Best TomTom GO 500 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020:

Determined not to be stolen from the limelight by its competitor Garmin, whose 2013 models incorporate live traffic information for life, TomTom reviews all its high-end models and presents its new GO series GPS. New design, new hardware , new interface and even new suction cup support, everything has been reworked.

The TomTom GO 500/600/5000/6000 have gained the voice recognition function they so much lacked. TomTom has also corrected several points and that is why we have chosen to reassess these models and to update the present test (mention “MAJ” in front of the new paragraphs).

Best TomTom GO 500 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020

1. TomTom GO 500 Portable Vehicle GPS

2. TomTom Go 520 5-Inch GPS Navigation Device with Free Lifetime Traffic & World Maps. Wifi-Connectivity, Smartphone Messaging, Voice Control and Hands-free Calling

3. TomTom Go Comfort 6 with Wifi, 6 inch Display, Lifetime Traffic and Maps, Smart Routing, Destination Prediction and Road Trips

4. TomTom Via 1625TM 6-Inch GPS Navigation Device with Free Lifetime Traffic

Equipment

The TomTom GO 500 and its 400/600/5000/6000 versions have rounded shapes and a glass front. That give them a more modern, but nevertheless fairly massive, appearance. Indeed, the edges of the screen could have been reduced to lighten the visual. The fact remains that the manufacturing quality is indeed there. With a beautiful assembly and quality matt plastics which give an impression of robustness.

The 5-inch (12.7 cm diagonal) screen of the TomTom GO 500 uses capacitive touch technology. Like on modern smartphones, which allows you to scroll the map and menus with a simple swipe of your finger. In return, good precision is required because the slightest contact validates an action. Similarly, reflections are inevitable and can be annoying in direct sunlight, especially since the maximum brightness is not huge. 

The GPS remains usable according to our recent sunny tests, but still less comfortable than a Garmin 3597LMT , for example. Finally, the definition of 480 x 272 pixels – classic for this price range – is a bit disappointing, you have to go to the larger screen size (GO 600 and 6000) to take advantage of 800 x 480 pixels.

The magnetic suction cup support of previous GO LIVE 100x models had convinced us and it is with pleasure that we find this system on the new TomTom GO. Just place the GPS on the support so that it stays in place and recharges, since the cable is directly connected to the support (active type).

Ergonomics

The TomTom interface, which has been found on the entire range for several years, disappears in favor of a brand new version which completely changes operation. You must now touch a small icon at the bottom left of the screen to open the menu, which is not always easy; we prefer to open the menu by pressing on any point of the screen. A menu opens up consisting of large icons, which allow you to search for an address, modify route options, manage personalized destinations, find a car park, a service station or access the settings.

The menus are considerably reduced, which is not a luxury as the old interface began to get heavy with its series of screens. We regret, however, the low number of settings and, above all, the withdrawal of certain options. 

The volume control is, however, directly accessible from the main menu (3 presses on the screen in total to modify it and return to navigation).

As usual, TomTom does not communicate on the hardware configuration of its device. The fact remains that fluidity is there, without reaching the responsiveness of a high-end smartphone. 

Route guidance

The display in navigation mode is clear and uncluttered, and above all much more fluid than before. There are no more jerks and we are therefore approaching what is offered on smartphones. However, information is lost compared to the brand’s previous models.

A big highlight of the Go Live models: the HD Traffic info service is indeed present on the new TomTom GOs and even becomes free! For this, TomTom has not included a SIM card in the Go 400/500/600. It is therefore now necessary to use the Internet connection of a smartphone, via the Bluetooth connection. This requires being able to activate connection sharing, which is certainly more restrictive. But allows you to enjoy excellent service for free. However, it is expected to roaming charges ( roaming) abroad. Only the GO 5000 and 6000 models are spared, since they keep their integrated SIM card and therefore operate independently.

We regret, however, that the navigation interface does not clearly specify whether the connection is active or not and, if HD Traffic data has been used to calculate the route. The right part of the screen remains reserved for displaying delays and waypoints, which is always practical.

Question precision, HD Traffic is still as effective, even if the competition can now do as well if not better. Garmin thus offers convincing Traffic Live, while Waze outperforms everyone in terms of precision and reactivity. On the other hand, this last application does a lot worse when it comes to calculating alternative routes. A point that TomTom masters by proposing a new route that is faster when possible, in order to avoid slowdowns. Estimating delays is also more realistic.

CONCLUSION

Simple to use, the TomTom Go 500 offers quality navigation with very good voice instructions. The paid subscription to benefit from danger zone alerts is however regrettable. It narrowly obtains its fourth star thanks to its good general quality and, above all, its map updates and HD Traffic free for life.

Related

1. Best TomTom GO 6100 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020