TomTom GO940 Live review
The GO940 is not just a satnav... it's the perfect wingman
Satnavs aren't as sexy as iPods. Let’s face it, they’re not even as sexy as Creative Zen Stones, but these A-to-B gadgets are among mankind’s most useful inventions – put simply, they’ve revolutionised the way people drive.
- See how the TomTom GO 940 fared in our HOT 100
TomTom is the satnav world’s answer to Apple or Sony and the flagship GO 940 LIVE is its most complete in-car companion yet. The GO 940 still sports the intuitive, clear interface we’ve come to expect from TomTom devices but it’s the new LIVE services that really elevate the 940 to dizzy heights.
The most innovative of these is HD Traffic. Rather than relying on flaky RDS traffi c updates, TomTom gathers the position, direction and speed of mobile phone signals to quickly plot where traffic is building up or has stopped completely. It beams this data to your 940 every three minutes, re-routing your journey as required. When we deliberately set off to have a torrid time on a well-known blackspot on the A20, the 940 diverted us through back streets on a shortcut we never knew existed.
Of course, if you’re on a motorway, the quickest way through the jam might be through the jam, but HD Traffi c is clever enough to work this out and predict how long you’ll be counting cats’ eyes before traffic starts flowing again.
Another nice touch is that it alerts you to any incidents that lie ahead, detailing the time of the delay awaiting you.
Another new and desperately useful feature is LIVE fuel prices. The 940 locates the cheapest fuel on or near your route – you can even choose the type of fuel and preferred petrol station.We saved a few bob on a trip up north by following the 940’s suggested, off-motorway diversion to a cheaper petrol station, albeit one run by a man with a neck for a face.
Other features on a seemingly never-ending LIVE list include regular speed camera updates, Google Local searches, “QuickGPSfix”, which lived up to its name, finding our location in under 30 seconds every time, weather updates and a neat Buddy service, which plots the location of your TomTom-owning friends. The cost? £8 per month. If you’re a casual driver, that kind of outlay, on top of the not-insubstantial cost of the GO 940 itself, seems a tad excessive.
However, if you’re someone who puts in serious mileage every month – a businessman, major league commuter or professional driver – the GO 940, which is also festooned with features from Bluetooth phone hands-free to smart IQ Routes and regularly updated maps, is going to be your new best mate.
Buy one here: Comet, Amazon, TomTom
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We saved a few bob on a trip up north by following the 940's suggested, off-motorway diversion to a cheaper petrol station
| Our Rating |  |
|---|---|
| Price | £390 |
WE LOVE
Locates the cheapest fuel on your routeHD Traffic
Superb display
Nifty screen mount
WE HATE
High price and monthly subscriptionWE SAY
Probably the best over-the-counter satnav ever, but most drivers will be better off with a more reasonably priced, less feature-packed alternativeEssential Mobile Apps
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