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Fiat's Uconnect 5” Radio Nav (Tom Tom)


AlanS

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Just getting used to the integrated Uconnect 5” Radio Nav in our new AT Savannah (X290).

 

It does seem to be a pared down TomTom with very few features. The current speed you are travelling is not displayed on the built in Sat Nav screen although it tells you if you are exceeding the speed for the particular road you are on. In Europe I rely on my satnav giving me my speed in KPH as it is better than trying to read the speedo in the instrument cluster. As for trying to read the speed in the new X290 cab via the speedo this is very poor as they now have chrome hoods over the dials which obstruct your view.

 

There is only one voice on the system and when you try to download another from the TomTom site (you have to prepare a USB stick first using the outlet in the cab which is connected to the multi-media system which then downloads the installed TomTom information onto the USB device) you get a message saying that you cannot do this for this device.

 

I tried many of the other functions on the TomTom home site and get the same information that you cannot add this to your device. It does however list the current Europe map details installed on the unit but does add that you are currently up to date. But you only get a 90 day map guarantee update and you have to pay to download new maps - that is if it allows you to on this device.

 

I have friends who sing the praises of their 'freestanding' TomTom's but this unit installed in the new Fiat X290 seems rubbish. I much prefer the previous system AutoTrail had with the IGO8 satnav software. I will be using my Garmin in the future as at least that was comparable to the IGO 8 that I had previously.

 

As you can see, my first impressions of this Satnav is rubbish and why so little functions when the cost of buying a 'freestanding' TomTom with lifetime mapping is very little in comparison to the cost of a motorhome.

 

Alan

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Maybe a little perspective is in order here?

 

If you have the 5" touchscreen with Nav only it was a £400 option and if it has DAB as well it was £470 and in both cases you have also gained a CD player which is not standard on these vehicles. If you deduct £100 for the CD you have £300 worth of 5" touchscreen navigation which is pretty good value for a factory installed unit and to be honest, none by any manufacturer is ever going to be as good as a Tom Tom stand-alone unit either for functionality or upgrades.

 

If it helps I have just been quoted £970 for the exact same unit in a new Alfa Giulietta! That stinks.

 

I don't think Fiat made any claims that you would be able to get updates through Tom Tom or that the functionality would be any greater than their promotional literature. It does however look good and has no wires trailing around for charging it! For about £300 it is pretty good value really; isn't it? An equivalent size Tom Tom, stuck to your windscreen and requiring a power connection would set you back as much and you would have to keep removing it whenever you left the vehicle unattended.

 

Convenience and integration versus facilities and software upgrades? You choose.

 

At least it was not £970!

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Looking at the calculations you have made above, if I understand correctly, you have allocated £300 for the Satnav part of the unit.

 

I have just changed my stand-alone TomTOm1005 for the new GO5000, which seems to have most of the features but is far less logical than the original 1005, but for which I only paid less than £200 at Halfords.

I suspect the included one on the FIAT system may be a reduced version of that, but personally I have always found the Stand alone version are best. My Nissan Qashqai has an inbuilt one, which not only is very basic, but is in effect located in totally the wrong position to read or use it!

 

I am however struggling (OK only the second day!) in setting up the new TT, and even that seems less obviously and certainly less facilities than the earlier one.

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I steer well clear of ALL 'installed' sat navs in either cars or motorhomes, technology changes too fast for pre-installed units. The Motorhome will last what ? 20 years ? the inhouse sat nav will long be outmoded.

Even a car should last 10-12 years, portable units are far easier to upgrade and get new maps etc., for. and when they break, throw it away.

I strongly disliked the 'Media Pack' in my 2012 Savannah, and have since removed it all, replaced by Dab car radio/cd, Avtex tv/dvd, and twin reverse camera, which is on all the time the ignition is on.plus Tom Tom Camper 1005.

believed that the latest 'Media Packs' were better ?? until I read your post.

Ray

 

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Let me make it clear that I am only talking about the satnav element. Comparing the previous AutoTrail media centre I think the radio, media (music files etc.) and phone components are better and more intuitive on the Fiat system but it is the satnav that lets it down.

 

With the media centre built-in the only cost is the navigation processor and the TomTom software and that in itself is not costly is it ? when you can purchase better specified TomToms cheaper at Halfords.

 

With AT and like most motorhome manufacturers when you order the Media Packs it is the TV and aerial system that we want and the cab media unit comes with it whether you like it or not.

