TomTom XL 340S 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Bundle with Case
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The TomTom XL 340•S Bundle includes the TomTom XL 340•S device plus a Soft Quilted Carry Case. The XL 340•S is complete navigation, in a widescreen device. Switch on and go right out of the box. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions including street names will guide you to any address in the US, Canada and Mexico – including more than 7 million preloaded points of interest. And, with the protective Soft Quilted Carry Case, you can easily transport and store your XL 340•S device. IQ Routes™ Technology* gives you the fastest route every time by using actual average speeds of travel on your route to calculate your trip rather than only posted speed limits, so you’ll always travel the smartest route. Advanced Lane Guidance** provides extra clarity when navigating difficult junctions by showing you which lane to take, so you won’t miss your turn or have to make dangerous lane crossings. Photorealistic images and a pulsing green arrow indicate exactly which lane to use. TomTom has the most accurate maps and with TomTom Map Share™ technology you can instantly modify street names, street direction, POIs, road speeds and turn restrictions on your own device. With the “Help Me!” menu, there are added safety features so you can easily access local emergency providers. The award-winning Fold & Go EasyPort® mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take it with you from car to car. The XL 340•S Bundle is complete, widescreen navigation plus a Soft Quilted Carry Case. *Feature only available in the US and Canada **Feature available in the US only
Features
- Preloaded with maps of the US, Canada and Mexico, complete with Map Share technology for easy modification and updates
- Preloaded with more than 7 million points of interest in over 60 destination categories–gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs and more
- IQ Routes Technology calculates the fastest route possible based on time of day, saving you time, fuel and money
- Advanced Lane Guidance indicates exactly which lane to use, so you can go confidently
- Announces turn-by-turn directions aloud, including street and place names
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 3 x 5 x 1 inches
- Weight: 0 pounds
Works fine after fixing the map problem
It’s a great device at the paid price. At first, I read the reviews and followed the instructions for the free map update by cleaning up some space in the device. The latest map was downloaded but it failed to update the device and destroyed the original map. If I tried to update again, it always failed with “not enough space” until I manually deleted the map content in the device thru Windows Explorer. Finally, the last attemp of map update finished without error.
After fixing the map problem, it works great. I like the way it allows the user to customize the images, colors, and voices, but its TTS is not as good as Garmin’s. The pronounciation of street and highway names is not very clear. Anything else seems good, especially great for the senstivity of the gps chip. This is the only GPS that could lock the satellites in my house. Its processor is not as fast as the one in TomTomGo 740 Live on which I never experienced any map/software update issue. Garmin is a better GPS but Tomtom is cheaper, built better, and fun to use.
Error even TomTom couldn’t fix.
I’ve been using GPS units for at least twenty-five years, first on my various boats, then for my cars. I currently own a two-year old Garmin 660. It has been a good unit, but the map was getting old so I looked at my options. I decided that I could either update my Garmin with unlimited maps and unlimited traffic, or, for for an extra $15 I could purchase the TomTom 340TM that included both features, and keep my Garmin in the other car.
Great idea, lousy execution. The unit arrived and I hooked it up to my computer. The TomTom Home software loaded, connected to the GPS and downloaded several software and small map updates. So far, so good. I then put it in my car and went for a short trip to try it out. The bar on the side that shows that the Traffic Receiver is active showed up, but it had a warning flag at the top. I pressed the bar (I had already read the user guide cover-to-cover before my first trip) and received a red screen with the following message, “Your RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver cannot be used in combination with the current map.”
I immediately called technical support, and we worked on the unit for about three hours. They then asked me to send them my purchase invoice because they were “going to bounce this one upstairs” as they could not fix it.
A day later, via e-mail, I received an RMA number and shipping label. I dutifully sent the unit to TomTom, expecting they would determine the problem and either correct it or send me a new unit. Twelve agonizing days later I received a box with a GPS in it. There was no note inside. I turned it on, plugged it into my computer and this time it needed to download the entire USA/Canada?Mexico map – all 1.8 gigabytes of it. That took seven hours with my DSL line. It also downloaded a few other software updates. Finally everything was set and I went back to my car. Same bar came up, same error flag showed, and same message when I pressed the bar.
I immediately gave tech support a call to see if they knew anything additional about this error. I waited, on hold, a total of 60 minutes before I hung up in disgust and immediately initiated a return to Amazon. Looks like I have a Garmin in my future.
