello TomTom" to work any more last time I tried it, although it IS set to use VR and the VR button does work, so no idea why that is.

On the positive side, it found me a new route to Beamish, completely different to anything I'd have thought to try but to my surprise it does actually seem quicker despite going through all sorts of funny little country lanes (or "rollercoasters" according to the DCs!).

On the negative side... I had a trip to make a couple of weeks back, very very early in the morning (so no traffic) but important to be there on time. The very-much obvious route seemed to be through town, down A1 a bit and then across. TomTom started doing this, and then just when I was about to join the A1, decided it had a better route. I gave it the benefit of the doubt (as someone said above, trying to be a good little product tester!) and then promptly wished I hadn't as it started taking me on a very convoluted route through loads of housing estates, before announcing there was a closed road somewhere and trying to make me double back on myself In the end I had to clear the route and force it to recalculate to where I was going.

Now if it had been in rush hour I might have thought it had some clever trick to bypass a queue... but at 5am, there was no WAY this would have been quicker than just joining the A1 - as I was planning to and then had to do in the end anyway. Luckily I managed to make up the time, but no thanks to TomTom.

So although it's very good sometimes, having had a couple of episodes like this has just made me a bit wary of trusting it, which kind of defeats the object.

PS - lot of Northerners on this thread isn't there!

TomTom say: "Hi MyNameIsInigoMontoya, The GO 5000 only suggests another route to you if it’s actually faster at that point. That, of course, can change whilst you are already driving on the newly suggested route and suddenly – e.g. because of newly formed traffic – that route can turn into the one that would take you longer and the device suggests you a faster one again. What you are describing is a very special case and shouldn’t happen very often, though. Luckily you can also always choose if you actually want to take the faster route the GO 5000 has found or just stick with the route, because you know from your experience that it can’t be that bad. If your device automatically switches to a new route without asking you first, you can change it to always check with you before any changes. To do this – go to the Settings in your menu, select Route Planning and select “Ask me so I can choose”.

Regarding your voice control issues – I don’t have enough information to determine what’s wrong. Could you send us a short email to [email protected] with the voice you have selected and the software version you have so we can look into what’s going wrong? You can see your software version if you click the question mark icon at the right end of your main menu and then About. "

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

It's easy to use and has saved us time by avoiding local roadworks.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

It's straightforward and the commands are clear and timely.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

I'd recommend it as it does work very well though it is a little pricey.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to test it.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I have really enjoyed the TomTom - it has been such a relief to use a satnav that you switch on, and within seconds it has found where you are. Our old one would take ages, and would be a lot of switching on and off before able to find out where we were. I really love this, and makes me feel much more confident about driving around as I know I will be able to find my way home.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

I loved the screen, and the layout, found the 3D aspect of it enjoyable and was very visual. I am not usually a visual person, and find it easier to just listen to the instructions on my old TomTom, but found this layout easy to see, liked all the street names been called out, and generally found it a big leap up from my old Satnav. I like the voice recognition as well, and enjoy shouting at it to take me home!

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Yes I would recommend it. I would be bereft if I had to send it back! For the reasons listed above, quick and easy to use, good screen layout, maps etc. Easy to set up and get started straight away.

ChippingInAutumnLover
IamA - (or anyone else!!)

OK, so I have set the route (the one I did the other day, arboretum to home), I want to find a costa coffee along the route.

So far I can either -

Get a list of Costa's (near me, but not 'on route')

OR

Look for a 'Restaurant' on the route (but not specifically a Costa, have to go through the list to find a Costa) and then how far away it is, I can't get them to show on the map.

But what I really want is to be able to choose 'Costa on route' and have it show me them on the map - can you do this?
??
TomTom have said: "Hi ChippingInAutumnLover, what you can do is choose a stop along the route. This is how: after planning your route, choose the Current Route menu and then Add Stop to Route. Choose Search and enter the name of the POI you want to stop at on your route and add it to your route

That is what I was doing and it isn't working!! On the left hand side it comes up with various Costa towns and cities in Europe, on the right hand side similar but if you scroll down far enough, eventually costa coffee shops. With distances from my house, but NOT on route

See next post.