 

I think Ray has a point about technology changing too fast for pre-installed built-in units. Although the new system does 'look good' it should be about 'is it fit for purpose' and the ability to update the software.

 

I am sure most people who buy a commercial van use a satnav to go about their business, the same goes for Motorhome owners and we need something that is adaptable and able to be upgraded which I believe this Fiat one does not allow for.

 

My other point was the poor speedo and tacho display - the chrome hooded dials, albeit look good, are very difficult to read at their top position. I am not tall and have my seat position quite low so how taller drivers get on I don't know.

 

Apart from this moan we love the new motorhome .

 

Alan

 

.

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I agree with Alan that the new speedo & tacho are almoast impossible to read at the 9-3position.

Sounds like Fiat did me a favour by not having Australian maps for the integrated GPS. The AT dealer substituted a TomTom GO60 that works like a dream in our Tracker FB. Retail here is A$250 (UKP130) has 6inch screen, lifetime maps and the soothing voice of Karen. Having to pull the unit off the screen to close the blinds at night has not proved to be a problem. The new Fiat has two power connections, a cigar lighter and a power socket next to each other so finding a connection is no issue. Cheers Gary

Both our daily drives have builtin satnav. One is now 7 years old (BMW) has a small screen and is ok but not great. The other car is 2 years old (MB) that I am extremely happy with as it is easy to use has a big screen and is very clear to read. So it probably does come down to what features are packed into the system. I have noticed that sat navs have become less expensive since mob phones began fitting gps.  

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I too believe that built in units are a waste of money as a long term proposition. The previous Ducato was available with a port in the top of the dash in to which you plugged a designated Tom Tom (not cheap) which was as up-gradable and up-datable as a normal one. This only lasted for about 3 years and anyone that has had the unit and bought a new van has nowhere to plug it in now!

 

Anyway;

 

There are options available to you on a factory order and you should be aware of them;

 

The basic set up is a radio with USB and 3.5mm inputs for mp3 devices but it has no CD player. It is fitted with bluetooth telephone and audio facilities too.

 

You can add a DAB radio to this for £70

You can have a 5" touch screen with CD player for £200

You can add DAB radio to the 5" screen for an extra £70

You can have a 5" touch screen with CD and Navigation for £400 or add DAB to this for another £70

 

For our rental vehicles we just have the basic plus DAB option but for your vehicles I would recommend the 5" touchscreen with DAB and CD player at a cost of £270 leaving you £200 to play with getting a Tom Tom stand alone unit.

 

It won't look good but it will be better.

 

On the other hand if you are buying a PVC you should consider the reversing camera option which will require the 5" screen for a display but it's a hell of a lot neater than having a monitor and a Tom Tom cluttering up your work space!

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Its the map makers here who are at fault.they want the car, van owner to pay for updates at vast cost.for the most part car makers are not interested in what they use, as its all down to price.i looked at high end mercedes last year and the sat navs are dated and the google maps link does not work. Bmw on the other hand use google earth and bmw connect and its a very good system. I use a tomtom in the van that allows me to download pois, but its rubbish compared with the build in bmw system. At the end of the day its all about money and how much they can get out of the buyers.michael
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Apparently from another forum Aldi are selling the Garmin 760LMT-D next week (26th) for £199.99. Now that has life time mapping updates and other bells and whistles, so why do Fiat provide the cheapest level of TomTom with no facility to update ?

 

Alan

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I have an Alfa with a large screen factory sat nav which would have cost £1850 as an option in 2004! It is rubbish and the only way to update the maps is to buy a later Navteq CD direct from them that costs about £100, which i have done twice. It's fairly up to date but tells a lot of lies.

 

This is the principal problem with built in units. Updating is not as simple and convenient as a portable device. They are nice to look at and less likely to get stolen. In fact; the attraction of the nav unit stuck to your dash, or even the mark on the windscreen left by it means that someone will break in and while there start looking through your cab for anything else worth lifting.

 

There are plenty of good reasons to go for the factory device but probably more reasons not to.

 

In terms of cost; don't forget that the factory installed unit may well have a specialised GPS antenna fitted which is likely to be better and more sensitive than your portable unit. These things are not cheap.

 

Anyway; it's your choice.