Additional Observations:
We had both the Garmin and the TomTom hooked up and running side-by side for a 600 mile trip from North Carolina to Connecticut with a stop in New Jersey. The Garmin was definitely brighter. I had to remove my sunglasses before I could read the TomTom whereas I could read the Garmin just fine with my sunglasses on. Also, when recalculating, the Garmin was significantly faster coming up with a solution. The solutions were usually identical.
On the other hand, the TomTom is noticeably louder. We always have the Garmin at max volume and it’s OK, but we had to turn the TomTom down to 70% to be at the same level as the Garmin.
I also like the flexibility of the Garmin when compared to the TomTom – more settings to adjust to fine tune the device to my liking – or yours.
Outstanding product, support, and value. A+
Don’t be misled. This is an excellent device; packed with high-end features and outstanding utility — the text-to-voice capability enhances the safety and utility of this automotive GPS.
Customer support via the toll-free number is among the best I have ever encountered with any product.
Needless to say (I would think) is that instructions for downloading to this GPS must be followed carefully. Reports of downloads converting the GPS into a “brick” are probably the result of user ignorance. Impatience is not rewarded by this highly efficient software, and intentional or unintentional disconnect of the USB line during download will certainly crash the unit. If you are unsure, confused, drunk, or impaired, I would suggest that you contact customer service for a live walk-through.
Performance has been exceptional up to trans-sonic speeds; exhibiting the slightest progressive longitudinal vibratory harmonics in high-g pull-outs only.
Blessings.
Takes you where you want to go…
I’m very pleased with this GPS, I used it during my vacation travel and I’m impressed of how accurate it is.
Great customer service, they pick up the phone right away and friendly. To update to the Latest Map you’ll need to first backup your existing Map, delete it then download the new map (it takes 3 hours to download). the only downside is I had to get rid of the extra voices that came with the system to get more space but that’s ok because I only need one or two voices. The Advanced Lane guide feature works great and directions are easy to follow. This a great GPS. Great Price too.
tomtomXL340S
Seems good in every way only once so far did it not turn me to the right location,don’t understand what was wrong.But it is easy to use and for the price I paid it is a great tool
Took out of the box, hit the road, loved it
For a two-week business trip, my son and I had to drive nearly 3,000 miles, through Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. I decided we needed our first-ever GPS and chose this model for the IQ routing, plus the free three-month trial of the Live service.
Only twice did “Susan” (the voice we selected) fail to guide us to our destination–in one instance, a hotel that the manager said “nobody’s GPS can find” and in the other, what was probably an incorrect address. Otherwise, we navigated from state to state and to numerous business locations, hotels and restaurants with amazing ease. At first, I double-checked the proposed routes against my MapQuest printouts and AAA TripTik, but eventually Susan won my trust.
I especially appreciated the advance lane guidance (“Exit right, then stay in the left lane”) and the speed limit reporting. The unit was easy to program–a good thing, since the printed instructions were not thorough. We had no problems with brightness/readability, but the mounting system gave us trouble; Susan took a couple dives to the car floor.
The live update saved us from at least one big traffic jam, though the alternate route went through sketchy territory. We decided that whenever the live update warned of a delay longer than 8 minutes, we’d take the alternate route, unless it was late at night. I don’t think we’ll pay for the live update when the free trial expires, because in day-to-day life we don’t travel that much, but it was good to have for this trip.
Because I’d read about problems downloading new maps, I did not do so before our trip. We encountered only one clearly new interchange that wasn’t on the existing map. Now that we’re home, I’m nervous about attempting the update but will follow other reviewers’ suggestions.
If we made this trip again, I would still bring printed maps, because twice we lost the GPS signal shortly before we had to make a crucial turn. We recovered the signal quickly, but it was good to have the paper reference ready.
For $5, I also bought a recharger that can plug into a wall outlet. I used that only once and probably could have skipped it; we kept Susan plugged in to the cigarette lighter.
Overall, I was extremely pleased and highly recommend this GPS, with the caveat about updating maps with care.