Actually, having typed out the whole thing in detail, I've sent it as a PM because I had to use locations I knew and don't really want all that detail about my location on here. If MN can post it, with the reply, minus the identifying detail, that's fine to do. I hope it can help others as well.

I have really enjoyed using the TomTom and will definatley recommend it to friends and family. Its very reassuring to have one you in case I get lost. Its quick and easy to use. I use it for getting to work if there is traffic for alternative routes and also if were going to a new destination

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I have been using Tom Tom almost every day now. It has saved time on quite a few occasions by finding an alternate route, although at few instances I have failed to notice I am actually travelling on an alternate route. For Example, when we head to on 15th Nov when there was a match and delay, Tom Tom took us in a different route than the one we usually follow and Hubby was quite amazed how quickly we could reach despite the traffic and delays. But I have seen "Finding alternate route" on Tom Tom only for a flick of a moment. We were impressed as it was quick enough to detect the road closures and took us in an alternate route with not much delay.

I am sure. Tom Tom will accompany us on all the journey to keep us away from stress and pressure as he is a live traffic helper.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

Much better than the old Tom Tom, Bigger screen, colourful, 3D, Zoom effect. Not impressed only with the Voice Recognition feature - Not sure if anyone was successful with it. I need to crack a way to make him understand what I exactly mean.

POI/Post code - We failed on both attempts when we tried to use the postcode for "Stansted airport Longstay car park". It couldn't do well and worked only for the description and not for "Post code"

When we tried to set "Wembley Stadium", it couldn't recognise it, so we had to give some "postcode" near the POI.

Not sure, if we did something wrong! ?

Speed Camera - Would be nice if there is a feature to let the driver know (by voice) what is the regulated speed on the road. I think it does display on the screen, but had to check it.

There is still loads to explore and if there is a chance I will update with more findings.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Overall, it is definitely worth having. Has almost everything you would expect from a traffic guide and does the job as expected. I haven't got anything big to complain so I don't see any reason not to recommend it to my friend. I will definitely bring it forward in any discussion and it has my recommendation. The Price - though the full price seems a bit expensive, it is definitely worth grabbing one of your own when it is on sale. Next time, Please include a pouch to keep the Satnav free of scratches and dirts.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?
I have found it to be really useful, my husband and I both do quite a lot of driving both for work and personal (ie being chief chauffeur to the kids). We tend to be in areas that we actually know quite well, but recently there have been a lot of roadworks and diversions so it has been really good to have the TomTom GO 5000 to redirect the quickest route rather than our usual faffing around and getting lost in the diversion.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

I think the TomTom GO 5000 is an excellent sat nav, we certainly could not have done without it on our holiday in Spain, and would pack it in our bag for future foreign holidays as well as domestic trips. My eldest DD loved being in charge of it and also found it very easy to use and read the instructions and maps. The visual display was very good even at night which when I normally find it hard to the screens. And there did not seem to be too much glare from the screen in sunlight either.

Voice recognition mode was a bit of pain - but I have quite a strong accent so most voice activated things struggle with it.

A case would have been very useful as we had to keep it in its box to travel, but overall we were very pleased with it

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

I would recommend it to friends, as it was clear and concise in its directions, easy to use, no extra buttons or commands. Simply input destination, confirm and go. I think the stated price is about right, as have looked at and owned some of its competitiors which have not matched in quality, durability or easy of use.

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

Great, the car we use for longer trips doesn't have a built in sat nav so this has helped both me and DH to set off to destinations without having to constantly glance down at phone nav haphazardly balanced in the cup holder.

To be honest, I've taken it with me in the car with the built in nav system as it's pants I don't entirely trust it to send me the right way but TomTom has been brilliant 95% of the time (sometimes it just doesn't seem to know what's going on - especially around Silverstone ).

We've been frustrated with it not knowing where motorway services are. I've said it on this thread several times but I'll say it again. Some of these services have been in existence for 20 plus years! Not sure how TomTom has missed them.

Additionally, whilst you can search for POI, neither of us think it's as intuitive as previous models were. Although I don't really care, it bugs DH.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

I think it's a great bit of kit. Simple to use at the basic level and yet can do lots more if you want it to.

