RNS-E vs TOMTOM

[john_cook]

Hi guys,

I have a 2005 A3 and am contemplating getting SATNAV. I've used TOM TOM in the past and its pretty good, liked it a lot. How does the RNS-E compare to it? Has anyone here used both. There is of course a big price difference and fitting is harder with the RNS-E but would be nice to have the genuine Satnav unit installed. Can the RNS-E play normal DVD movies? Can you create playlists on the memory cards via MP3 or is it more complicated than that. Appreciate all replies.


cooky

 

[Eeef]

The biggest stopper for me was that you can't use overlays or pois on the RNS-E, thus you don't get speed camera warnings or anything else.
The unit looks superb, and the normal navigation is pretty good, but unless you really want the integrated look then stick with the TT.

If you want to watch DVD's on your RNS-E you'll need to spend another £750 for the tuner (I think)

 

[steve1975l]

It depneds on whether you have double DIN, if you do it is pretty much plug and play if you have VAG.com.

Yes TT has custom POI and speed cameras. I have had TT before and it is handy to swop between cars. My friend just had his TT nicked from his car not on view but stupidly left in glovebox. I think the sucker marks on the front screen gave it away. I can't comment on map detail as TBH I don't use it that much.

I do like the RNS-E with the turn instructions etc in the DIS. Turn the compass on and you get direction and road names in the DIS.

Yes you can create playlists and 2 MP3 drives are useful.

DVD is about £300 to control it via RNE-E, cheaper if you use a remote control.

 

[Skittler]

If you get a TT then don't use the window sucker mount for the reason mentioned above: the window marks advertise that you probably have a SatNav in the glovebox. Even if you take it with you, you may still get a smashed window.

Better is to dash-mount it. It won't obscure your view either which is useful when in certain European countries where they can allegedly get a bit iffy about window-mounted items.

Even better is to double-up the dash-mount as a phone holder when not in use as a TT holder. Nobody will break into your car on the offchance for a mobile as, er, it's a mobile, so you obviously won't have left it in the car.

Back to the original question. Overall, TT is a definitely a better tool for the job, and an absolute must if you have two cars or are likely to change your car frequently, but you do need to take account of the nickability aspects.

See here for the mounting:
http://www.yournav.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5441

 

[john_cook]

i guess from a financial point of view it is always gonna make sense to go the TOM TOM route rather than retrofit the RNS-E. But the RNS-E looks much better. Only have the one car and probably be that way for the next 4yrs so by then TOM TOM prob be replaced by superior unit. I guess I should go and see the audi unit working. If I went to an audi dealer and looked at a sat nav unit would it function similarly to the A3 unit even if it was say in an A4, A6, A8 or are they all very different in functionality?

Cooky

 

[steve1975l]

All RNS-E's are basically the same as far as I know. I have some pics see signature. If you want me to take some more to show you anything let me know.

 

[john_cook]

i'm gonna go to the local audi dealer and look at the sat nav system they offer and see how it works. I know its more expensive but prefer the look of it and finish.

I was curious about was the MP3 playback. Can I create a custom MP3 playlist on my PC and save it onto the memory card and then have this play back in the correct order in-car or does the RNS-E re-order it alphabetically?


cooky

 

[__DyNaSTY_X_]

Playlist stays in the order you saved.

 

[benw123]

Even better is to double-up the dash-mount as a phone holder when not in use as a TT holder. Nobody will break into your car on the offchance for a mobile as, er, it's a mobile, so you obviously won't have left it in the car.

Good point. A mate of mine has his window-mounted, and even has a little leather pad to clean the glass when he removes his TT to prevent the marks on the screen, but a phone-mount would be better.

Back to the original question. Overall, TT is a definitely a better tool for the job, and an absolute must if you have two cars or are likely to change your car frequently, but you do need to take account of the nickability aspects.

I've only used TT a couple of times before retrofitting my RNS-E and they are pretty cool - the speed camera database and customisation are the two biggest advantages over the RNS-E.

However, I demo'd the RNS-E to my TT pal (who I just mentioned above!) and he thought the RNS-E was much nicer; the fact that it integrates perfectly in the dash is a huge plus point, as well as the bigger screen and the user interface. Don't forget that it also integrates with DIS (directions and street names are displayed in the cluster), and inverts the colours at night so it's not too bright. Then there's the TV and Bluetooth options to add ... it's a fab piece of kit!

