Review: Mio Navman Spirit 470 – The Budget Sat Nav

Overview

We reviewed the Navman's Spirit 575 Sat Nav a couple of months ago and were really impressed with its functionality and ease of use. Well, we got hold of the new budget version of this series, the 470, which costs a very reasonable £100. It's one best budget sat navs on the market. With a 4.3-inch full colour screen and a 480×272 resolution it certainly looks the part. Although it doesn’t come with traffic information, memory card slot, or blue tooth connectivity. But this is to be expected for the price.

However, if you’re not looking for all those extra features and functions, the 470 is an excellent budget choice. The device itself may sturdy and lightweight. When you fire it up, you are greeted with easy to use simple main menu meaning anyone can quickly find a destination of their choice, even if they’ve never used it before which is what it's all about.

Features

You'll be able to input an address, by entering a postcode, finding a point on the map or – most usefully for tourist attractions, type a keyword to search the Points of Interest database.

Clever touches come when you’re entering an address or postcode, a predictive engine will make suggestions so you don’t have to key in the entire address. Plus, keys are greyed-out on the keyboard when they’re not relevant, helping you avoiding annoying typos - making it perfect for inputting addresses with speed and ease. The driving view is excellent - presented in a clear and uncluttered manner, and this makes it a breeze to follow your route.

There’s only one English voice, but she reads out road names and numbers clearly and gives you easily understandable turn information. The device is quick at rerouting you if do miss a turn, and we also loved the clear lane guidance on motorways; perfect for anyone who is using busy unfamiliar motorways. You’re warned about exceeding the speed limits on roads where the speed limit is available, and also of the location of those pesky speed cameras too.

There were only two significant features missing: roadwork avoidance and the ability to plan a route in advance. With the latter, you can’t set a departure location: the 470 will either use your current or last-known position. But we didn't find this a problem at all.

We were impressed with the routing, It uses the same IQ routes ‘technology’ as TomTom’s satnavs as the maps are also provided by TeleAtlas. This uses actual average speeds for roads, rather than the stated speed and leads to more accurate predictions of how long your journey will actually take. Another really nice touch is that the driving view shows not only the current road, but also the estimated house number, which proved extremely helpful when trying to find a specific address for the first time.

Turning information is displayed at the top of the screen, and you can tap the bar to hear the voice instructions again. If you tap on the right-hand side and a secondary information bar appears on the right-hand side to show detailed journey information.

We Say

With Mio offering a 30-day latest map guarantee, we can find few reasons not to buy the Navman 470. As long as you can live without the missing features we’ve mentioned above, it’s a bargain and perfect Christmas present for a first time driver or someone who wants a simple easy to use sat nav.

Gaj-it Rating 4/5

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