AutoRoute 2004 Review

Overall Rating

Some current telephone numbers and height above sea level!

In my experience and opinion Auto Route 2004 has been inaccurate, unreliable, poor re-routing, slow route recalculation, out of date data.

I bought this when my old iPAQ and satnav combo died, I bought a laptop to replace it, realising I didn't have a GPS system, I popped out and bought this, thinking that I could run it from my car (and charge the laptop) on my way to carry out my visits.

The address entry system isn't too agreeable - put in London and you'll get a number from all over the world (London, Ontario anyone?) - that might be OK if you're a very long distance lorry driver, but I think MS were being a bit optimistic, so you need to check you've got the right destination otherwise it gets temperamental.

I wouldn't hold too much stock on their petrol station information - some stations it showed as near to my house closed down a number of years ago and are new build estates - so don't leave it till last minute before filling up. It is handy when you're looking up pubs/restaurants as it'll give you the phone number so you can book ahead (although there was more than one occasion when I called the restaurant and found it'd changed its name.

The postcode feature isn't too bad, but I only used it in London and the surroundings so I can't comment about anywhere else.

I bought mine with a GPS included (BIG mistake) even when stationary in London it would tell me that I had gone off route - which when you're stuck at traffic lights isn't really reassuring. If you genuinely wander off route (due to roadworks or because you didn't hear the damn thing) you have to hit F7 to get it to recalculate and most times it just tells you to "turn around".

I was going along the Blackwall Tunnel approach (a dual carriageway with a central reservation) and it suddenly decided I'd gone the wrong way (probably because there was a parallel road) and it told me to make a "U" turn. This U turn request was made on countless occasions and if you followed it to the letter your next of kin would probably buy a Tom Tom to go to the cemetary to visit you.

I took it with me to go to a visit near Birmingham, I got a colleague to drive and he borrowed a Tom Tom - going along the elevated section of the M6 - MS decided to tell us to turn left immediately (which with the sea level thingy was about 600 feet above sea level!) - whereas the Tom Tom just kept schtum until we needed to go anywhere.

It was after this that I decided that I'd have to pay for a Tom Tom instead and installed the software on the kids PC to help them with their geography homework.