 

[Leetaylor]

Hi

The MP3's do get re-arranged alphabetically once in the RNS unless you number the tracks manually, which is very annoying.

Unless i'm doing something wrong??

Cheers

Lee

 

[beerglass]

I have a nokia n73 which gives me 3.2 mega pixel camera and TT mobile 6.
It fits on standard dashboard mount .
Oh and makes phones calls

Handsfree with blue tooth car kit and bluetooth GPS
Wait until Jan 2007 and get a nokia N95 with built in GPS,5.1 camera and camcorder....

 

[Skittler]

Just a quick reply to some of bewn123's points.

You may not know that TomTom now includes optional TTS (Text to Speech) so you can get it to announce road names - that's even better (if you like it) than having the roadnames in the DIS display.

It also has automatic (or manual if you like) dimming for night, plus you can customise all of the colours on the map display, so you can create many tailored map schemes anc choose between them whnever you like - again, only if you really want to.

And it has Bluetooth - I use mine as a handsfree phone. It even displays text messages as they are received.

It will also play MP3s but of course the quality isn't as good as the normal car system. You can link the TomTom into the car's system then you'll get handsfree phone, TTS, and MP3 all through the car speakers, but I haven't done that as I don't want the hassle of doing all the wiring.

Anyway, the point is that TomTom does do a lot these days (more than a lot of people think) but if you want an aesthetically pleasing integration then you can stick with the RNS of course.

 

[john_cook]

thanks guys.

think I will prob go for the RNS-E install by CraigB. Not sure if its a brand new RNS-E he fits or a refurbished one. He provides 12 months warranty. Have slowly come to realise over the past 12 months I do need Sat nav. I know its more expensive but prefer the genuine audi unit.

Cooky

 

[benw123]

Anyway, the point is that TomTom does do a lot these days (more than a lot of people think) but if you want an aesthetically pleasing integration then you can stick with the RNS of course.

Fair points mate - didn't realise TT has come on so much. You think it only provides sat nav but that's a fair bit of kit!

 

[Skittler]

Just in case I wasn't clear...

Although TomTom has a load of (dubiously useful) extra facilities, and RNS-E has the MP3 SD facility as jo_sal77 says, don't lose sight of the fact that you are primarily trying to choose a SatNav system.

On that basis, I'd go for the TomTom, even without any extras.

 

[marriedblonde]

I've been toying with the idea of spec'ing sat-nav in my next car but Ican;t get my head round it costing circa £1600 or £1200 if I go for after market fitting.

I've got a Tomtom one new edition and it is brillaint, cost £180 has the camera's etc and works brilliantly. Plus I can use it when I need to take the wifes car or I have a hire car.

Will you recoup the investment in fatory fit sat-nav when it comes to resell? I nkow they say that if you have a £40k you need it...

J.

 

[Skittler]

Yeah, the portability's a good plus point. I always take mine when I go to Spain (my parents live there) and chuck it in my hire car. It's nice being in an unfamiliar country (especially when in the middle of nowhere and you're trying to find your way back to where you started!) but still having complete confidence to drive anywhere knowing you wont get lost.

 

[h5djr]

Personally I have an HP iPaq 4700 PDA with sat-nav software loaded and a bluetooth gps receiver. The iPaq sits in a cradle when in use in the car. The cradle looks very much like a phone cradle when the iPaq is removed and the gps receiver is totally out of sight.

I don't think there is anyway that I personally could justify the cost of a in-car sat-nav against the much more flexible iPaq option. The iPaq will do almost everything the sat-nav can do and a lot more besides. The software works with postcodes if necessary and I can easily load the necessary maps and directions for Europe as well as the UK. The software can be loaded with camera information as well as sat-nav and all the route planning etc can be done indoors before setting out on any journey if necessary.

And then I also have a small computer than can be used for all sorts of things when I'm away from my normal desktop. To me the PDA+software route (no pun intended) is better and more flexible than than even a dedicated TomTom or similar device.

