2015 CX-5 Tom Tom Isn't So Bad . . .

[Rarebit]

I wondered how good/bad the TomTom nav system was in my 2015. I've been using a Garmin NUVI for 5 years, and got quite accustomed to it. I've also used Waze (a smartphone app with traffic reporting) and the iPhone Drive app that comes with all iPhones.

Recently I had to drive across town at rush hour. I hit heavy traffic on the best route, and suddenly the TomTom reported that traffic had increased and there was a better route that would save 11 minutes, asking if I wanted to review the new route. I said "yes" and it quickly planned and displayed the route. I changed my route and arrived within 1 minute of the planned time despite very heavy traffic. I was surprised and a little impressed.

In other cases, though, it has estimated trip times that were 20 and even 30 minutes less than actuals, due to heavy traffic that was obvious to me as a driver but which didn't seem to get reported to the TomTom.

Does anyone know exactly how it gets its traffic reports? I can't see where in the menus it is getting them.

 

[GAXIBM]

Its off FM HD stations in US...

 

[Rarebit]

I did a comparison test yesterday, running the TT Nav and my iPhone "Waze" app on the same drive. There's a bridge repair locally that is backing up traffic routinely, and adding about 10 minutes to a 25 minute drive.

Waze identified a less direct but faster route and forecast an arrival time of 5:09. TT chose the direct route and identified a 3 minute traffic delay, forecasting a 5:01 arrival.

Traffic in the direct route was, as reported by Waze, terrible. I took the less direct route and arrived home at 5:10. I suspect it would have been 5:20 if I'd taken the route suggested by TT. As I progressed along the route, TT never showed any increase in traffic delay, but kept pushing the arrival time later and later until it predicted 5:11.

The TT Nav is OK to simply plot a route and navigate it, but if you're interested in selecting the fastest route from among a few alternatives, it seldom seems to do the job. Waze on my iPhone is a better alternative for that. The more people who take up using Waze, the better it will get, too.

 

[Tom 6-6]

I have been using the tom tom for 5 months and have been happy with it. When it picks up a problem it shows in the traffic display. I think it reacts to a long term problem(construction) rather than something that happened 5 minutes ago. Remember you are paying for the combined package, which includes muffling the radio or other functions to hear the commands plus not having to arrange the holder on the windshield, etc. If you want to increase your chance to get broken into put a holder up on the windshield, that screams I am from out of town.

 

[Rarebit]

I have been using the tom tom for 5 months and have been happy with it. When it picks up a problem it shows in the traffic display. I think it reacts to a long term problem(construction) rather than something that happened 5 minutes ago.

The jams that got me interested in this feature are the result of construction.

A look at the map view shows that some heavy traffic is detected and reported, and some is completely missed. When a $3 iPhone app works better than a dedicated GPS unit, the dedicated unit has a very bleak future.

 

[MidwestCX5]

I do like the live traffic updates on the 2015 TomTom Nav, but recently I have noticed that it updates the traffic info at the same places on my commute.
One example of this is a 6 mile stretch of I-94 where the traffic is always flowing at 5-40mph from 5am to 8am vs 80mph all other times of the day. The nav system shows no delays until about 100ft after turning onto the on-ramp. This is usually the quickest route to work regardless of traffic, but the nav system doesn't show the traffic delay until this same spot every day and at that point it's too late to choose another route.