Review compliments of Shaun at Clieuk.

In the early days of PDA247 I tested a TomTom GO satellite navigation system to review and I was shell shocked at how impressive the technology was. At the time I had not experienced GPS and as an introduction the TomTom GO was a hugely impressive piece of kit. Fast forward a few years and here we have the TomTom ONE XL- it is not a direct descendant of the GO range because there are higher end models in the market but it certainly does more than the original GO.

The XL could almost be classed as a budget device at only GBP205 but that would be denying the feature set which is more than adequate for anyone starting out with GPS or for people like me who have used it for years and who want every navigational aid they can get.

What’s in the box?

TomTom ONE XL
SD card with UK maps pre-installed
Windscreen mount
Cigar lighter charger
USB cable
User manual on CD
Manual and installation poster

The contents are fairly sparse but you could argue that it has everything needed. I would like to see an AC adaptor in the box as well but it is now powered by miniUSB so many people will already have a suitable charger from their mobile phone or other portable device.

Design

The unit itself is quite slim at only 27mm and the overall design is classic TomTom. The screen dominates the unit at 4.3” and this will be ideal for those of you with poor short range eyesight. As for buttons there is only one (power on/off) and the whole system is navigated by finger on the touch screen. At the bottom you have a miniUSB port, SD card slot and a port for a TMC antenna should you choose to purchase one.

It is hard to criticise the TomTom design ethic because it looks professional but no overly harsh and will suit the dashboards of every car, should that be a consideration of yours.

Performance

I am not going to go into great detail on how well the software works because it is the latest version of TomTom and if you are familiar with this system you will be awars of the ease of use and stability of the software. The widescreen makes a difference in how the maps are displayed and is a welcome addition but is it just me who thinks that a highscreen device makes more sense? When I drive the route I am taking is displayed vertically and not horizontally- in reality it would look daft but something worth thinking about.

There is no SiRF Star III chip in the ONE XL and that may sound like a bad thing but it actually includes the newer Hammerhead GPS receiver which in my tests outperformed even a SiRF Star III- the differences are not huge and both provide a satisfying experience but to see the latest chip in a system of this price is promising.

All in all I cannot complain about the accuracy or speed of navigation and have to give the system a big thumbs up.

Extras

I am a big fan of the TomTom Traffic system- over the past few years it has saved me from many hours of motorway misery and even last week it stopped me getting stuck in a 3 hour tailback. On the ONE XL I struggled to set it up with two mobile phones on two different networks. After about an hour of tinkering I got it running attached to a Nokia 6310i on T-Mobile. The strange thing is that I could not see where the problem was but once set up it has performed flawlessly so I won’t be requiring a TMC antenna.

There are other TomTom PLUS services installed such as Buddies and Weather but remember that some do require a subscription for continued use. The 1 year’s free safety camera updates is a nice bonus though. You can also download maps, POIs, Voices and other data with the TomTom connected via GPRS.

Conclusion

It is hard to get overly excited by a product that I know so well and one which on the surface has changed little since the original TomTom GO model but it does everything well and will provide a superb navigation experience for a few years to come- add the Traffic service and you can drive off with the peace of mind that you will get there as quickly as is humanly possible and safely.