TomTom XXL 540M - US (including Puerto Rico), Canada & Mexico Automotive GPS Receiver

The nice things about this unit--5" screen, reasonable time to lockin satellite signal, non glare screen, nice feel and look, & accurate GPS. This unit have lifetime mapping which you download from Internet. POI function works great, with large data base. Like the ideal of inputting a zip code to take you right to the general area. Fast at featuring out location for favorite inputs.

The not so good things about this unit--doesn't stay the course on plan routing; meaning the initial plan route was good and set. But reroute along the way. Doesn't tell you vocally that you are heading in wrong direction until you are some 1/4 miles or more down the road, although the map indicate you are going in opposite direction. Orientation of map sometime changes while moving along, making it hard to read. As a GPS, it works fine, and accurate where you are, with some side steps along the way. Most GPS does have similar problems more or less with plan routing. USB port(most likely 1.1) is very slow; it took over 4 hours to do the initial install of upgrade. Instructions not clear on how to download or upload new addresses. Lack of memory space left on the allotted 2 GB space built in, with no option for adding more, like slot for SD card. You are out of luck if you install too many of their other applications that are available at their web site. The unit had problem a couple times when I was setting up my favorite locations, where I would input the zip code and it can't find the street. But will find it if I input the city, street and number first.

In comparison to my 5 years old 2nd generation Garmin 350 GPS, the TomTom XXL540M lack many of the features that I like in the Garmin GPS. Features like SD slot for adding memory, playing mp3 music, looking at photos, and using GPS at a device to see how many mile you have walked or run, or conversion of different measurements, and world time clock, etc. I can even use my Garmin GPS as a storage device for storing photos and data or music through the external memory SD slot. My old Garmin 350 will plan a route and then will allow you to reroute when you decide to take a detour; it ask you if you are doing that; then it will reroute, not like the 540 which will automatically reroute and want you to follow the new course. The Garmin 350 was more intuitive on how to do things on the screen, while the TomTom takes you through several layers of icons to do the same task, like inputting POI.

Bottom line is that this TomTom XXL 540M is a basic GPS unit that does what it suppose to do and also gave life time free maps down load. It has a nice big non glare screen, and does it job as well any as most GPS does. But if you are looking for additional functions, like playing music, displaying photos, or data storage, this is not the unit for you.

This GPS device is one of the most versatile on the market. With a nice, big screen if you just need to see where you are, or even need to place in a bigger car/SUV. The screen is one of it's best features along with the accuracy of the maps they offer. No one should buy a GPS with out lifetime maps, it's just common sense because map updates for TomTom come 4 times a year and are $50-$80, depending on the type of map. When I contacted customer service to get the lifetime map code to register on my account, the rep on the line was extremely helpful and informative. TomTom has top-notch customer service! The battery has a pretty good life span (not user replaceable) and it was disappointing at first to see it doesn't come with an ac adapter but that's all good. So far the computer cable has been sufficient for charging, however because the actual hardware is based on USB 1.1, transfers are extremely slow for large items such as maps (~1.6 GB). Expect to wait between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours for a map to completely transfer (downloading and transferring). :(

The only other con that has surfaced is the software UI. It is somewhat poorly thought out, with only one directional button to use while scrolling through options on the menu so you can't go back. The overall layout of the buttons and their locations seems to be poor also, being very spread out and hard to get to. And other just minor annoyances...

Overall, this GPS is exactly what I wanted and I got it for a price no one can beat! :D Before this TomTom, I had a 3.5" Nextar. Let me tell you, don't ever buy anything branded "Nextar" because it will be a piece of garbage. The maps (which had no updates of any kind lifetime or pay) were from 2005. 2005!! This in now 2011, does Nextar even realize what kind of changes have occurred to the roads in 6 years! An entirely new highway popped up right outside my neighborhood! Anyway, enough bashing Nextar...for now, the TomTom XXL 540M is worlds beyond many of the available GPSs out there. If you need a big screen (with a responsive touch screen), extremely accurate maps and awesome customer service... TomTom XXL is the way to go!

I purchased a Tom Tom XXL 540M and have had it a few days and I'm amazed at all the mistakes it has in it. First I downloaded the new maps and installed them which took about two and a half hours to three to do so. So next day I took it to town to see if it would find McDonalds which has been at the same place I know for over 20 years but it took me to Taco Bell which is about a half mile away from McDonalds. On interstate 26 which runs through our town the exit numbers were changed about three years ago, well it still was using the old ones. Then I set it to find Wal-Mart Super store and it showed me to turn about 3/4 of a block before you got to the street that went into it which there was no street where it said to turn in on. Wal-Mart Super store has been there about five or more years. I've got a Garmin which is over three years old maps are over two years old in it and it's more up to date than the Tom Tom. Sure wish there was some way I could get my money back I spent on the gps and friction mount. What I'm says how much is a inaccurate map in a gps worth to you? I always thought that Tom Tom was the top of the line, plus the mount leaves a lot to be desired a slight bump it will disengage from the ring that holds it to the mount. I've never had any problem with the Garmin mount really sturdy. I like the extra features that Tom Tom has such as speed limits and your speed. The maps sure are deceiving though. Oh well live and learn. Won't make that mistake again.

I am in my car all day driving the streets of the county I live in. It is very easy to get turned around in some of the housing developments. This unit has worked very well. I could not be more pleased with it. I am 6"5" so typing on the screen is a little easier as it is bigger than my previous model. It includes life time map updates. The only mapping issue I have had is new streets that have not been added to the data base yet. Can't find what's not entered yet. The price was great and I also bought a warranty.

We have taken several road trips with it and it has worked very well. We used it in conjunction with a Garmin model to compare the two units. The Tom Tom was more user friendly. The Tom Tom is now our primary unit.

The screen size is nice and functionality is nice. Has lifetime maps but upgrading to the XXL TM with traffic and maps is a better choice. A nice unit but still under graded compared to the Garmin Nuvi's which have a better interface.