On first Map updating”software keep giving error”
Hello first time buyers
I have been looking for my first GPS system bw 100$ to 170$ range for couple months, after reviewing feedbacks or reviews on different website I decided for TomTom XL 340M as I thought it may be one time money spent for the Map update and 340 is reasonable product. I got the shipment from seller in timely fashion.I was excited sync and update Map from TOM TOM home. Everything went fine until new map started copying in the device, took 2 hours without results? Based on some feedback on this website I presumed that 2gb memory might be not enough this and system is not built for automatic uninstalling and reinstalling simultaneously, therefore I tried to do this process after first deleting pre-installed Map but remain unsuccessful(encounter: writing error. Called TomTom customer services couple times, after explaining this problem he come up with the new thought: first update the IQ route Tech application before Map downloading as new maps are not compatible with the old version IQ route application. I tried in that way multiple times but did not fix this problem. I wasted my whole day on this without success and I was frustrated and sent back product to seller as it were only 5 days were passed from the date of purchase. It may be the simple problem for other person, but it was too complicated for me. It appears that this 340 series was manufactured 10 years ago and may not compatible to handle these new map updates other functions.I do not know how I conclude the feedback about this product to help other first time buyers but one thing I have learned from this experience is that Tom Tom customer service is suboptimal e.g prolong call waiting, Tech support are not efficient and little rude. Good luck with your GPS shopping
TomTom XL340S 4.3-Inch Portable GPS
the product is good, but does not explain everything cearly, like return
to home,clearly. directions booklet should be more explacet. it’s easier
then most GPS. I recommend this model at the price I bought it for.
TomTom XL 340 TM — too many problems
I own the TomTom ONE 125 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator. I worked well for me, exceipt that it lacked spoken street names. When I saw TomTom 340XL with Lifetime Traffic and Maps, I couldn’t resist upgrading.
Did I say upgrade? This has to be the most frustrating experience I’ve ever had with an electronic product. Out of the box, I got nothing but error messages trying to update my software and maps. It took time, but I finally got the activation code for lifetime map updates to work. It recognized the traffic cable, but only the first time I used the unit. It wouldn’t recognize any cables after that.
Award winning customer service (which I contacted or attempted to contact on four occasions), took forever and a day to get through. When I did finally get a live person, they were very friendly. Their diagnosis? I got a dud. Back it went.
Today, I received my second unit. This one is worse than the first. It had no maps installed and none would update and the activation code never worked. I could not get any maps loaded onto the GPS at all. I have given up exchanging the unit and am going to return it for a full refund.
It’s such a shame. I really wanted to like this TomTom.
I’ve returned my first unit…We’ll see about the replacement
I don’t write many reviews (the ones I have written, however, have been positive) however I must say I am very disappointed with this product. I had decided to “upgrade” my Garmin Nuvi 760 and had researched these units quite a bit and finally settled on the TT XL 340 Live (mainly for the continually updated maps and lifetime traffic).
Problem 1: The lifetime maps/traffic code that was included with the unit DID NOT WORK. Several calls to tomtom customer service were required to finally get them to “approve” the code that was INCLUDED with the unit when purchased. I had to send photos of the receipt, the unit, and the documentation included with the unit. Took about 2.5 hours on the phone with them to sort all this out. Unfortunately, my case was not an isolated incident (which I found out later…many people with similar problems…)
Problem 2 (which was the breaking point, and cause of return to Amazon): The unit continues to crash! I will be driving, when, randomly, the unit freezes and restarts. I then have to re-enter the destination address…Very bothersome. Spoke to TT tech support SIX times. I reinstalled the software so many time my head became numb. And, I hate to say it, I consider myself quite technically proficient, this was not a problem on the user’s end. Tech support was useless. They gave me the same run around every time I called (“let’s try the same thing again, maybe it will work this time…”)
That being said, the unit looks nice (except when it’s bright outside), the traffic feature works well (albeit intermittently). The best (and most positive feature) is the map. Gorgeous. Very readable. Better than Garmin/Navigon hands down.
I have requested a replacement, hopefully the new one will fix these issues.
Perfect, a great value
I have nothing negative to say about this GPS. It was cheap, easy to set up, the voice can be set very load so it can be heard over the radio which is a big plus when your using it most of the day. The instructions are easy to follow and looking at the screen is really not needed as the voice guides you step by step. If you do need to look at the screen the size makes it very easy to follow the map and is spot on to about a few feet from its location.
The on tip would be setting the voice to the computer setting as it will be able to speak the street names. A human voice which is not very different from the computer voice does not allow you to receive step by step instructions with street names. It is a pointless option in my opinion.
I would highly recommend this as it was the cheapest GPS I found, and works perfectly. You couldn’t ask for anything better.