It seems robust although I would second the need for a case. Also, a second cable to have, to connect to a laptop. It's such a faff getting the cable out of the holder that I've just used a cable from another device. Works fine though.

Clear, bright screen and the VR (when working) is great although it takes a while to work out the best way to word instructions. For example, so much easier to select My Places from the menu and it would be good if VR could do that.

Overall, I think that it is great to do long journeys but having used it today to do a well known journey, for which I know many different routes, I still managed to shave 10 minutes off the journey time, just by using local knowledge. Which annoys me a bit as surely it would find the fastest automatically. It was suggesting funny routes and sometimes a bit of local knowledge just can't be beaten. If I can find a faster route than a sat-nav set to find the fastest route then it doesn't help me trust it!

However, it brings great peace of mind for longer journeys or those in unknown places.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

I like using it, have found it easy and intuitive to use (for the main part) and would suggest that, if someone is looking for something in that price bracket, they take a look.

It isn't a perfect sat nav, I don't know if such a thing exists! We've been spoiled over the past few years with in built navs so don't really know what the competition is like these days.

It has little bugs and niggles that may be deal breakers for other people but overall I would be happy to recommend it. Especially for the Live Traffic, fabulous to be able to click on the timeline route and see exactly where all the traffic is.

Thank you for the opportunity to try the sat nav. It has been of great use on many occasions!

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks

I used it for a variety of journeys, short and long, through town, country and motorway and I found it very easy to use - but having had a TomTom before helped because I was familiar with them ( I did have a brief affair with a Garmin about a year ago but it didn't last and I soon returned to TomTom ).
The large 5 inch screen is clear and the information ( ETA, speed, road name, next action ) are well set out. It automatically changes to the night colours when it gets dark which is good. The touch screen is responsive and it is easy to use and to programme journeys. It is faster to programme journeys than previous models and to reprogramme itself when I take a wrong turning or decide to take another route.
I tried many of the voices and there are plenty to choose from so you must be able to find one that you like. There have been some comments from people saying that they had problems with the battery and charging but it worked fine for me. The only problem that I had was getting the voice recognition to work - it must be my accent because it only worked on average one in five times. I do a lot of town driving and I found the traffic information was very accurate.The european maps will come in handy when we go abroad.

What did you think of theTomTom 5000 overall

Overall I am very happy with it. It is stylish, easy to use and it sticks to the windscreen really well and doesn't come detached like an earlier model I had whenever the car went over a bump. My only minor complaints would be that it didn't come with a case - but then TomToms never have done and as is typical these days you have to print out your own instruction manual. The lifetime updates are a very good feature and means that I won't need to replace it for some time.

Would you recommend the TomTom Go 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your family and friends ? Why ?

I would certainly recommend it, it looks good, its easy to use and it does the job well

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I have really liked it. It's been really good for regular journeys especially my commute. There are various ways to get to work and the TomTom takes me on the least congested. It's great! Liking Stephen fry too.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

Overall I think it's excellent. It's far better than the similarly priced Garmin I bought before. It's easy to use and the traffic function is fantastic. Love the way it attaches to the windscreen. My Garmin used to fall off every journey. This one never has. Love the voice function for agreeing to the alternative routes too.

The only things I don't like about it are: it sometimes takes me weird routes. There is one road I would always take on my way home from work but the TomTom doesn't seem to know that you can go that way. It suggests the road before or the road after but never that road, even though it's obviously the most direct route. It's not a new road and it's in the inner suburbs of a major city. That's a bit annoying. The other thing is that the voices should vary their funny comments because they get very repetetive.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Yes, definitely. For the traffic function alone. It must be great in London!

TomTom say: "Hello EddieVeddersfoxymop, the view changes from the guidance view to the map view when you arrive at your destination. With the Switch View button (on top of your Zoom level control on the left side of the screen) you can get back to the guidance view with just one click, though, and thus see your surroundings.

Thank you Tomtom, you've saved me much irritation!

We used tomtom today to drive from rural scotland to edinburgh. On the return journey it failed to pick up the crazy traffic trying to get back into Aberdeen on the A90.....I double checked the traffic was connected but it didn't show anything at all. This was vv annoying as we could have come off at the Charleston Flyover and avoided all the traffic, but instead we had to shuffle through it and we lost half an hour

Thanks again MNHQ for picking me to test this product :)

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

Really good, it was a doddle to set up and the mapping is really clear and easy to follow.

