TomTom makes the best GPS devices, and the 5" XXL's are beautiful.
One thing though: "Easy Menu". Here's a brief explanation.
The 540 model had so many features that some people found the menus confusing (not me, and most tech-heads wouldn't), so TomTom decided that rather than redesign the menu to be more intuitive, they cut out many of the 540's features so the menus would be smaller. They packaged this stripped-down version as the "New 550 XXL with Easy Menu".
This model is cheaper than the 540 because, although it has this "added" Easy Menu feature, that just means it has less features. Just something to be aware of.
Other cons:
- Windshield mount sucks. You need two hands to adjust it, otherwise it falls off. I got used to it after a month. You can get one of those beanbag mounts (Amazon etc) to make things easier.
- Entering your city destination is laggy, cause as you type it searches through its entire database of cities -- and there are of course a lot of them. You have to type one letter, wait for response, then type the next. Avoidable if you enter zip codes instead; also you only need to enter city names once, since after that you can use your Previous Destinations list.
- FM Traffic sucks. You won't get much use out of it. Cellular traffic is the only traffic feature worth getting, and it's only available on much more expensive models.
Pros:
- The screen is big and gorgeous, and the unit is sleek and great-looking in general.
- Lane guidance is excellent.
- Unlike the stupid Garmins, TomTom actually tells you which road you're currently ON. This comes in handy more than you might think.
- Purchasable voices are rather high-quality and entertaining. They're recorded by actual celebrities. Yoda is especially entertaining cause he speaks the directions backwards as in the movies, like "Left you must go" etc. Kids can't get enough of it.
PS. The model with free lifetime maps & traffic is usually called 550TM (as with most TomTom models, there are T, M, and TM variants that come with Traffic, Maps, or both, respectively). This is listed as the plain 550, but the features listed show lifetime traffic + maps. Just cause I like to nitpick. Hopefully it's not a mistake. Edit:I see this question is being addressed, I posted before I read.
Have you been eating that sandwich again?