S…L…O…W and Cheaply Made
I have owned two Garmin Nuvis and one (late) Dash Express, and bought this to replace the Dash Express for its traffic capabilities.
Unfortunately, this is a barely-usable device, and I am returning it.
1. The processor is so slow that by the time you wait for it to figure (and recalculate) a route, you won’t be any better off than if you just drove into a traffic jam. Is there a gerbil inside calculating routes by hand (paw)?
2. At least on this unit, the screen sensitivity had some HUGE problems. You would tap on a letter, and nothing would appear. OK, then I would tap a second time, and the letter would be returned in triplicate! Fine, backspace. But now the backspace doesn’t work. Oh wait, now it backspaced over the entire word! You get the idea.
3. The traffic icons are so huge that they pretty much bury the road network; it’s tough to see much, or make sense of anything.
4. Want to pan the map? Good luck! See #2, above. Maybe it will pan, maybe it won’t, maybe you’ll end up in another state.
5. Recalculating…recalculating…recalculating…recalculating…recalculating…recalculating…recalculating…recalculating…
It’s too bad about all this; it would be nice if Garmin had some serious competition in the stand-alone GPS market.
Amazone, LLC
If you need it fast don’t Order. It’s a jocke. $163.xx for the Unit, search and get the same for less and faster shipping. My Bad that i have to wait 8 Days and pay hart dollar, lol I’m just to lazy to cancel, just thinking about how long it would take to refund my money so i can puy one in a local store and be done with it.
Lesson learned.
Sincerely, -Maic
Great Gift
I bought this product for my wife for mother’s day and she loves it and finds it very easy to use. I think this gps is a great buy, particularly for the money!
Some issues
I bought this item and received it very quickly. Once I opened the box and hooked it up, everything seem to be working wonderfully. That is, until I tried to use the traffic portion that I had added. The unit that was sent to me was non-compatible with the traffic hook-up that was sent. After an hour on the phone with customer support (would have been longer), the issue was still not resolved. After my third phone call to customer support, I finally received an RMA and have sent the unit back. They are sending out a brand new unit to replace it with as I had the unit less then 24 hours before the issue was located.
Other then the customer support group, the unit was great and there is a terrific online community with map updates always coming out.
TomTom XL340S
I love this GPS receiver. It was extremely easy to set up. I was able to start using it without any difficulty at all. I used it to navigate from Santa Clarita to the Zip Line Tours in Big Bear Cailiforna. I used it to navigate from Santa Clarita to Sedona, Grand Canyon, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Montezuma’s Castle. WHat I love about it is that when I exit off the freeway, to find a place to eat, I no longer need to keep track of all my turns. I just go right/left as much as I want, then when I am ready to continue my trip, the GPS gets me back to the freeway.
It takes a little effort to attach the unit to the windshield mount. In Albuquerque, when I got off the freeway, it told me to go right, left, left, left and right when I could have made a left turn right off the exit ramp. It got me to my destination, though it took a slightly convoluted route. Other than this one slight mistake, it has performed admirably so far.
TomTom 340 XL-S
Bought this on Amazon and with the prime 2 day shipping was at our hotel at Universal City before we arrived from Australia. Travelled from LA to Pheonix to Vegas and all due to the TomTom.
Lane guidance presents you with a view of the exit options and id a must.
Work quite well
Have not found the menu path yet but will read the directions! Worked right out of the box and aquired a satellite quickly which neither of my two previous garmins did.
Updates
I purchased this product because the GPS I had was discontinued both the unit and support of it. However, when I got this Tom Tom there was nothing in the material to register the unit and what options are available for keeping it updated.
TomTom XL 340S
i bought this for my wife so she has been using it but i helped to set it up.
plus:
looks good. i like the 3d view and the highway offramps you need to be in. speaks street names which is good but only works in computer voice. easy to mount on the windshield but bulky if you take it off and leave the bracket on. this unit came bundled with a quilted bag…not much protection, but protest from scratches. i like the user updates. keeps the maps current if you are out of date and can’t get free updates from tomtom.
minus:
takes a looooong time to download and update maps.
took my wife a long way around to get to a destination when it is right off the freeway.
time on the screen is confusing. not sure what time is what.
i have the Garmin Nuvi 365 (?)…i prefer the interface and menus of the garmin better but maybe because i’m used to it. i do like the features of the tomtom as well. both are good units.