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

Overall it's a very good satnav, nice big screen and clear mapping. The instructions at roundabouts are very clear. It's a huge improvement on using the app on my iphone. The Traffic feature is brilliant, and the journey timer is very very accurate as well. I'd definitely recommend it.

There are some minor niggles: for the full RRP of £260 I'd really expect a proper case and a plug charger thrown in. I notice that as of today, Amazon now have this product on for £199, which is about the maximum I'd pay for a satnav.

Also the VR is a little glitchy (slow to respond/process requests compared to Siri on my iphone) and the UI for reporting for speed limits/cameras needs finetuning (as already discussed on the thread).

Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

I have recommended it, and I know at least one friend has gone and bought the same model. The reasons I recommend it are for the whizzy traffic feature and for the very clear screen/mapping.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?
A bit hit or miss. On a positive note, it took me a great alternative route that avoided a new build estate that I invariably get lost in. On a negative note, still can't get the traffic thing to work and the voice recognition is a bit random.

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?
I think that if it had come with a paper manual I would have had a far better time with it as I could have sat down and ironed out all the blips in one go. To be honest I have discovered that what I look for in a satnav is the ability for it to get me quickly and accurately to where I want to go. I couldn't care less about additional features as long as the basic bit does the job.

Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?
I would recommend it to gadgetty people but tell them to wait until it was on offer as I think it is over-priced, especially as it has no case or plug. To less techy people I would recommend TomTom but not this model and suggest they look for something with a paper manual.

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

We have found it very easy to use and much better than the ones we used on our respective mobiles. Really pleased with the whole Tom tom experience, and nice to know we have it if the traffic is not great locally or if we are planning a long journey.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

Overall I am very impressed, it has taken a while to get used to but I think that's more to do with my lack of technical knowledge. My DH is very impressed and thinks I'm really lucky to have been picked to test it. I think we will use it now on a regular basis.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Although it's quite an expensive piece of kit, it is top of the range so I would and have already recommended it to my friends and family that could afford it or anyone who was looking to purchase a new sat nav.

I have now turned off the voice and managed to ignore its cross country routes which I dindt want to go to in the middle of the night (!)

still like it

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I have found the TomTom GO 5000 invaluable, although it took me a while to trust the alternative routing.

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

It is excellent. The screen is an ideal size; I liked being able to change the colour, which has particularly made driving in the dark a lot easier; the holder has never fallen off the windscreen, which happened non-stop with previous sat navs; the arrival time has always been spot on; I love being able to see my actual speed next to the speed limit and especially liked the fact it shows your average speed when there is an average speed limit; Serena's voice and instructions are so clear and simple to follow and I especially like the fact she tells you which road to turn into; being able to use the voice control makes life a whole lot simpler and safer, especially when you regularly travel to the same place(s); I was amazed that you could simply type in Sainsbury's and it lists them in order of proximity, whereas before I needed to look up the address of the nearest Sainsbury's, for instance; the live traffic updates are amazing and I have the piece of mind that this sat nav will always take me on the shortest route and if there is an accident, I don't have to mess around trying to press the sat nav to avoid part of the route.

Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Yes I definitely would recommend this sat nav to anybody who does a lot of travelling or frequently travels alone as it is very easy to use, Serena's directions are so clear and simple, the voice control functionality allows you to fully focus on the road and once you learn to trust the alternative routing, you know that your journey will always take the least possible time and you won't waste time unnecessarily sitting in traffic or searching for alternative routes and the arrival time is always spot on. I do, however, think that for the price it should come with a protective case, it would be good if you could plug your phone into the car-charger at the same time and you should be able to select which drive to use on your computer.

Thank you for allowing me to test this product...

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I use it when I think the traffic is going to be bad on usual journeys or when I am going to new places.

Good points are

• the estimated arrival time - this a brilliant feature and is proving to be very accurate. I find this very handy,
• live traffic too seems very accurate,
• speed camera notification is very good,
• speed limit notification is a good feature but seem below as is also proved to be inaccurate.