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  • 3 months later...
Just read through all the above and my query has nothing to do with cost but more about what I can do with the Sat Nav. Until we bought our new Autotrail Apache earlier this year, we had been using a Snooper S7000 which we were very happy with , but as our new van came equipped with the inbuilt Sat Nav I thought we would just 'go with it' so to speak. We got caught out last weekend however, as we had not 'turned on' the TA announcements via the radio (mainly because I had to read the whole handbook to find out how!) but more annoyingly there doesn't seem to be the traffic bar that does appear in the info in the Handbook. It does say more than once in the book that the system can only provide traffic information in countries where the service is public, but surely that must be the UK? Is it just me or are you guys out there without a traffic bar? We sat in a traffic jam on the A30 for an hour when we could have easily just zipped off at the A38 - so annoying!!
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My experience of traffic warnings is that they aren't that much use. We've been diverted to avoid a jam only to find that the newly provided route was jammed and the traffic information hadn't caught up. We've sailed past notified roadworks and hold ups that had long since disappeared, and sailed into hold ups that weren't notified. On balance, my impression is that following the suggested diversions is as likely to land you in a hold up as ignoring the warnings and pressing on. Either way, you occasionally get held up. The problem is that the transmitted warnings lag the events, so the above results are almost inevitable unless the event has a very long duration (greater than several hours), which most don't.
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AlanS - 2015-03-17 5:30 PM

 

It does seem to be a pared down TomTom with very few features. The current speed you are travelling is not displayed on the built in Sat Nav screen although it tells you if you are exceeding the speed for the particular road you are on. In Europe I rely on my satnav giving me my speed in KPH as it is better than trying to read the speedo in the instrument cluster. As for trying to read the speed in the new X290 cab via the speedo this is very poor as they now have chrome hoods over the dials which obstruct your view.

 

Change the speedo dial for a Lockwood replacement dial (only a 10min job) the kmp marking are in white and much more readable.

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euroserv - 2015-03-19 11:05 AM

 

I have an Alfa with a large screen factory sat nav which would have cost £1850 as an option in 2004! It is rubbish and the only way to update the maps is to buy a later Navteq CD direct from them that costs about £100, which i have done twice. It's fairly up to date but tells a lot of lies.

 

This is the principal problem with built in units. Updating is not as simple and convenient as a portable device. They are nice to look at and less likely to get stolen. In fact; the attraction of the nav unit stuck to your dash, or even the mark on the windscreen left by it means that someone will break in and while there start looking through your cab for anything else worth lifting.

 

There are plenty of good reasons to go for the factory device but probably more reasons not to.

 

In terms of cost; don't forget that the factory installed unit may well have a specialised GPS antenna fitted which is likely to be better and more sensitive than your portable unit. These things are not cheap.

 

Anyway; it's your choice.

 

We have been using a TT Go720 for quite a few years now which works exceptionally well but has the drawback that, at the time of purchase, lifetime updates were not in vogue. I bought four updates last year for a sale price of £39 and will be downloading the last one shortly. To avoid the telltale sign of the mark on their windscreen I fitted a purpose made holder from Brodit clamps that makes the unti easily remove able but placed in a sensible position for viewing. They make them for virtually every make and model of vehicle and usually with several installation locations to choose from.

 

We are awaiting delivery of a new PVC on Fiat but the option for fitted radio was quite limited. A 6.2" mono receiver was £340 the multimedia centre with sat av a whopping £1590! Plus, the premiering at £310 including cab and saloon speakers. So, we have had it premiered and will investigate having a good DAB radio/CD installed afterwards and stick with the TomTom Go for another few years.

 

David

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Just got home from France and in the post at home was a letter from Fiat dated 01 July 2015 notifying me of a Service Campaign Ref 5909 for our motorhome. Apparently it is for all Fiat Ducatos with the VP2 Radionavigator and there is a RadioNavigator software update - can this be the updated maps we have been after for some time?

 

I will phone my Fiat Professional dealer tomorrow to see when they can fit us in and what it is all about.

 

Alan

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  • 1 year later...

Just turn the volume down. It is a rubbish system anyway so I don't use it now anyway. Most of us have complained about it to no avail so I prefer my Garmin Camper 660 - absolutely wouldn't want to use anything else now.

Alan

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Thanks Alan

 

I've just taken delivery of one of the last new Savannahs and suspected that might be the only solution. But thanks for confirming.. The rest of the functionality is fine for me (too tight to pay out for another system anyway!)

