TomTom Go 500 Portable Vehicle GPS Review

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Remember when everyone had a portable GPS unit? I do. I remember the Best Buy commercials in the mid-2000s telling us it was the hot gift for the holidays. I was so convinced in the awesomeness of having your very own satellite nav system I bought two, both TomTom units. My heavy business travel, both in the US and Europe, made me the ideal user. And the benefits locally, well, just try to find that one hidden ball field right before the big game!

Fast forward five years and having a portable GPS unit ranked up there with cassette tapes (what are those?), crank windows, and beer that wasn’t from a micro-brewery. It just wasn’t. The smartphone had seemingly triumphed. That do-it-all device that took the world by storm. Now every man (and woman) has a camera, music player, email, and yes, GPS-based navigation in their pocket.

I jumped in with both feet and exclusively used phone-based navigation for three or four years. And I am talking about navigation. Not looking at the map for something. Actually using it to drive around cities big and small, find my client’s offices, and shuttle three kids to far-flung sports venues. And while it worked, and so many of us swear by it, it is far from ideal. Battery dead? No phone. Where will I put it in the rental car? Ugh, the service here is terrible, and I really have to turn. Missed it. Illegal U-turn, anyone? Wait, that’s my boss calling, but I have no idea where I am going, so let it go to voicemail. The boss never likes going to voicemail. But the trend was set. I would deal with it. I was a minimalist, and my phone does it all. And besides, I am pretty sure they don’t even make cassette tapes or portable GPS navigators.

Then one day, the good folks at TomTom sent us a GO 500 unit for review.

Let’s start with the basics. The GO 500 is a 5-inch touch screen unit with an included car dock. It is also available as a 6-inch model. The 500 series features lifetime, quarterly map updates and lifetime traffic alerts. TomTom has built a great car dock. It locks easily to rental car windshields, whether cold or hot, and even in the dark. The dock lets you pop the unit in or out in seconds for easy programming. No more stretching to set this unit up. The unit goes into sleep mode when you cut the power. Either when you turn the car off or pop the unit from the dock. Saves battery and ensures it comes on quickly when you are ready to go again. Even mid-route. The G0 500 adjusts screen brightness when it’s dark, automatically changing to night mode.

Setup and use are a breeze. Install the mount in 10 seconds or less. Initial power-up takes about 30 seconds. Touch through to the menu screen and load your destination. I found that the included database features most points of interest and commercial locations such as gas stations and rest stops. It also includes schools, office parks, and major buildings. TomTom recommends checking for map and software updates regularly. You can do this by creating a TomTom MyDrive account and connecting to your computer. In a quick 5 minutes, you will have the latest POIs.

You can customize route preferences to avoid tolls, highways, and more. It feels like using your favorite smartphone because it is touch-based.

Once en route, the benefits of the standalone GO 500 become clear. The routing, voice guidance, and map display all outperform phone-based systems. You have a system optimized to get you where you need to be.

TomTom has not forgotten that most of us carry smartphones. Their traffic solution relies on you having that smartphone. Download the MyDrive app onto your phone and link via Bluetooth to the GO 500. The phone supplies the data access to display live traffic updates on your TomTom. In my use and testing, it worked great. The right side of the display clearly showed accidents and road construction. A key improvement would be the ability to load routes from the phone app and see them appear on the GO 500. Who doesn’t sit on the couch planning trips? But it would still be a nice feature.

I am certain the smartphone is here to stay. But I am just as certain that if you travel heavily, investing in a standalone unit like the GO 500 makes your life on the road easier and safer. The ease of use. The traffic updates. Lifetime maps. The best in-car dock I have ever worked with. I am not giving this back!

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