Tomtom XL Live

TomTom XL Live: GPS at low prices that would make you avoid traffic jams

With its access to the HD Traffic, this GPS would be able to offer you the shortest route fluid. Audit.

TomTom GPS review its eXtra Wide input range and now offers a TomTom XL with IQ Routes technology. Described as intelligent, he is also very simple to use with an intuitive software interface and voice guidance effectively.

The expectations before test

TomTom is not connected by marketing its GPS TomTom XL Live, a cheaper version. Echoing the basis of XL edition IQ Routes, this is connected GPS can guide you and especially you avoid traffic jams. We tested it in the Paris region …

The reality

With TomTom XL Live, the manufacturer shows a new side successful finish and design. However, there is nothing to rave. TomTom merely resume the hull IQ Routes TomTom XL editionOn which he has added the logo “Live”. That said, we always appreciate all the support EasyPort, slim and very fast to fix the windshield.

Ergonomics always impeccable

The TomTom XL Live has the latest version of navigation software TomTom Navigator. This version 8413 is as nice to look at handling, with colorful icons, clear and far between, which is now found on all new GPS brand.
Still nothing to say about the screen diagonal of 10.9 cm, on which strums with remarkable ease. At least not to be familiar at all with virtual keyboards, typing errors in an address entry is rare.

A GPS connected

Remember broadly the implications of the logo “Live”. The GPS brand stamped and include a SIM card and GPRS connection (in partnership with SFR) to access various online services. In this case, you can access real-time traffic alerts, in addition to the preloaded database of speed cameras, weather information or the price of fuel at service stations to close.
In addition to these convenient features access to traffic information and access to a search engine based on Google technology. This allows for numerous points of interest and addresses of all kinds, that are not found on maps issued by TeleAtlas and Navteq, one of the local baker to those monuments, through the the nearest mall.

This service is billed tens of euros per month (three months of access is available when purchasing the device). In addition to the formula with no commitment to renew every month, the manufacturer offers an annual subscription of 100 euros, or two months free.
Another important service delivered by Live GPS TomTom HD Traffic is called. It aims at exploiting the information sent in real time by users of TomTom to form a knowledge base on the fluidity of traffic based on hours on each road segment, to calculate optimized routes without plugs preferably …

A slight improvement for the HD Traffic

This service is in place since November 6, 2008, when the official announcement of its arrival in Europe in partnership with Go Live 940. During our test XL Live, we noted a slight gain in time by following the routes. However, it is still far from the beautiful promise of the manufacturer.
If it recognizes that such service is very slow to develop, we must, for our part, admit that the traffic situation in Ile-de-France is so random and so dense that traffic Do not expect a quick fix. We have seen over a distance of thirty miles we traveled during several days.

18 km / h average and good hysterics

Less than 20 km / h and an average of more than 1:30 to do a little less than 40 kilometers, it was better! Even without an HD compatible TomTom Traffic.
On the way, apart from the quality of the product guide, we questioned the value of such equipment connected said. On screen, the system announces a delay of twenty minutes for a trip that takes about forty when it rolls normally. This data is constantly changing during the race and never show the real delay, which eventually reaches forty minutes.
The worst is the relevance of information. Within TomTom we can not understand how we could cross several traffic jams and several areas of work, while nothing was shown on the screen or so too late. Anticipating a cap becomes impossible since the XL Live does detect it once in the thick of it …
It is on the way home we found a slight improvement. A traffic jam on the Bucharest ring road and brought us out a few doors before the incident, fortunately or not, let us borrow a term fluid. This alternative route has proved very satisfactory in so far as it has been only about twenty minutes to the center.
Arrived in center, platforms, the system loses again pedals. The information comes piecemeal. While traffic jams stretching for miles and is crossed several possible alternative routes (known), the system detects only occasional slowdowns supposed to make us lose five minutes. By focusing on the fast sections (highway, county, etc..), It will ultimately go 1:40 for our 36 km, from a traffic jam to another. In practice, we say that the ideal behavior is to combine the alerts provided by GPS and its own habits, based on experience.

Nevertheless a very good GPS

If it is very difficult to win the bet of the quickest route, especially in the Ile-de-France, it is clear that the TomTom XL Live is a very good GPS. At its ergonomics plus a very clear and relevant guidance. The richness of its functions, including function-MapShare that corrects mapping errors, is a definite asset.
It is regrettable that this version connected and dedicated to the great riders do not have a Bluetooth connection. It is found that on some TomTom GO. Anyone who spends much time in the car to appreciate use the phone hands-free. And as the GPS has a search engine learning about countless details (address and telephone) of professionals, both functions could work together like it does on the TomTom GO 940 Live …

The test and review conclusions

Sure, the TomTom XL Live is a good GPS. If some of its online features work well, we remain skeptical about the relative “inefficiency” of traffic information service line (HD Traffic). In the Ile-de-France, anyway, it does not show up to our expectations, nor even according to the manufacturer. Difficult in these conditions fall for this GPS sold 250 euros in Europe version. However, the difference between the model and the standard GPS Live is only 30 euros. And the HD Traffic service is expected to improve …