The TomTom XXL 540TM: Extra Large Touchscreen GPS

Most touchscreen GPS have 4” to 4.3” screens and are relatively easy to carry about as you can pop it off of the mount and pop it into your pocket so you can use it to find your car or truck later on. Most of time this size is just about the right size for anyone while some prefer those with a smaller screen. Those who have been wanting a larger screen will get something like the TomTom XXL 540TM for it's large 5” touchscreen display and revel in it.

Design

The larger 5” screen on the GPS dominates the front of the device, with no other visible controls asides from the power button on the top. A mini-USB port is about the only connection available and this is located at the bottom for easy connection to the car charger. While a single additional 1” worth of screen space shouldn't really add all that much in terms of size to the TomTom XXL 540TM, it does make the GPS significantly thicker than its smaller sized compatriots.

On its own this doesn't make it too thick but because it incorporates the EasyPort mount and cradle in one piece it is a lot thicker than most shirt pockets can fit. This shouldn't be an issue if you normally carry your GPS in a fanny bag or sling bag but most people put it into their coat or shirt pockets for easy access.

Features and Specifications

The TomTom XXL 540TM's 5” screen is just as responsive as it's smaller siblings, while the loud 2-inch speaker on the back is powerful enough to hear even in a larger and louder truck cab space. The GPS packs in 2GB worth of storage which is enough for voice and map data. Utilizing Advanced Lane Guidance the GPS shows very detailed graphics which are quite welcome on the larger screen. The text-to-speech functionality shows and announces street names clearly and you can choose between 14 English, Spanish and French voices although you can download more from the Internet.

This GPS lets you have one free map update within 30 days of purchase after which you will have to pay for quarterly updates. For free users, you can also share updates with other TomTom users using the TomTom Map Share service which is basically crowd-sourced information. The IQ Routes feature intelligently routes your journey, automatically avoiding areas or roads which have been reported to be congested at the time of your journey. Bear in mind this is based on historical data so it won't use real-time traffic data.

Performance

Initial startup can take some time on the TomTom XXL 540TM but afterward the GPS is quite fast to boot with fast satellite acquisition. Out of the box, the GPS has rather patchy maps so be sure to do that free map update soon. A larger screen means a larger keyboard with larger and easier to tap keys which is good for this GPS. Overall performance was quite fast, with clear directions and accurate maps, although the free Map Share function can be a bit hit or miss in terms of street names or POI names since other TomTom users are putting in the information.

Conclusion

Overall, the TomTom XXL 540TM makes for a very good GPS system for those of you who like things bigger. Performance-wise the GPS delivers well but the extra size and thickness does mean that carrying it about isn't going to be as easy as a smaller device, especially with the integrated cradle.