Negative points

• you can't turn off your speed on the device - I already have it on my dash and I don't want it on my sat nav too - especially as it displays 4mph less than my dash, so not only is it not necessary it is annoying too.

• voice recognition is flaky at best - not helped it seems by my Scottish accent,
• I often need to get my phone out to find an address or postcode. I would be useful to have places built in e.g. Odeon Cinema Glasgow and it would bring up a list of options. Sometime you don't know the street,
• some speed limits are not up to date - I drive through a housing development today that was a 40mph but my device said 60 mph and the estate had clearly been there a while.
• takes a fair bit of time to boot up,
• no case to keep it in,
• lack of manual and tips guide is a mistake I think.

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?
It is good for what it is, though not being able to navigate by place - e.g. "Tesco" and it bring up a list of local Tesco's - like it does for petrol station is not great.

The fact I still sometimes need to use my phone to find streets and addresses, when TomTom is in direct competition with phone apps, is a big negative that I think should be addressed. If I have to use my phone anyway, why not just use it for satnav rather than have a separate device.

Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why? If it was cheaper - I'm not sure I would recommend it given the negative at it's RRP.

Answers to second set of questions:

Once up and running, navigating, it's great, couldn't find a last destinations function. But it might be there, a couple of times hit the wrong button rather than drive as the arrow in the corner is more tempting! But that's me rather than the tomtom. We found the speedo was out. The timing on motorway junctions was also slightly out that they are sooner than tomtom would track at. We really like the average speed tracking in restricted speed zones but couldn't trust it as the speedo is out.

Overall we thought is was a great little sat nav, we've use it quiet a bit and on new journeys, like others I'm encouraged that it uses the same shorts cuts as us in the town where we live which I hope means it does similar in places we don't know! A quick start guide on paper with the most useful functions would be a great addition to the box.

Would defineatly recommend it, but if they can fix speedo problem.

Thank you very much for selecting us, we are looking forward to many more problem free journeys courtesy of tomtom.

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks? He's been pretty good for sorting traffic free routes and getting us places, I have found the ability to mark places and they plan routes via these points without having to type it all in over and over.
• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall? I like it a lot! It's voice control doesn't like me and I am slowly getting used to the scrolling menu but it does what it says on the tin.
• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why? Yes, It is easy to get started and once you are using it then it make life easy to navigate to places. I loaned mine to the ILs and even they managed to figure it out without too much hassle. The re getting one for Christmas.

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I've actually changed my view of everyday driving with a sat nav with this test, previously I would only use one for going somewhere where I didn't have a clue but with the TomTom GO 5000 I seem to find myself wanting to use it to avoid the jams! I used it to get in and out of London, something that really scares me (although did have one scary moment getting stuck on a roundabout) but TomTom did find us parking as close as we probably could to Downing Street!

I do find the voice recognition useful although it can be tempramental. I'm sure on one route I asked it to find an alternative route and it did but since that once it hasn't accepted that command again.

I also find that if I change route myself slightly that it can be the same time to get to that route as the original route so how does it decide which route to send you on if they are the same? I also find the traffic updates aren't always accurate so I guage the route to follow by how traffic looks at certain junctions.

DH did ask if there was a setting for most fuel efficiant route

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

The TomTom is a nice piece of equipment that has really saved me time and found me alternative routes that I wouldn't think of using. I find it very clear and a lot more precise with speed camera's than my old sat nav.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Yes I would recommend TomTom to friends and family infact I because I keep it on me most of the time I used it to find an alternative route with friends because of a hold up on the M4 while a friend was driving. The only thing that does put me off recommending it is the price as I know I wouldn't be able to afford to pay so much for it and I think quite a few of my friends would feel the same.

Thank you Mumsnet and TomTom for the opportunity to test the GO 5000 it has saved me a lot of time sat in traffic jams on my journeys

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?
It's been really useful. Easy to use once I was used to it (it's different from the previous model that I had) and I am a huge fan of the TomTom traffic service. This is brilliant as it comes with lifetime traffic so I don't have to pay the £50 each year to re-subscribe as I have had to do previously.

