General Blue and Me Sat Nav - do you have one, would you reccomend, is it worth it??

[hippycinq]

Hello
Have just ordered a 500 Lounge, and am now wondering if I should have ordered it with the 'predisposition for sat nav', for the extra £40..

I do currently have and use a sat nav (only a cheap Navman one, which I presume wont fit the port) but I know that if you get the Blue and Me TomTom you can fit it straight onto the port and it has other features as well as sat nav-ving.. (just thinking next sat nav could then be the one for the port..?!)

So.. Do you have the Blue and Me TomTom, is it worth the money (or would you, with hindsight, have bought another similarly costing model and just lived with the wires), and what other functions do you actually use on a day to day basis?

I have searched the general Blue and Me section but haven't found specific answers.
Thank you.

 

[TRS]

I bought the Blue&Me TomTom shortly after I got the car. I use it virtually every day, mainly because it has the live traffic. I tend to leave it on the 'view map' option, where it shows a map of your locality with any traffic problems. You can zoom in or zoom out as much as you require and I have found this very useful, often changing my route slightly to avoid problems. If you are using the unit to navigate, it incorporates the traffic info within your route and will offer a redirect if you wish or it will tell you that you are still on the quickest route.

The fact that you can just put it in the port and not have to connect wires or ensure you have a fully charged battery means you will use it more. For me it justified the additional cost over a similar TomTom model with the live traffic. Also, you can control the USB music etc via the screen if you want to.

I think the live traffic costs around £50 to renew after a year and I will definitely be doing that.

Ultimately i guess it depends how you will use it and how much you will use it, as to whether it will be worth it to you.

 

[hippycinq]

I bought the Blue&Me TomTom shortly after I got the car. I use it virtually every day, mainly because it has the live traffic. I tend to leave it on the 'view map' option, where it shows a map of your locality with any traffic problems. You can zoom in or zoom out as much as you require and I have found this very useful, often changing my route slightly to avoid problems. If you are using the unit to navigate, it incorporates the traffic info within your route and will offer a redirect if you wish or it will tell you that you are still on the quickest route.

The fact that you can just put it in the port and not have to connect wires or ensure you have a fully charged battery means you will use it more. For me it justified the additional cost over a similar TomTom model with the live traffic. Also, you can control the USB music etc via the screen if you want to.

I think the live traffic costs around £50 to renew after a year and I will definitely be doing that.

Ultimately i guess it depends how you will use it and how much you will use it, as to whether it will be worth it to you.

Thankyou thats really useful to know.It sounds like you make good use of it.
Anyone else have any reviews?

 

[loveshandbags]

The predisposition that you've referred to is often referred to as the 68R option port.
In relation to additional costs you have to pay for the traffic updates and the map updates. So after 12 months you will need to budget for another £100.
I have an old Garmin and to update it with new maps was going to cost £79 so it 'bite the dust'.
A key feature of the Tom Tom Blue & Me Live 2 is as pointed out by TRS is the music selection and the ECO drive. If you don't need the music selection (it's a weak area on the B&Me) then I would probably opt for one of the new Garmins providing you don't need the excellence of the Traffic updates on the TT. Note that the Garmins give the traffic updates for free but I get the impression that they are not as good as the TT.
If you can get a TT Live 2 for £230-£250 and you use a Sat Nav on a regular basis I would probably say Yes.
The new slimline Garmins are slick and are designed to work 'when you are out and about' being iphone like (does portrait & landscape). You can also position them beside the driver's pillar so that your view isn't hampered as much.
The TT Live 2 is based on the GO LIVE 1000 model and that has won awards but the TT Live 2 implementation is supposedly missing some features. If you buy the cheaper equivalent you have to splash out on a cradle (to go in the 68R option port) which costs around £45 which wipes out any savings.

Here are a few links...
https://www.fiatforum.com/satellite-navigation/299106-tom-tom-2-live-techno-pack-not.html?p=3009139
https://www.fiatforum.com/satellite-navigation/280993-blue-me-tom-tom-2-a.html
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/304225-sat-nav-fitting-standard-2.html?p=3052120

 

[hippycinq]

The predisposition that you've referred to is often referred to as the 68R option port.
In relation to additional costs you have to pay for the traffic updates and the map updates. So after 12 months you will need to budget for another £100.
I have an old Garmin and to update it with new maps was going to cost £79 so it 'bite the dust'.
A key feature of the Tom Tom Blue & Me Live 2 is as pointed out by TRS is the music selection and the ECO drive. If you don't need the music selection (it's a weak area on the B&Me) then I would probably opt for one of the new Garmins providing you don't need the excellence of the Traffic updates on the TT. Note that the Garmins give the traffic updates for free but I get the impression that they are not as good as the TT.
If you can get a TT Live 2 for £230-£250 and you use a Sat Nav on a regular basis I would probably say Yes.
The new slimline Garmins are slick and are designed to work 'when you are out and about' being iphone like (does portrait & landscape). You can also position them beside the driver's pillar so that your view isn't hampered as much.
The TT Live 2 is based on the GO LIVE 1000 model and that has won awards but the TT Live 2 implementation is supposedly missing some features. If you buy the cheaper equivalent you have to splash out on a cradle (to go in the 68R option port) which costs around £45 which wipes out any savings.