 

Robert

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crocs - 2016-10-02 10:37 PM

 

Thanks Alan

 

I've just taken delivery of one of the last new Savannahs and suspected that might be the only solution. But thanks for confirming.. The rest of the functionality is fine for me (too tight to pay out for another system anyway!)

 

Robert

 

Hi Robert

Good choice of motorhome !

The in-built TomTom doesn't take account of the MH dimensions nor the weight. We travel a lot in France and the Garmin warns us of roads with a 3.5 tonne limit and will route you away from them and also the narrow / tight spots, so quite useful. The TomTom would also lock up when either crossing to France or returning despite turning it off during the crossing - when we arrived on the other side the TomTom would just sit there searching for satellites - not good if you are at a critical point in your route from the port. If we stopped for about 15 minutes then start it up again it would reset itself - absolutely useless.

Alan

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Brian Kirby - 2015-06-30 5:35 PM

 

My experience of traffic warnings is that they aren't that much use. We've been diverted to avoid a jam only to find that the newly provided route was jammed and the traffic information hadn't caught up. We've sailed past notified roadworks and hold ups that had long since disappeared, and sailed into hold ups that weren't notified. On balance, my impression is that following the suggested diversions is as likely to land you in a hold up as ignoring the warnings and pressing on. Either way, you occasionally get held up. The problem is that the transmitted warnings lag the events, so the above results are almost inevitable unless the event has a very long duration (greater than several hours), which most don't.

 

I agree been there done that as they say. Now I tend to wait jams out and hope or work out my own diversion. At least in a motorhome you have toilet facilities and refreshment available.

 

As for built in satnav systems I vote the one used by Lexus as the worst. My daughter drives a three year old Lexus highbred, great car but satnav utter rubbish.

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The Fiat fitted radio/Sat Nav is the same one fitted across their whole range (cheap job lot ?) With no alternative routing for oversize vehicles and difficult upgrading. DONT buy it, get a decent standalone one, cheaper, easily upgradable, and portable.
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AlanS - 2016-10-02 11:06 PM

 

crocs - 2016-10-02 10:37 PM

 

Thanks Alan

 

I've just taken delivery of one of the last new Savannahs and suspected that might be the only solution. But thanks for confirming.. The rest of the functionality is fine for me (too tight to pay out for another system anyway!)

 

Robert

 

Hi Robert

The TomTom would also lock up when either crossing to France or returning despite turning it off during the crossing - when we arrived on the other side the TomTom would just sit there searching for satellites - not good if you are at a critical point in your route from the port. If we stopped for about 15 minutes then start it up again it would reset itself - absolutely useless.

Alan

 

 

I have a Tomtom, which I have to say is a pain in many respects but have now taken to changing the country and units whilst sitting waiting to get onto the ferry - ie in UK change it to France, then Km, and on the way home reset to UK/miles, and that lets it pick up as soon as you get off the ferry. Usually whilst waiting for the ferry doors to open I will then set the destination ands once through customs etc its already picked up the route.

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Keith T - 2016-10-03 9:33 PM

 

AlanS - 2016-10-02 11:06 PM

 

crocs - 2016-10-02 10:37 PM

 

Thanks Alan

 

I've just taken delivery of one of the last new Savannahs and suspected that might be the only solution. But thanks for confirming.. The rest of the functionality is fine for me (too tight to pay out for another system anyway!)

 

Robert

 

Hi Robert

The TomTom would also lock up when either crossing to France or returning despite turning it off during the crossing - when we arrived on the other side the TomTom would just sit there searching for satellites - not good if you are at a critical point in your route from the port. If we stopped for about 15 minutes then start it up again it would reset itself - absolutely useless.

Alan

 

 

I have a Tomtom, which I have to say is a pain in many respects but have now taken to changing the country and units whilst sitting waiting to get onto the ferry - ie in UK change it to France, then Km, and on the way home reset to UK/miles, and that lets it pick up as soon as you get off the ferry. Usually whilst waiting for the ferry doors to open I will then set the destination ands once through customs etc its already picked up the route.

 

Hi Keith

The Fiat TomTom is the cheapest budget model they could find and there is very little you can change on it. I have even tried setting the route from home to our first stop in France and it still locks up after being off on the crossing. I am sure the stand alone TomToms are good and work well but Fiat does not want to know nor does TomTom - they blame each other. As I said I just won't use it now and now I won't leave home without my favourite Garmin.

Alan

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