Mio F20 - 3.5 in. Car GPS Receiver

I bought my F20 Navman in Scotland in February 2007 and have used it consistently for 6 months. It has been invaluable as a new arrival to the UK. UK signage and directions are significantly different than the US and Canada and can be difficult for a North American. I suspect the same is true for Europeans traveling to North America. Consequently I have found my Navman to be probably the most helpful single item I have purchased since I have arrived in the UK. Since I have only used the F20 in the UK my comments obviously only relate to UK usage and most of that use has been in and around Aberdeen, Scotland.

The F20 is my first and so far only satellite navigation system. I paid about 140 pounds for the unit at Tesco. This was about 50 pounds cheaper than the next cheapest model at the time. I did read reviews before buying so I knew this was a no frills machine. Even so it probably does 90% of what most people will want from a sat nav. Aside from the obvious directions from here to there the following is a brief list of features and then a brief and likely incomplete list of features it does not include.

The F20 includes:
HOME button to direct you home automatically
Find location by postal code (postal codes in the UK are very small areas)
Find location by physical address including house number
Find point of interest (nearest, by city or by postal code)
Favorite locations
Speed camera locations (UK)
Parking locations (essential in the UK)
Gas station locations (essential in the UK)
Automatic rerouting when turning off the given directions
Multiple map views plus text listing of directions
Free driving map (without a destination)
Basic GPS functions (location, direction & signal strength)
Volume and brightness controls
External antenna connection
Memory card slot (for new maps and upgrades)
Power connection to cigarette lighter
Suction cup attachment to windscreen

Does not include:
Multi-destination routes
Rerouting for traffic (available T1 Traffic Pack as option)
Map updates (Available to purchase)
Speed camera updates (Available to purchase with new maps)
Gas station updates (Available to purchase with new maps)
Parking updates (Available to purchase with new maps)
NavPix (navigation to a stored picture)

More expensive Navman units have larger screens, more maps and navigation to a picture. These features say nothing about the quality of the maps, quality of routing and ability to find a location. That is all in the data and software. I have found the Navman to be robust but not perfect. Further I don't think it would help to get a more expensive Navman, because it is not an equipment issue it is a data and software issue.

Regarding map data, I have found it to be relatively accurate. Often a roundabout has been constructed or removed and the Navman gets confused. However, if you have to make an unplanned turn, you will get back on track with the automatic rerouting. The F20 does this automatically. I find it most commonly occurs when I take an incorrect exit from a roundabout. The map data is also pretty good about telling you when a street is one way. I even found some gravel roads are in the mapped data set. I have found 99% of the time map data is accurate and the other 1% doesn't impact my ability to get where I am going without delay. However, voice directions are not always accurate especially at roundabouts. I think sometimes (but not always) the navman gets confused about dual carriageways and counts both lanes as a separate exit. So what is actually the third exit may be termed as the fourth exit by the F20. However, if you follow the map data rather than the voice instructions you will go in the right direction.

Routing: This is probably the F20's weakest point. Last weekend we drove from Aberdeen to Durham, England and the F20 wanted to take us west through Glasgow. While this route does have faster speeds than the shorter alternative, it also included an hour of sitting in traffic. My suggestion is to look at the route and use the parts that look reasonable. if part of the route looks like it will take you into traffic, simply drive the direction you think you need to go and let the Navman recalculate a route on the fly. This essentially means you need a general idea of where you are going and where major traffic snarls might occur. Just note that if the Navman tries to take you through a large city center expect problems. There is no ability to tell the F20 a road is closed or find another route. You have to drive off the current route and it will recalculate. This has in fact impacted my ability to get where I want to go in a timely fashion and I have become wary of the routes the F20 calculates. I always double check a long route before I simply accept it is the best route. Having said that I have never been unable to get where I wanted. It might take longer than it should have taken, but the F20 always got me there.

Regarding ability to find a location, I have found the easiest way to find a location in the UK is the postal code. For travelers from the USA this is counter intuitive since zip codes are pretty large. Postal codes in Scotland are about 4 houses long so you are right there with only the code. However, I have found some postal codes are not loaded in the Navman, especially out in the country. I am sure this will improve with time, but that doesn't help me now since there are no free map or data updates. I have found inputting an actual address works most of the time as well. It suffers from similar problems in that sometimes the Navman cannot find an address. I have not tried an address in the countryside. The points of interest (POI) function works great! However, not all the POIs are loaded. You will be able to find Melrose Abbey but not Kelso Abbey for instance. The major POIs are included with map data. Favorites also work great. This has the obvious disadvantage that you have to get there at least once in order to save it as a favorite.

On a more basic level the F20 windscreen attachment works well with a large suction cup holding it well to the windscreen. The F20 has an external antenna attachment but I have not needed to use it. The power cord attaches firmly and the lead is just long enough to reach the cigarette lighter. It would be nice if it were a bit longer. The screen brightness and voice volume is fine out of the box but both are adjustable.

For a basic satellite navigation system the F20 is fine. It has 90% of the functionality at a very reasonable price. I think it is unlikely that buying a more expensive Navman would be much better since the flaws in the F20 are data and routing related, not hardware related. I think if I had it to do over again I might buy a Tom-Tom for 50 pounds more money. However, I have always arrived where I had planned with the Navman. If you are on a budget perhaps this is the right sat nav for you. It will get you where you are going.