A couple of annoyances - the pronunciation of some road/place names is questionable (and sometimes comical!); motorway junctions (eg junction 5) are described as "J (i.e. the letter) 5" rather than "JUNCTION 5" (picky, I know but you did ask...!); and the TomTom is a bit hit and miss with train stations if you put in the name of the station - I went to Bristol Temple Meads and it found it easy peasy - but then went to Birmingham New Street and it was very confused about that and I had to go via PoIs to find it.

I've still not updated it (aaargh the bedtime-refusing toddler will keep interfering!) so no idea whether it's incompatible with windows 8 as my previous one was, but will get round to it one day. And I still need to look for the lovely Stephen's voice.

Also - not impressed with the VR. It doesn't understand me and I think I have a fairly clear and un-accented voice. But to be fair, the only time I would use it in reality while driving is in the "would you like to take the alternative route I have found for you?" scenario - and it works fine for that. If I need to recalculate I can't concentrate on looking at what the TomTom is doing as well as driving safely so would either give it to the passenger (NOT the toddler!! Good grief can you IMAGINE?! ) to deal with or I'd pull over and redo it. Have always been firmly of the opinion that even the cleverest machines still need to be used with a human brain as an overseer and this is no different. I will not be appearing on the news any time soon as "mumsnetter finds herself swimming after blindly following SatNav into a lake"!

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?
I think it's a very good product. Easy to use, accurate for the most part, good screen clarity, good battery life (at the moment) and a useful tool for a number of journeys. Still think that for the price you should get a case or something though.

Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?
I would absolutely recommend it if money was not a consideration, for all the reasons given above. However, I have had a good experience with both of the TomTom models I have previously used (TomTom One, TomTom GoLive 820) and the 820 in particular provided me with everything that I needed for the types of journey that I do. As I said previously the lifetime traffic subscription is a definite selling point however and I would recommend the service - if it was available on a cheaper model I would recommend that model equally.

Thank you for selecting me to take part in this product test. Off to Amazon now...

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?
• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

I've really enjoyed using it, and I think if I had to give it back I would replace it myself. I find it very useful and the connection is very fast and reliable, both to GPS and to the live traffic service. It's taken me an unexpected route sometimes, but generally this has been an improvement on the one I would otherwise have taken.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

I've already recommended it to my Mum, who is likely to buy one I think. I think the only slight negative is the price, but if you factor in the lifetime maps and lifetime traffic (therefore no annual fee like some) it's good value for what you're getting.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

Pretty good. Gradually getting used to all its features. On the whole it has got me to my destination easily and without any hitches. However, I have had a couple of snags.

Firstly itt couldn't find a massive forestry commission place about 30 mins away from us. It's huge with a cafe/carpark etc and I was surprised it didn't have it. I hadn't been there before so I put in the road address instead, and it took me the wrong way. I later discovered it had taken me off a junction early off the A road and was taking me around the edge of the forest. I contacted the friend I was meeting there and she confirmed that there was also a golf centre there, which the TomTom did say it knew the way to, except it didn't. Eventually I switched it off, went back to the main road and found my own way. A good reminder that whilst satnavs are great you do still need a general idea where you're going.

The second problem was that it couldn't find a major town about 35 mins from me. I've been there a lot and there is one main road from my town to that one, despite this TomTom spent the whole way there telling me to do a u-turn as I was going the wrong way?! Again I switched it off.

Apart from that it's been smooth journeys and definite time saved.

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

Really good. It look sleek, boots up quickly, is pretty user friendly and has a great screen/graphics that make it easy to see which exit/turning/lane etc you should be taking. It's far superior to our old satnav, and I wouldn't have thought of changing it for a new one as I didn't think a more modern one could be that different. Despite the issues I had above I am still a big fan of the Go 5000, as I think no satnav is failsafe. I love the fact it has a lifetime update programme, as our old satnav was missing some new roads near us, which although we knew about, if we were going somewhere we didn't know our old satnav was more unreliable.

As pp have said I do think for the price it should definitely come with a case/pouch, it seems a bit stingy not to include one with a premium product like this.

Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Yes I would and already have done, because I've found it easy to use and on the whole reliable.

Thanks again MN and TomTom for the trial :-)