I am just about to order another new A3 and if I had in-car sat-nav then I would have to purchase the whole thing again or transfer the existing unit and make good whereas I only have to remove the gps receiver which is attached with double sided tape and the cradle, which will leave nothing to be done, and install them in my new A3.

 

[alfiejts]

Agree with Dave...

I have a trusty old O2 XDA2.

I have a wired GPS receiver hidden behind the dash of my A3 that provides power and "normal" gps signals to my TomTom Navidator PDA software when I'm driving my own car.

I also have a bluetooth GPS receiver that I take use when I'm driving hire cars and also when I'm using the GPS as a passenger in someone else's car.
That way, I can even use it abroad - it guided me around California and around the streets of San Francisco last summer - from my hotel to Lombard Street, on to the Coit Tower and then to the Bay Bridge....

On top of that, I also have "Memory Map" software loaded with the 1:25000 Ordinance Survey maps of the UK on my 2gb memory card and use it for the odd ramble or country walk.

Its also a VGA camera and a video camera with sound.

Oh and its also my bluetooth mobile phone, linked to a bluetooth car kit and with voice dialling software installed.

I can get onto the internet at any open wi-fi point and can download my emails - and it also synchronises to my Microsoft Office works mail system to hold my calendar and contacts.

It might look a bit big as a phone - but its just one device that does everything.

When I had a separate phone and PDA, I still used to carry both devices around all the time because even if I wasn't using the GPS to follow a route, I use the GPS as a matter of course, most of the time I'm driving, to warn me of speed cameras in case I lose concentration....

I'm sold on the PDA solution and struggle to see what the built-in option gives you apart from something to talk about when you carry a new passenger.....

I too first considered GPS when I was buying a new car back in 2002 as a £1200 option and if I'd spent that then, it would have gone with the car when I sold that last year.
The £400 I spent on the PDA solution (2002 prices - a lot less now...) has provided a lasting and flexible solution that I wouldn't have had with a built-in fixed system.

Oh and I forgot to mention - its an MP3 and video player too, because its Windows based... You can get a 2gb card for just £15 these days.... Enough for several DVDs or loads of songs....

 

[h5djr]

I also use Memory-Map 1:50,000 Ordnance maps on my PDA as well as the sat-nav software. I still like to plan my route on a map and go the way I want which is often not the same way as Emily (the voice on my sat-nav) want to take me. With Memory-Map and the GPS at least I always know where I am, even if I get lost, which is half the battle to getting to where you want to be.

 

[benw123]

I've been toying with the idea of spec'ing sat-nav in my next car but Ican;t get my head round it costing circa £1600 or £1200 if I go for after market fitting.

Will you recoup the investment in fatory fit sat-nav when it comes to resell? I nkow they say that if you have a £40k you need it...

The RNS-E is a £2000 option new which is something you'll never get back, but so far I've spent around £460 retrofitting it and I reckon I'll get that back at trade-in. Sat nav is desirable on premium cars, but at the very least, the car will be easier to sell.

 

[__DyNaSTY_X_]

Guys, a quick off topic question (since now john_cook seems to have decided on the RNS-E over TomTom.)...

What do you all use to clean the nav screen? I got my new baby 6 Days ago and already some dust has made itself comfy on the nav screen but not really sure on what to use, as i don't want to scratch it. Also for future reference as to how to remove grease (from fingers) and so.... Thanks ^^

 

[alfiejts]

i haven't an rns-e screen, but I always just use a damp microfibre cloth on all soft plasti screens like that...

I've occasionally used a squirt of glass cleaner on the cloth to remove the stubborn marks...

 

[marriedblonde]

The RNS-E is a £2000 option new which is something you'll never get back, but so far I've spent around £460 retrofitting it and I reckon I'll get that back at trade-in. Sat nav is desirable on premium cars, but at the very least, the car will be easier to sell.

Ah ok I though it was around £1600... I thought Craig fitted it to another members car for around £1200?

But I could justify spending circa £500...

 

[marriedblonde]

@Dave and Alfiejts - the only problem I found using a PDA solution for navigation was the speed. Because it does more than one thing it seemed to take an age to calculate routes, recalculate etc.

J.

 

[h5djr]

I use Destinator 6 software on my PDA and it's very quick at the initial route calculation and if I take a wrong turning or change my mind on the way the route re-calculation is almost instant.