Thank you.. I have a feeling it's probably not going to be worth my while then.. I liked the idea of it just pushing into place and being 'part of the car' but I think cost wise its probably just not viable. Spending 40 quid on the port is probably spending a third of what I would usually spend on a sat nav in the first place, so its not going to be a justifiable cost effective approach just to have no wires, and it sounds like maybe the other functions aren't as wonderful as I thought they might be..
Thanks for the advice!

 

[loveshandbags]

I have a feeling it's probably not going to be worth my while then.. I liked the idea of it just pushing into place and being 'part of the car' but I think cost wise its probably just not viable. Spending 40 quid on the port is probably spending a third of what I would usually spend on a sat nav in the first place, so its not going to be a justifiable cost effective approach just to have no wires, and it sounds like maybe the other functions aren't as wonderful as I thought they might be..

I hope I didn't put you off ordering the 68R option port or the TT Live 2. I was just trying to give a balanced view.

I did buy a Classic Tom Tom recently (at a Warehouse sale) despite already having a TT Live 2 (it's shared between 2 cars) and it was terrible so I gave it away.

Justification for me on the use of the TT is the 'safety camera alerts'. And after getting used to the TT I wouldn't go down the country without it. A 2 pointer and an €80 fine adds up so the cost of a TT doesn't seem that much. Map updates may not be essential to do since roads are not changing that much now but the traffic one does need to be renewed.

If you decide not to order the 68R option port a B&Me TT live 2 will still work FULLY in a AUX equipped B&Me that's standard on the new B&Me 500s. In relation to the dropped features it was on the POI but there still there but you have to 'look for them'. The Google search is great where you can plug in the name of the shop and it gives the address and contact details. This feature is now appearing on the 'freebie' sat nav apps for the smartphones.

 

[Ulpian]

Just my tu'pennth.

I use my TomTom daily for work, sometimes inputting addresses eight times or more a night, and for this I like to remove it from its mount. I wonder how easy it is to remove the dedicated Fiat TomTom on a regular basis?

Also, the new satnavs (Garmin and TomTom) have very useful five or six inch screens, which are brilliant, in every sense, and very tempting, whereas the dedicated one is smaller I think.

My feeling is that the dedicated one is fine for occasisonal journeys but perhaps less useful when used regularly. My old satnav is a bit scuffed and worn, but it still works fine after six years of constant usage.

I have been thinking about the Fiat system and although i know it works well i wonder if for people like me it is the best option... ?

 

[FloJo]

I got the port as it was free when I ordered. I have to say I haven't used it at all. Before I ordered the car I got a nice Garmin widescreen sat nav that seems to have the live traffic without me having to do anything and to be honest I'm happy to carry on using that. The wire is a little annoying, but I can live with it. Maybe if it ever packs in I'd get one to fit the port, but until then I don't think it's a necessity for me.

 

[loveshandbags]

Just my tu'pennth.

I use my TomTom daily for work, sometimes inputting addresses eight times or more a night, and for this I like to remove it from its mount. I wonder how easy it is to remove the dedicated Fiat TomTom on a regular basis?

Also, the new satnavs (Garmin and TomTom) have very useful five or six inch screens, which are brilliant, in every sense, and very tempting, whereas the dedicated one is smaller I think.

My feeling is that the dedicated one is fine for occasisonal journeys but perhaps less useful when used regularly. My old satnav is a bit scuffed and worn, but it still works fine after six years of constant usage.

I have been thinking about the Fiat system and although i know it works well i wonder if for people like me it is the best option... ?

Screen size on the TT Live 2 is 4.3 inch. The GO LIVE 1005 is 5 inch which accordingly to Flashyphotos doesn't fit in the cradle. Bigger screen is tempting and if you opted for a Garmin with the Bluetooth dongle it has the torque app equivalent with a bunch of gauges.
Removing the TT from the cradle is easy and it pops out. It is on the heavy side and can easily be dropped. Derryup posted a picture of a little mishap that he had from a borrowed one.
Cradle is a 2 handed job to remove and that"s hidden under the seat or the glove box. Sat nav is brought in at night or left in situ if it's parked in the garage.
Given the size of 500 & even the windscreen size of the MiTo 4.3 inch is plenty big enough without hampering the view out the windscreen.
Did I mention that inputting addresses can be done with voice but unfortunately the google search input needs to be keyed in.

