Review: Tomtom Go 510 satellite navigation device

The 510 is the base model in Tomtom's new Go range, but comes packed with enough features to satisfy the tech-hungry GPS customers.

One of the most notable additions to the cheaper TomTom One alternative is the integration of major roads of Europe (MRE) into the standard Great Britain map which, while not enough to guide you through the cobbled backstreets of Rome, give you straightforward routes between major European towns and cities.

Other additions include hands-free Bluetooth support for your mobile phone. This allows you to make and receive calls through your mobile using the 510 while on the move.

There's also a preinstalled safety camera database that allows you to set up alerts for speed cameras you might encounter on your route.

The new features of the 510 are built on top of the already stable and effective Tomtom navigation software, which now includes full seven-digit postcode searches.

Particularly impressive is the 4in widescreen LCD, which, combined with thumb-sized buttons, makes it very easy to navigate or adjust settings on the move.

TomTom's software has always been very impressive, most notably because of the intuitive interface. Everything is where you'd expect it to be from the word go, so even if you've never used a Tomtom before you'll find it only takes seconds to get a route up and running.

There are a host of options to configure the interface or behaviour of the device, from customising a list of most useful POI (points of interest) categories to changing the language, voice type and map display preferences.

You can also access the TomTom Plus services that are available to all Tomtom GPS users, allowing you to download additional features such as audio books, weather and traffic reports, safety camera updates, maps and points of interest direct to your device.

You get a free one-month trial of the traffic updates, but from then on you'll need to pay £40 for UK updates per year or £55 for European updates. Speed camera updates are £27 per year.

Setting up your phone to pair with the device via Bluetooth is a simple process and just requires a few button presses. Once configured, it works flawlessly in diverting voice calls to the in-built speaker.

When you are up and running you'll find navigation fast and accurate, with a wealth of information on-screen that's easily configurable.

Traffic reports are also very effective and, when enabled, the main map shows a small column on the right that pops up with a traffic warning as and when alerts are flashed up for your route.

You can then press the bar to configure the device to avoid the jam and re-route or just continue on your journey.

If the 510 suffers from anything, it's that Tomtom appears to have spent more time improving its additional features and services over the past year than its basic mapping software.

Maps don't appear as detailed as some of the alternatives available from rival manufacturers and the refresh rate on the screen is a little slow, which makes it look a tad dated.

Tomtom is continuing its 'move the map under the car' approach to navigation, as opposed to alternatives that move the car along a road and simply refresh the map when necessary.

This isn't a big problem (the red and green bars on the map make it pretty obvious where you're going), but we did notice the position of the car on the map lag a little behind the actual position on the road, which can cause problems on busy roundabouts and intersections.

Aside from this, and the fact that the power button seated at the top right of the device is far too easy to press by accident when you simply pick it up, the 510 is a solid navigational aide.

Existing Tomtom users probably won't need to upgrade unless they want to take advantage of the hands-free mobile integration or MRE support. Although rich and impressive, the software and features are much the same on the Tomtom One and preceding devices.

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