TomTom Go Live Top Gear Edition review

If you’re a Top Gear fan and need a new satnav, this limited edition is the ideal choice. It’s limited because the BBC realised that it had breached its own guidelines about product endorsement and decided to cancel the project. Fortunately, this happened too late to stop thousands of the finished satnavs being delivered to Halfords, which has the exclusive rights to sell it. All the BBC’s profits will be donated to Children in Need due to the legal issues.

The device itself is the TomTom Go Live 820, with a 4.3in resistive touch screen, a compact integrated windscreen mount and maps of the UK and Ireland. The Top Gear tie-in is obvious from the moment you turn it on, as a photo of The Stig appears on the loading screen.

Jeremy Clarkson’s voice is set as the default and barks directions in his usual sarcastic style. Needless to say, phrases such as, “Take the third exit and then take the motorway. You can’t miss it. It’s that huge piece of tarmac full of caravans and traffic cones” tend to wear a little thin after you’ve heard them a dozen times, but are amusing nonetheless. Stig’s ‘voice’ is also included in the list, but is only useful if you prefer your satnav to be silent. Sadly, James May and Richard Hammond’s voices aren’t present.

You also get some extra car icons specific to Top Gear. These mostly relate to the special episodes, such as the recent snow plough made from a combine harvester. You’ll also find Top Gear points of interest including racetracks around the UK, plus the Dunsfold Top Gear test track. The latter isn’t much use of course, as it isn’t open to the public.

Overall, the Top Gear content may not sound like much, but it won’t be available to other TomTom owners for download to other models in the future, so is truly exclusive. It might even mean you could make a profit if you decide to sell the satnav later on.

As a navigator, the Top Gear Edition is exactly what we’d expect from TomTom’s current range. The interface is cleaner than last year’s models, and it’s very easy to enter a destination. Tap Address and you can enter a postcode or full address, and recent cities and streets are shown to make it quicker. You get a year’s free subscription to Live services, including Google Local Search, so you can find local businesses and restaurants that mere point-of-interest databases would never include.

Live services also include HD Traffic, which is up-to-the-minute congestion information that can really help avoid long tailbacks. The weather service is arguably less useful, but it can read out a forecast for conditions at your destination. A feature that could save you money is that mobile speed camera locations are sent to the device in real-time. You also get warnings for fixed cameras and average speed checks.

Built-in Bluetooth means you can make hands-free calls on a compatible phone. We found the voice recognition was hit and miss and only worked well in quiet cars, or at low speeds. It’s possible to control plenty of functions, though, including making phone calls and setting destinations.

The driving view remains one of the clearest around, but routing isn’t always as good as local knowledge. For example, Clarkson asked us to leave the motorway early on several occasions when the fastest route was to continue further. The device always got us to our destination, though.

It’s disappointing that European maps aren’t included at this price, and TomTom is still using a recessed micro USB port, which means you can’t use a standard cable. However, despite the relatively steep price, none of these gripes are likely to bother Top Gear fans. For everyone else, there are better value models around, including the Mio Spirit 685.