 

[EvoStevo]

A lot of the features mentions are on tom toms available for far less.

How well do the steering wheel controls work with it?
Or is it like most other B&M functions - hit and miss as to if it works today?

As much as I'd like a sat nav, the only benefit I can see from the Fiat one is the plugging it into the port and not having to provide an extra wire, the position is central.
As opposed to a window mount one which will be further away, however if using another car the Fiat mount will be useless whereas a window mount will be fine.

Dealerships never have a demo model available so I am really struggling to find a good reason to pay an extra £100+

 

[Ulpian]

Well I input my addresses by postcode only, and I don't want any voice operated glitches, ever, so I'll stick with the non Fiat version I think...and I remove my satnav after every call, because the night is full of ****e people, innit

 

[loveshandbags]

A lot of the features mentions are on tom toms available for far less.

How well do the steering wheel controls work with it?
Or is it like most other B&M functions - hit and miss as to if it works today?

As much as I'd like a sat nav, the only benefit I can see from the Fiat one is the plugging it into the port and not having to provide an extra wire, the position is central.
As opposed to a window mount one which will be further away, however if using another car the Fiat mount will be useless whereas a window mount will be fine.

Dealerships never have a demo model available so I am really struggling to find a good reason to pay an extra £100+

The ebayer that Flashyphotos got his TT Live 2 from has another Brand new unopened one available for £230 (click here) which comes with the additional mounting kit for cars with no 68R option port.

Re the Steering wheel controls I haven't got the integration aspect of the TT Live 2 working on mine (I've the old B&Me) but from a TT demo they seemed to work fine. A key benefit of the TT Live 2 over anything else is the music selection & the Eco stuff.

This is a good comparison site (Click here) of the top 10 sat navs today for anyone who isn't interested in the TT Live 2 model.

If the budget is tight you can always opt for a GO LIVE 1000 refurbished model (£119 on ebay) which does just the UK & ROI but the cradle is an extra £45.

If you're leaning towards using an iphone you can do a youtube search for 'Garmin vs TomTom for iPhone Comparison Video - App Review' where the Ton Tom kit came out best. Traffic information was better than the Garmin.

 

[Ulpian]

Bloody complicated isn't it, when all you want is a new car that works for you

 

[loveshandbags]

Bloody complicated isn't it, when all you want is a new car that works for you

If you have the 68R option port and the AUX input beside the USB - paying the £230 on that ebay link is the 'simplest'.

 

[Ulpian]

Where I live the ambulances use Garmins, not TomToms...

 

[grimwau]

Just the fact that the passenger (i.e. The Wife) is able to change the songs on the USB stick without having to keep leaning across to do it on the steering wheel was my main reason for buying one. I think it was used more as a media player than a sat nav, lol.

However, that said, I still would get another one to replace my TomTom 730T if Abarth were to ever fit the port to the A500.

 

[arorat]

Thankyou thats really useful to know.It sounds like you make good use of it.
Anyone else have any reviews?

Think of it as Plug & Go Control Centre for your satnav & music without any wires. I would order the R68 port before its too late to make further changes. If you need to get the B&M TT2 in the future.

The future is Siri via a button on your steering wheel, a blank space to plug in your iPad Mini in the dash (if one is ever made) with maps/music/net and access to cheap data coverage across the world.

 

[EllieG]

I chose to have the port on my 500 - it was a free option - and bought the Blue & Me TomTom at the same time as the car. My previous car had a integral satnav, so I was going to have to buy a new one anyway, and I like the functionality of the TomTom.

It's been a great satnav, I use it to select music from my iPhone, and I like the lack of wires. Also, when my husband's satnav packed up, we bought an additional screen-mounted cradle so we can now share it across cars. We rarely need it at the same time, and it means we'll only have to pay for one traffic update subscription.

Definitely worth a look!

 

[panda panda]

:idea::chin:

I was wondering if you would get the extra Blue&Me, EcoDrive and MP3 features IF you used the TomTom II in a 500 without the 68R port option?

Does anyone know if this is the case or not?

Thanks

 

[loveshandbags]

:idea::chin:

I was wondering if you would get the extra Blue&Me, EcoDrive and MP3 features IF you used the TomTom II in a 500 without the 68R port option?

Does anyone know if this is the case or not?

Thanks

Yes it will work without the 68R option port providing you have the AUX input beside the USB. It was tested by Flashyphotos...
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/304225-sat-nav-fitting-standard-2.html?p=3052717

P.S. Did anyone on the FF buy that TT Live 2 from the 'preferrred ebayer' that was advertised for £230 ?