TomTom XXL 550TM 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition)
- Preloaded with maps of the US, Canada, and Mexico, with Lifetime Map Updates (new editions four times a year)
- Lifetime Traffic Updates included–outsmart traffic and avoid delays for life with real-time information via your TomTom
- More than 7 million points of interest in over 60 destination categories–gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs and more
- IQ Routes Technology calculates the fastest route possible based on time of day, saving you time, fuel and money
- Advanced Lane Guidance indicates exactly which lane to use, so you can go confidently
TomTom XXL 550TM – BoxGet street smart with the TomTom XXL 550·TM–complete 5-inch widescreen navigation, featuring Lifetime Traffic and Map Updates*. Enjoy a lifetime of easy driving with two great features from TomTom. Lifetime Maps guarantees you receive four new editions of your TomTom map each year to ensure that you are always navigating with the industry’s most up-to-date map. And, Lifetime Traffic automatically sends real-time updates to your TomTom, so you can always steer clear of tra
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(out of 17 reviews)
List Price: $ 259.00
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Review by hoosier_grad for TomTom XXL 550TM 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition)
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I got TomTom550TM about two weeks ago. It replaced my TomTom Go 730 with 4.3″ screen.
This will be my 5th GPS device so far. I consider TomTom Go 730 a pretty modern GPS with a lot of good features, so I will review TomTom 550TM in comparison to that one.
Let me start with the cons:
- No Bluetooth hands-free, FM transmitter, SD reader, etc. But, I disabled the BT and FM in my Go anyway and I do not miss them at all.
- Fewer menu options; mostly due to missing extra functionality, and some regarding what is displayed on screen. I find displaying the current speed and the speed limit on the screen redundant, it would have been nice to have the choice to display perhaps the compass instead.
And the pros:
- Simple menu! Who cares about 8 things when you are trying to just enter a new address?
- Large screen is a relief to your eyes. Driving in summer is enough strain on the eyes.
- Clever interface. The lanes are clearly displayed on the screen at critical times.
- Reads names of streets just like the Go does (though this is a standard feature now).
- Last but not the least lifetime traffic and map updates. Traffic updates are a nice to have, though I never was in a situation that they were critical with my older TomTom GPS. However, map updates are a must. I found myself looking for non-existent ramps and exits more often in the last year, so 550TM with its lifetime map updates will hopefully get rid of such annoyances.
Review by GadgetGuy for TomTom XXL 550TM 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition)
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I selected the XXL 550TM specifically for its lifetime map and traffic updates; if there’s one thing I hate, it’s being nickel and dimed to death to keep a map current.
Setup was quick and easy, and I was using the unit within minutes of opening the box. I thought the interface was reasonably intuitive. It found satellites quickly, seemed to know all the addresses and locations I used it to locate on my first trip with it, and overall first impressions were favorable. However, by the end of the 1,000 mile, two-day trip, I’ll be returning the unit for the following reasons:
1. The clever window mount is actually nice, but the TomTom itself keeps popping off the mount ring. It’s spring-loaded, and too loose, while the universal joint on the mount itself is too stiff. Getting the thing oriented properly on the window is a chore unless you like it tilted at an angle, or happen to get it right the first time.
2. Points of interest were frequently well off-the-mark by 1/4 mile or more. In one case, a restaurant was depicted on the north side of a highway when it was on the south side of it. Corrections can be submitted, and 100% accuracy is probably unreasonable, but the POIs were “off” more than “on” for me.
3. The underlying GIS data, provided by TomTom subsidiary Tele Atlas, left much to be desired on numerous fronts. One of the most annoying is its insistence on identifying and depicting named railroad sidings as if they were small cities. It showed Buda, Maloy, and Sinnard, Colorado on I-25 north of Denver… Never heard of any of them, and only after searching GIS data online did I find out they were railroad sidings! Who but a railroad buff knows or cares? And what relevance do they have to driving? None! This is a case of just taking government GIS data and using it unfiltered.
4. Speaking of poor GIS data, the city of Denver, Colorado is not depicted on the map — even at tight zoom levels. The largest city in the state; the state’s capitol city; the name used in sports teams and cultural venues — and it’s nowhere to be found. Also gone is Aurora, Denver’s largest suburb. At low zoom, Lakewood — the 2nd largest Denver suburb — is used to name the entire metropolitan area. You can see it yourself on the Tele Atlas web site. Amazing. Even my Denver home is “corrected” to exist in Englewood, another suburb, instead of Denver. Maybe this is what happens with the company digesting and providing the data is in a European country with no real national, regional and certainly no local knowledge.
My bottom line is this — if I can’t trust this unit to properly identify the largest city in a US state, and if railroad sidings are brought to my attention as if they are cities, what exactly *can* I trust about the information provided by the TomTom?
It’s being returned. Maybe Garmin will be better. At least their GIS data, from NAVTEQ, knows there’s a Denver — and where it’s located. And, based on queries on their web site, doesn’t point out railroad sidings as if I’d care about them.
Review by Regs for TomTom XXL 550TM 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition)
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Over my many years, I have discovered a product is only as good as its customer service. TomTom does not even rank one star with me because of my poor experiences with their customer service. Here is a listing of my TomTom Issues:
1. Non-intuitive computer interface for registering and updating.
2. Rude personnel in technical support.
3. Lack of responsiveness if something is non-functional out of the box(traffic/receiver/charger).
4. The manual is insufficient, essentially useless.
5. No comprehensive manual available for this unit.
6. Window mount unit keeps popping off.
7. If you are not persistent, you can end up with a non-functioning device.
My Story:
When I first connected it to the computer, it immediately installed the TomTom HOME software and searched for map updates; it bypassed any option to create an account and register the Promotion Code. This is an important deficiency for the first time user. Although the warning sheet indicated that the account should be established first, it did not note that you should interrupt the automatic download to register. This caused the download to hang-up.