It will, of course, depend on the speed of the PDA which is being used. My HP 4700 is quite quick at most things.

 

[alfiejts]

Same here Dave. Three or four seconds at most for a replan. Even on my wife's old Ipaq 3850 with a slow processor and less memory its no bother.

I do always make sure I've closed down all my other unnecessary open applications though, just to help.

I use an app called "Closeall" that does exactly that and I have a hard button assigned to it too. Always helps to make sure you haven't got resources being wasted doing things you didn't even know were going on....

 

[benw123]

Ah ok I though it was around £1600... I thought Craig fitted it to another members car for around £1200?

But I could justify spending circa £500...

Just checked the Audi configurator and on the SE the RNS-E is a whopping £2175 option! So my £450 I've spent, albeit for a used unit, is still much less than a quarter of the cost new.

Craig would probably like to add a post too, but I'm sure he was retrofitting for around £900 these days. He's already supplied me with some late firmware and 2006 nav DVD and was very helpful and prompt!

 

[Vertigo1]

Well I've been using TT5 for over a year now and, having just taken delivery of a new car with RNS-E, thought I'd share my thoughts.

Firstly there's the obvious advantage of having the nav integrated and "just there" all the time which, IMO, can't be overstated. I used TT5 on a PDA rather than an all-in-one unit so it was more cumbersome than a One would have been but even so, I couldn't bear the hassle of hiding the TT away all the time when you leave the car. This got the point where I'd only ever use the TT when I really really needed to - if I could get away without it I did so.

As for functionality, the only thing I really miss is having the speed camera database on my TT but I can live without this. The only other thing the TT did better was the touch-screen aspect which made it much faster than the RNS-E when selecting destinations and so forth. Using the wheel is rather slow by comparison but I can see why they've done it this way. Using a touch screen would be asking for trouble as people would stab away at it (possibly with long nails) and they'd be breaking left right and centre. Using the wheel may not be quite as fast but then it still only takes a minute or so to enter a destination and then you're done.

In all other regards I find the RNS-E far superior. The nice big display is used to great effect and the junction "pop-up" screen is fantastic, much better than the auto-zooming of the TT IMO (although the RNS-E can do this too if you want). I also find that it tracks your location and direction far better than the TT did. Quite often when changing direction with the TT it would get a bit confused as to where you were going and take a second to "snap" back to the road. This wasn't too bad when you were following the suggested route as it obviously assumed you were going to go where it told you but when you had no route programmed and it thus had no idea where you were going to go, it very often got a bit jerky and confused at junctions. The RNS-E has none of this and follows you much more faithfully. I strongly suspect the system takes input from the steering and speed to help work out where you're going and this shows in the smoothness of the display.

The other major bonuses over the TT are the DIS display which is just so convenient to use and the navigation instructions which are far more detailed and informative. I've not used the latest TT6 which I believe is better in this regard but the wealth of information on the RNS-E compared to TT5 is astounding, with turn lists and distances to service areas/petrol stations shown on the main screen and the voice giving fuller instructions in a more natural way.

Overall I'm very impressed with it and that's even without talking about the phone integration which is simply superb (to the point that my boss now wants it retrofitted to his A6 - craigyb, see my pm on navplus.us).

 

[beerglass]

I agree with everything your saying there but your comment about the hassle of the TT.
Yes a TT one or TT PDA is hassle.
But i'm talking about TT 6 on a Nokia N73 mobile phone. The phone is always with me and I plug it into the phone holder everytime I get into the car.

I dont leave my phone in the car so everytime I get out my TT comes with me.

I did have TT 5 on a PDA years ago and that was hassle and would only come out when driving a long distance.

With TT 6 on the mobile is always with you. Its alot cheaper than the Audi OEM setup as well.

You also get a nice 3.2 mega pixel camera with it. I cant comment on the detail or voice compared to the audi setup but its not any more hassle.

I have the bluetooth phone prep in the car and you can also get the TT 6 to output via the phone speaker,mute totally or output via the bluetooth to the audi headunit like the oem, its mutes the music and cuts in giving directions.

I dont get the DIS display which I'm guessing would be well handy.