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Loved the features but returned it after one day.

I bought a Tomtom 720 last week and traded it in for a Garmin Nuvi 750 the next day because of the poor routing performance. The features were great--easy to enter destination, display screen thoughtfully designed, good satellite locking.

However:
1. The routing was poor.
Freeway choices were good (but there are not a lot of choices along my routes), but on surface streets, the device suggested strange paths.

2. Estimation of distance to destinations or turns was very poor. The 720 would tell me to turn in 100 yards when in fact the true distance was 6 yards (a problem at 6 way intersections and roundabouts), and strangely would continue telling me to continue driving straight for another 100 yards even when I had arrived at the proper turn.

Similarly, it would tell me to keep driving for another 100 yards or so once I had arrived at a destination.

Even worse, it would give me very bad instructions at destinations; at a confusing intersection near near the Portland airport, it had me turn the wrong way, onto a one way street that forced me back onto a highway. Very bad!

3. Route recalculation was horrible
When I overrode the 720's more bizarre instructions, it would ask me to do a U-turn and continue along the previously suggested, incorrect route, rather than recalculating based on my new position.


The Nuvi 750 has the basic features you'd expect from a higher-end GPS. It also offers 6 million POIs, speaks street names and has a (poor) FM transmitter. But the Tomtom outshines it in the features department: it has bluetooth and can download map and POI information from other Tomtom users. It also costs less than the Garmins--the comparably equipped Nuvi 760 costs around $ 250 more than a Tomtom 720.

However, the Nuvi is much more accurate and has a very bright screen. It recalculates routes faster, and chooses the new routes well. I tested the Nuvi on all of the routes that the Tomtom couldn't handle, and it performed flawlessly.

So the Tomtom was cheaper and more fun, but it didn't cover the basics: telling you how to go, with accurate and easy-to-read instructions. Without that, a GPS isn't really very helpful, regardless of its extra features.Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.