After the hang-up, I clicked on [BACK] and established my account with the Promotion Code. Then I returned to [Up Date Maps]. During this update, a dialog box appeared telling me there was an update to the application software and asked if I wanted to download that. I clicked NO since the map update was in progress. I assumed I could update the application later, wrong. After waiting of the phone over fifteen minutes, a rude technical support lady told me it would download the new application independent of which box I checked. This apparently interrupted the map download and caused another hang-up. This person constantly talked down to me; I finally just hung up the phone.
When I finally got the map downloaded, it tried to install the new map, but was unable. A dialog box appeared indicating lack of available memory in the device. After much searching of the TomTom Website, I finally found a procedure for clearing some of the memory using the HOME software, “Manage My Device” menu. These instructions were not totally correct, but they gave me some idea of what was happening.
When I finally installed the new map, I thought I was ready to go, not so. When I disconnected the unit from the computer and turned it on, the screen said “No Maps Loaded.” I then decided to delete everything using the HOME software and the “Manage My Device” menu and start over using the “Update my Device” menu in the HOME software. This did NOT work and I was left with an UNUSABLE DEVICE–”No Maps Loaded.”
As a last ditch effort, I deleted everything on the unit using Windows, My Computer. Because the unit is quite slow in communicating with my relatively fast computer, the entire process took several hours. I was up until the wee hours of the morning trying to get a functional device. After deleting everything using Windows, I then used the “Update My Device” in the HOME software. This took a long time to download the new application, the updated map plus some simple rudimentary voices that do not announce street names. This arduous process finally resulted in a functioning unit; however, without the computer voices that announce street names.
I then tried to download one of the TomTom computer voices that would announce street names; these are either Simon or Susan. They are both about 45Mb in size. The HOME software indicated that it was installed, but when I turned the unit on, the voice was not in the list of voices. At this point, I risked calling TomTom again; this time I got a helpful tech support lady. Apparently the device does not recognize newly installed files until you disconnect from the computer, power it down, remove the USB cable, and then power the unit up. Also, note that, as far as I can tell, the voices are not individual files on the computer. You cannot use Windows to add an individual voice from your computer backup to the device; you must use the HOME software.
None of the issues I have described above are explained in a manual or on obvious places on the Website. Why do companies like TomTom release new products only for the customer to do their beta testing???
There is no complete manual for this specific device; apparently the XXL 550TM is too new to have a complete manual. After TWO DAYS of working with this unit, I finally achieved what I thought was a fully functioning device -not so fast.
I then tried to use the unit for a trip to Denver. I had two immediate problems. First, the “Fold & Go Easy Window Mount” was so tight that any on-window adjustments caused the mount to pop off of the device. I finally removed the small rubber covers on the rotating ball and loosened the screws to allow the mount to move more freely. This fixed that problem. Second, half way through the trip, I realized the car charger/traffic receiver was not working. This accessory was faulty. When I returned home, I tried an identical charger/receiver from my wife’s unit and that one worked fine.
In an attempt to get a replacement for the traffic receiver/charger, I again found the TomTom Technical Support unhelpful and rude. TomTom is unwilling to send me a new traffic receiver/charger until I fill out a bunch of paper work to prove I indeed purchased this unit with Traffic Information (even though I had already registered the unit as described above). More important, they are not willing to promise me that they will have a replacement receiver/charger in stock to replace mine. They would not commit to any such assurance. Their Website currently indicates this item is NOT AVAILABLE FROM TOMTOM–go figure! I don’t have weeks or months to wait for some indeterminable backordering to get a fully functioning GPS.
So, if the vendor is not willing to exchange my unit for a Garmin with similar features, I guess I am stuck. My wife and I are currently trying to return both units and buy a Garmin. Buyers beware if you are considering a TomTom device.
Review by Lovely Lisa for TomTom XXL 550TM 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition)
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I replaced a 5 year-old Magellan with the TomTom XXL 550TM 2 weeks ago to take on a 9-day road trip camping and exploring the back roads of Oregon. I opened it in the car and immediately turned it on. Great screen, easy to follow – now I just need to update it with the additional features and we’re set to go!
I brought it home, connected it to the computer, entered the lifetime traffic & maps authorization and proceeded to follow the prompts to update the map.
We hit the road Friday morning. About 50 miles from home, I turned it on only to get a message that “this map cannot be used with this device.” I called TomTom support from the car and after being on hold for 20 minutes finally spoke to a person who told me that their servers weren’t working right and that I need to get to a computer then call them back so they can help me get the map updated correctly. Well, here we are on a 9 day camping trip and NO, I didn’t bring the computer. Stupid me! They apologized – what else could they say? I certainly didn’t get what I paid for. I turned it off and put it in the trunk where it stayed the whole trip.
Needless to say, I am returning it for a full refund and will replace it with a Magellan or Garmin. There’s no excuse for downloading bad data to the TomTom devices they sell.
Review by GPS_Techie for TomTom XXL 550TM 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition)
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Unfortunately the TomTom XXL 550TM does not provide a list of turn-by-turn directions. That single lack of feature makes this one of the most unwisely designed GPS, inspite of the IQ routes and Lifetime free traffic & map updates. This unit is a stripped down version of other TomTom models.