Review: Viamichelin X-980T sat-nav device

Viamichelin’s latest entry into the GPS market is the X-980T, the most feature-packed in its range. In addition to standard navigation you get subscription free traffic information thanks to the provided FM receiver, speed camera locations and exclusive content from Michelin Guides, including hotels, restaurants and tourism throughout the UK.

As well as full maps of Europe, there’s a voice feature that provides text to speech for road names and locations, while Bluetooth navigation is available for your phone. These are some good touches, but nothing particularly unusual for a high-end device.

Startup and GPS fix times are good, and setting destinations is well handled thanks to a depreciating alphabet display that quickly narrows down your search. However, the menu structure is pretty awkward to navigate once you're on the move.

Dedicated controls take you to navigation options, history, POI (points of interest) or traffic data, but returning to the main map involves navigating back through the whole menu structure - certainly not the easiest we've ever used.

The on-screen buttons are also fairly small, despite the generous 4.3in display. The map is clear and accurate but not particularly easy to adjust, mainly consisting of full-screen birds-eye-view or map/waypoint display.

The X-980T is also quite bulky and doesn’t really compete with today’s more slim-line market. The suction mount is similarly large and is awkward to operate, culminating in an unattractive setup that tends to flap around when attached to the windscreen.

Viamichelin has built some nice features into the X-980T; the Bluetooth phone pairing works well and the free traffic reports and travel guides are a welcome bonus. In terms of the menu interface and design, though, it falls down and isn’t very user friendly despite the nifty extras.

At around £360 the X-980T is fairly expensive, and there are rivals that offer similar functionality for less money.

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