TomTom XXL 550TM 5.0" GPS with Lifetime Traffic and Map updates TomTom XXL 550TM 5.0" GPS with Lifetime Traffic and Map updates

Pros: Like the mounting ring and big display

Cons: followed its smart routes for work 2 days and am sending it back. Had me exit freeway twice for no reason. tried to get me to drive off a demolished bridge then changed the route for traffic and sent me down one of the most congested areas. A wigi board would work better.

Pros: Large Screen

Cons: Screen large but washed out. Programming is the absolute worst, most user unfriendly I have ever seen. Biggest aggravation is that it treats every left or right turn lane on the road as a split in the route and continuously says "stay in the right lane" or "left lane" even if you are on a multi-lane road. If I head south on a local highway with separate turn lanes, it never stops telling you to stay in the right or left lane for over 30 miles, and then if you go through multiple steps to turn off the volume, you can easily miss a turn off.

Other Thoughts: Best use- Buy this for someone you hate.

Pros: Big screen. Loud speaker - good volume range. Good backlight intensity range. Mounting ring is very stable, and suction cup works very well on a CLEAN windshield. Touch screen is sensitive enough that a light touch is registered, which is good when it is mounted to the window. Lifetime traffic works well, so far. 8GB flash memory. Ability to correct them map, add points of interest, change speeds.

Cons: (1) Abysmal vocal directions. Here in Houston, TX, the vocal directions are frequently wrong. For instance, saying "exit right, then keep right" when the correct directions are "exit right, then keep left". When there is a left, center & right choice, vocal directions are ALWAYS wrong if the correct answer is to stay in the center lane.
(2) Re-routing around traffic congestion sometimes takes one right back to the point of congestion.
(3) Although map updates seem to come out quarterly, I can't tell that they are really updated. There are entrance/exit ramp changes from 2 years ago that still have not been corrected on the map. Maybe this is my punishment for paying for lifetime map updates.
(4) Changes one makes to the map are lost when the map is updated.
(5) Routing is sometimes strange. But, I've figured that out. Aside from the Interstate highways and US highways, TomTom has hit-or-miss speed limit data, so how can it route you correctly?
(6) Processor is s-l-o-w.

Other Thoughts: My first TomTom experience was software loaded to my Windows smart phone. That was 5 years ago, I think. The software was great, and had relatively accurate maps. What a shock this has been.

TomTom: If you cannot have at least relatively recent maps, get out of the US market!

Pros: Nice looking package, nice features. Got it on sale.

Cons: Slow update, you might as well dedicate 3 or 4 hours for updates. Their website is slow also. Included documents did not explain where to find user manual, when I started searching their site from www.tomtom.com it didnt even list XXL550. Also, the safety features are not available on this model. See Other Thoughts.

Other Thoughts: The Safety alerts feature, guided tour feature, Home to Work feature is available on the devices which have classic user interface. The XXL 550 device is a 2 button user interface and this feature “Safety alerts feature, guided tour feature, Home to Work feature ” is unavailable on the 2 button user interface device.

I've seen other post about their web being slow, you think they would listen.