As the passenger/navigator on the trip, I was still able to look at the printed road map and compare routes, but each time I found the Tomtom recommendation to be the best. More importantly, she could plan a new route around construction faster than I could physically do it, which saved us having to pull over to study the map at length. Several times I simply told my husband, "just do what she says". That was so much easier than trying to read tiny street names on the map in time to give my husband fast and accurate directions.
One of my personal favorite extra features is the ETA function. I loved seeing the estimated length of time for our trip constantly displayed in the lower right corner. Since we actually divided the trip over 3 days, we were able to plan each leg with an ETA for each day.
Also, we did not make hotel reservations in advance since we were not sure how far we would actually be able to drive each day. With the nifty Tomtom "point of interest" feature, I was able to look up near-by hotels, choose one and call them to see if they had a room available all before we even reached the exit. What a huge time saver! No more physically hunting for a hotel, stopping and asking about room availability only to discover they didn't have any rooms for the night and having to move on.
She also told us, in advance, the location of gas stations and restaurants.
Pros of the Tomtom VIA1515M GPS
- Tomtom VIA 1515M Automobile Portable GPS NavigatorFree Lifetime Maps - Update Online
- Includes USA, Canada & Mexico Maps
- Displays the Speed Limit plus Your Current Speed (Speeding Alert)
- 5" Touch Screen
- Turn by Turn Guidance
- Lane Guidance
- Colorful Display that Make Reading at a Glance Easy
- Spoken Street Names, Warnings & Directions
- Advance Warnings, Lane Recommendations & Instant Re-Routing after Wrong Turns or Detours
- Mileage Display with ETA (estimated time of arrival)
- Separate Display for Points of Interest such as Gas Stations, Restaurants, & Hotels/Motels
- Included Phone Numbers for Points of Interest (so we could call ahead if needed)
- Can Set to Metric or Imperial Units Depending on Where You are Driving (Converts the Local Units to Your Selected Units)
- Satellite Powered - Still Works When Cell Phones Don't!
- Battery Life - 3 hrs. for Out of Vehicle Use
Cons of the Tomtom VIA1515M GPS
Haven't found any yet and we used it on a 1000 mile trip!
Recommended Accessories for Your Tomtom VIA1515M GPS
Be sure to buy a pillow for your Tomtom! Since we didn't own the vehicle we were driving, we purchased a weighted pillow for our Tomtom. It worked perfectly. It kept the Tomtom from moving around or falling.
Also, a carry case will allow you to take your Tomtom inside with you so it will not get stolen from your car. Plus, you can easily switch it between vehicles this way. The case simply protects it and makes it easier to carry.
Navitech Black Eva Hard Carry Case for the TomTom VIA 1535 Series, TomTom VIA 1505 Series, TomTomStart 55 TM, TomTom Start 55 M, TomTom Start 55 5Check PriceBracketron Nav-Mat Portable GPS Dash Mount, NewCheck Price
One Final Note
In case you are wondering, we loved Canada!!!
And yes, the GPS worked perfect in Canada too and saved a world of misery for us since we were completely unfamiliar with cities, streets, street signs and using Canadian kilometers. That little Tomtom was well worth the cost for that one trip alone, but I have no doubt we will be using it frequently now that we have one.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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