Overview
Mio the creators of the successful Navman series of satellite navigation systems are about the release three new sat navs for the UK markets - we got in the car and took the Spirit 575 on exhaustive road test to see whether it knows its dual carriages from its b-roads.
We got our mitts on the 4.7-inch widescreen edition and we were first of all impressed by the lightness and how slim it was. With many sat nav companies clambering to be the number one, this market has become very competitive indeed.
Quite often the way you will use a sat nav is mainly dependent on how much travelling you do and how much you are going to use it. For instance if you're a taxi driver or a professional driver and live in your car or delivery vehicle, something like TV might be something you would want.
Review
The Navman Spirit 575 is a good old-fashioned sat nav, where the manufacturer has placed the importance of getting you from A to B in the safest and quickest possible time - and we're pleased to tell you that it performed more than admirably.
This focus comes in the shape of a couple of clever features. First up, the 575 came with built-in IQ Routes, which gives the exceedingly-thin sat nav a brain all of its own, allowing it to anticipate congestion on roads at peak times, and then makes the necessary changes, so they can be avoided. This clever feature has been in development for a while and the data has been collated from million of drivers and will always calculate the best possible route, resulting in a faster and most efficient journey.
Features
The next clever clogs feature that impressed us, was the LearnMe function. This allow the Mio Navman to learn the roads you like to drive or have to drive on as the case maybe - and will analyse your driving habits. Whether you drive on the motorway or on the more leisurely, quieter b-roads, your device will pick up on this and find the best route that suits you - this along with IQ routes is a welcomed inclusion and is sure to save you time and make for a stress free driving experience.
The Navman comes with their usual flair for clear mapping and with the added function of 3D Junction views. It will navigate the most complex junctions in a safe and serene manner - gone are the days of not knowing what lane you need to be in pressure situations. After all, any wrong turn on the motorway can often mean lost time and added stress during the journey.
Other time saving and safety functions come via the safety camera warnings, text-to-speech street names and a Quickspell keyboard means there's less time programming and more time driving. Just the way it should be.
If you are planning to drive into the EU you'll be glad to know that the Navman is cheap alternative to those expensive map rentals, which often mean you have to pay for the map for a month or even for the year. The Navman has done away with this archaic method and allows you to buy maps for one-off use, and it proves to be the most ideal, cost-effective solution for short road trips and holidays.
The Mio Navman 575 is available with both UK and Ireland or Western European maps and is priced at £129.99 and £149.99 respectively. As well as this, the Navman 475 and 575 come with a year’s worth of live traffic updates. After this, customers can subscribe to the TMC service.
We Say
We really like the Mio Navman 575, it's sleek, thin, simply designed. When you fire it up you'll see exactly what we mean this is one the easiest sat navs to use, although it does fall short on some functionality - for instance, there is no ability to connect you phone over Bluetooth, but for the price of the Navman – this may not be something you would expect in this price range.
For a satnav that is perfect for on journeys where the driver isn't familiar with their surroundings or roads. It is sure to save on time, stress and most importantly will get you to your destination with the least amount of fuss, it's sure to fly off the shelves over Christmas and would be ideal for any first-time driver who is just taking their first few steps in the world automotive exploration.
Gaj-it Rating
8/10
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