Newbie seeks advice about car GPS

D

donato

Joined
Jul 2, 2010
Messages
24
I am a new member here, although I still do not own a TomTom. I had a Garmin Nuvi 650 but had many problems with it. I know that GPS technology has improved in the past few years, and I am now in the market for a new GPS for my car. I have pretty much narrowed my choices to these two models:
TomTom XXL 540M or Garmin Nuvi 1450. Both have the features I want and both have 5 inch screens. I know that members here are TomTom fans, but we all had to make a choice between a TomTom or some other major brand. Did anyone else consider the Nuvi 1450 or other recent nuvi models before settling on a XXL 540 series? If so, would you share your reasons. I am planning to drive from Connecticut to North Carolina on July 14th so I need to make a purchase very soon. Thanks for your help, and this looks like a great site.
 
dhn said:
Not quite your model but it may provide some insight:

Nuvi 1490T vs. TomTom XXL-540TM - Garmin Nuvi Forum
Click to expand...

Yes, thanks. I read this review and the Garmin comes out on top, but the 1490T has many advanced features that neither the nuvi 1450 nor the XXL 540 have. These two models - nuvi 1450 and XXL 540 - are more equal to each other in terms of features, except that the 540M adds lifetime maps, something the Garmin does not offer. Frankly, the reviews I have read for these two models are about equal. I was just hoping that someone here could comment on one of the other or both before I take the plunge. As for price, Amazon is offering the XXL 540M for $159.95 and the nuvi 1450 for $174.25 (today's prices). It just seems that the TomTom gives you more bang for the buck with lifetime maps. What I find curious is that on another review site (testfreaks.com), the 540M receives an 8.8 rating, while the 540S received a 9.4. They're the same device except for the additional features on the 540M. Why the difference in rating?
 
donato said:
What I find curious is that on another review site (testfreaks.com), the 540M receives an 8.8 rating, while the 540S received a 9.4. They're the same device except for the additional features on the 540M. Why the difference in rating?
Click to expand...

Garmin vs Tomtom is in some ways like Mac vs PC. The brands both have strong followings because they both have different but good things to offer. Depending on their needs, some things will matter more or less to a typical reviewer.

Tomtom's strength is far and away it's routing engine. Tomtom is based in the Netherlands, which has one of the highest population densities in the world. As a result, they prioritize traffic and congestion avoidance above everything else in developing their devices. So if you live in a congested city, a Tomtom will save you tons of time with it's superior traffic-avoiding routing.

I live in Boston, which is very congested. So until another brand even comes close in routing, I personally won't consider anything but a Tomtom for my needs.
 
Thanks for the info. I bought a TomTom XXL 540M and it should arrive today. I had a Garmin nuvi 650 but it took me all over creation, even to places that did not exist, so I decided to give the TomTom a try instead.
 
When you first get your unit, make an Explorer, not Home, backup.

If you go looking for a manual, you won't find one for the 540!!!!

Here's a link to the One XXL model in Europe which is essentially the same as the 540 for North America....

TomTom
 
dhn said:
When you first get your unit, make an Explorer, not Home, backup.

If you go looking for a manual, you won't find one for the 540!!!!

Here's a link to the One XXL model in Europe which is essentially the same as the 540 for North America....

TomTom
Click to expand...

Shouldn't I charge the unit first, and then do the Explorer backup? Or doesn't it matter?
After the backup, I'll do the 850 map update.
 
Good thought.......

Most units come with some charge but it's always wise (ands TT suggests it) to charge the unit via usb for 2-4 hours.

Since you'll be making the Explorer backup while it is connected via usb, you are already charging it. Just continue to do so for a few hours after the backup.
 
Thanks for the link you sent about TomTom. Doesn't the unit come with a wall charger, or must it always be charged via USB to a computer or in the car???
 
Nope, does not come with a wall charger though you can buy such items at Best Buy or similar.
 
No software?

My TomTom XXL 540M arrived today from Amazon.com, but there was no software disc in the box. The unit is all charged and I was about to do the backup using Explorer when I discovered the disc was missing. Does software come with this unit? May I download it from the TomTom website? If so, where? The TomTom Home offers a download but there is nothing there that I can see for the XXL 540 series. Thanks.
 
Last edited:
dhn, you're a genius. What a great help you have been to me and others! Thank you! Now, to pester you again. The backup instructions I found are for the 910 and it says to place the unit in the cradle. My unit is the XXL 540M and it did come with a power cradle. Do I follow the same instructions except just plug the unit into the PC to backup with Explorer?
Actually, I found your link about How to Backup Your Unit, and I did everything up to and including creating a new folder. Here is where I am confused:
Once that is done, double click on the drive letter represented by your unit. In the case of a Go unit with a sdhc card installed, you may see two drives represented, one for the internal TomTom unit and the other for the external card.
Now then, double click on the drive selected. In the right pane, highlight everything by doing a Ctrl-A. With everything highlighted, right click and select 'Copy'. In the left pane, click on Local Drive (c:\) Click on the folder you created. Right click and select 'Paste' (or, Ctrl-V).
I don't know what you mean by "the drive letter" for my unit. Where do I click on that, i.e., where do I find it? Do I have to connect my unit to the PC first and then where do I go from there?
 
Last edited:
Connect the device to your PC, if TomTom Home starts up shut the Home application down as its not needed for doing this.
Next on the computer start up Windows Explorer where you can view all the drives/ folders and files on the PC, your computers hard drive will be Drive C, under this will be other drive letters for card readers/ external drives etc. One of these drive letters will be TomTom and should even have the red hands logo adjacent to it. Double click the drive letter with the TomTom logo next to it to open this drive.

Scoop up all the files and folders listed under the drive so they are all highlighted, rightclick and select "Copy" now go to the folder on your PC where you want to store the back up, right click this folder and select "Paste"

If you get stuck following that please post back explaining which part you are having issues with - Mike
 
Thanks. II connected my device to my PC. I opened Windows Explorer and got as far as clicking on drive C, but I did not see anything associated with TomTom there. When I click on "Program Files" there are two TomTom files: TomTom Home and TomTom International B.2. Then I noticed that the TomTom file was on the "E" drive. Backup complete. On to map update. This site is fantastic. Thank you again!
 
Pronunciation fix for XXL 540 series?

I read Mike's post about how to fix poor pronunciation on TomTom devices:
After many many hours, I figured out a workaround for the poor TTS on most Tomtom devices.
It impacts all devices that use Loquendo (except maybe the really old GO 910). It does not impact devices that use Vocalizer (ONE-XLS from 2007, ONE 125S, ONE130S, XL325S, XL330S, and iPhone).

Does anyone know if the XXL 540 series uses Loquendo or Vocalizer? I need to know if my XXL 540M needs this fix or not. Other than this, everything went very smoothly - backup and map updates are completed without a hitch, thanks to the expert help from this forum. Thanks!
 
Use Windows Explorer to view the folders/ files in the backup you made earlier (saves you connecting the device to the PC). When you first open the backup folder you will see a list of folders can you locate one called:

LoquendoTTS

or

VocalizerTTS

The presence of one or the other will indicate what TTS system is employed on your device - Mike
 
I've found the Loquendo fix actually makes things at tad bit worse in the Northeast (USA).

In my trips to the West coast, the removal is absolutely necessary. The cphoneme file for Californa is terrible.

So you may want to try things both ways to see what you prefer.
 

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