TomTom XXL 550TM, XXL 550T, XXL 550M, XXL 550 5 Inch Portable GPS Navigators (Lifetime Traffic & Maps) Review

TomTom’s XXL550 series of GPS satellite portable navigation devices includes the XXL 550, XXL550TM, XXL 550T and XXL 550M. Features across the XXL550 series are identical with a T suffix indicating the inclusion of Lifetime Traffic and an M suffix Lifetime Map Updates. These models present excellent value from TomTom having the largest widescreens available at 5 inches along with a premium suite of TomTom navigation technologies. Notable features are; IQ routes for the fastest route calculation based on traffic information, Advanced Lane Guidance for easier major junction navigation, 7 million Points of Interest (POI) and text to speech for announcing street names.

TomTom XXL550 Series

Lifetime Map Updates

GPS navigation is dependent upon the accuracy of map data upon which it is based. With some eighteen percent of the nation’s (US) road information changing every year (TomTom) it’s fairly logical that the four free map updates a year as available with the Lifetime Maps guarantee are a good idea. The prices for which Lifetime Maps are available are a bargain compared to previous pricing history and the cost of individual purchase. With the TomTom XXL550 series you also have the advantage of Map Share On-Demand Updates allowing your own map updates or downloading of verified updates from other TomTom equipped drivers.

Lifetime Traffic Updates

If you commute on regular routes often then live traffic data and its use in route or detour calculations should be an important reason for purchasing a GPS satellite navigator. For the lifetime of your purchase you are guaranteed automatic real-time traffic data updates to your TomTom for plotting the fastest route and avoiding traffic delays. Again historically and compared to the cost of individual purchase the price for inclusion is a bargain.

Navigating with the TomTom XXL550 Series

TomTom’s New EasyMenu

The TomTom XXL550 series comes with TomTom’s new EasyMenu for operating the GPS navigator. The home page for EasyMenu has two large icons which would be a familiar sight for Garmin users. The left one is either Plan Route or Change Route depending whether you are already on a route or not. The other icon is Browse Map for viewing a map of your surroundings starting centered on your current location. Below the two large icons is a toolbar of 4 smaller icons including: 1) sound on or off button 2) a night/day button for the night color scheme which reduces the brightness of the screen and shows the map using dark colors, 3)an options button to adjust settings for the device and finally 4) a help button to see contact details for local emergency services and other specialized services, such as hospitals and veterinary clinics. You can choose to plan a route to one by selecting it.

Selecting a Destination

Selecting a destination with the TomTom XXL550 series can be by typing in a street address, selecting a favorite or recent destination, searching for a POI, entering coordinates entry or browsing the map and selecting a location. For those who would like to arrive right on time there is an option to have the route calculated to match a particular arrival time. There is a database of more than 7 million Points of Interest including restaurants, gas stations, shopping malls and golf courses. POI searches can be restricted to the local area or along the plotted route.

The XXL550 has text-to-speech capability for announcing street names as part of the navigation instructions. The driver gets confirmation that they are on track without taking their eyes from the road improving safety.

TomTom IQ Routes

TomTom’s new IQ Routes technology uses actual average traffic speeds along roads rather than posted speed limits for calculating the best route. The basis for the speed profile data for 6.2 billion miles of roads comes from anonymous historical speed profiles gathered from millions of TomTom users. It makes for more accurate/realistic estimations of travel times via different alternative routes. Data collection is ongoing so it can only become more accurate and extensive as well as reflective of changed road conditions.

There is an excellent explanation of TomTom’s IQ Routes on the TomTom website.

Advanced Lane Guidance

Advanced Lane Guidance helps drivers more easily navigate highway junctions through a more realistic and detailed map view including representation of lanes with indicating arrows. TomTom’s site has an excellent illustrated guide to how TomTom Lane Guidance works. It is also covered in the embedded YouTube video below.

TomTom HOME

TomTom HOME is TomTom’s free software for accessing a range of services and contacting TomTom’s global community of users. You can manage, update and personalize your TomTom as well as purchase and install maps, make back-ups and download software updates.

Latest Map Guarantee

If a new map is released within 30 days of purchase, TomTom guarantee you can download it for free using TomTom HOME. TomTom have just released new maps of the United States and Canada (TeleAtlas data) which will now come preloaded on new purchases. The new maps include; thousands of updated miles of road network, new and updated points of interest (POI), new road speed limit zones and updated toll roads.

Map Share

The Map Share feature of the XXL550 series gives drivers the ability to; 1) change street names and direction 2) add, remove or rename POIs and 3) (un)block streets on their own device. Using TomTom HOME users can share their map improvements for the benefit from the entire TomTom user community.

TomTom QuickGPSfix

The TomTom XXL550 series comes with QuickGPSfix which provides quicker GPS satellite acquisition times through storage of GPS satellite orbit predictions (almanac data). Usually the orbit data is only updated when the TomTom GPS device is connected to a PC or Mac running TomTom’s HOME software.

Maps

The TomTom XXL550 series comes preloaded (1GB of built-in flash memory) with maps of the US, Canada and Mexico.

Help Me!

Help Me! is a safety feature which identifies the nearest car repair service center, police station, or hospital. Help Me! identifies the current location so it can be passed on to emergency service providers for a quick response. There is even a basic first-aid guide for if things are getting really bad!

Fold & Go EasyPort Mount

The TomTom XXL550 comes with the Fold & Go EasyPort mount which folds neatly onto the back of the navigation device. When the mount is folded the device will fit conveniently into a pocket or bag.

Review Summary

TomTom’s XXL550 series provides an exceptionally large display for easier viewing and operation. It comes with a solid range of TomTom navigation features and generously priced models which include Lifetime Traffic or Map Updates or both.