TomTom Go 5200

The TomTom Go 5200 and its slightly bigger sibling the 6200, are the best that TomTom have to offer, and they are seriously impressive. 

The controls are intuitive, the machine learning behind the scenes means your journey is smoother and shorter than it would otherwise be, and the integration with your phone means that you can read and reply to text messages without taking your eyes off the road.

Make no mistake, these developments come at a price. The 5200 and 6200 are the most expensive models that TomTom makes.

One thing that does take the edge off that price tag is the fact that both of these devices include lifetime subscriptions to all maps worldwide, all traffic update services, and speed camera alerts. 

If you’re the sort of person that uses all these services, after a couple of years you will have recouped that spending in savings from annual subscriptions. 

We realise that up until this point we haven’t mentioned the actual navigation, but on the 5200 the basics are done so well it’s easy to forget them. Long story short, this is a great sat nav.

Design

The TomTom Go 5200 has a 5-inch touchscreen that sits neatly within a sleek plastic chassis. It feels solid in the hand, and the magnetic connection gives a reassuring click into a robust connection with the stand.

The stand then attaches to your windscreen using a system of a plunger and twisting lock mechanism that will be familiar to users of previous models of TomTom. The only minor gripe is that the twisting lock mechanism doesn’t have a ‘locked in’ position. 

That said, the connection to the windscreen was totally firm, so the issue was more psychological than physical.

The 5200 has one single physical button on the back, and the rest of the controls are done using the touchscreen. Thankfully the touchscreen is capacitive, unlike the resistive touchscreen of the cheaper Via and Start models.

This means that it will feel a lot like your smartphone to operate. It responds quickly and accurately to touch, and allows for more complicated gestures like swiping through menus. 

That may sound reductive, but when you are driving, having to focus on pressing on-screen buttons to scroll through menu options can be dangerously distracting. 

The only drawback to the screen is that the glass screen feels more delicate than the resistive screens on the cheaper model, meaning you feel a little resistant to just chuck it in your glovebox.

The Go 5200 measures: 1.9 x 14.2 x 9.1 cm and weighs 200g, so is a little smaller and a little lighter than its same-size counterparts in the Via and Smart range.

The 6200 is the same is every way, including functionality, the only way that it differs is that is has a 6-inch screen. 

There were a couple of times when icons on the screen felt a little small on the 5200, and without the option of changing icon size, the only real option is to go for the bigger model if you think that’s going to annoy you.

As this is a device that you’re going to be using regularly and for many years, we really recommend making sure you spend wisely and get the device you really need.

Features and functionality

The TomTom Go 5200 is so jam-packed with features that are worth talking about, it’s difficult to know where to start, so let’s concentrate on the basics. 

Inputting an address to travel to is intuitive and easy. The suggestions that the 5200 makes while you type helps to expedite the process, and there are a number of smart options including saved places, recently visited, and our personal favourite ‘Drive Home’.

 

There are voice services, and while they are still a way off being Alexa-level accurate, they do offer a level of ease in using menus that is welcome. 

If you are thinking that you’ll be able to input a whole address using just your voice, you may be disappointed as we tried for a good five minutes to get it to understand a road name to no avail.

One way that voice integration really excels in the Go 5200 is in the way it syncs with your phone. With a simple press of the phone icon, you can connect to your phone's digital assistant, essentially enabling you to send texts, make calls, search the web, all without looking at your phone. 

As the speaker is only small, voice calling only really works in a quiet environment. We tried using it on the motorway and could barely hear the person on the other end. Dictating texts and having them read out works perfectly, which was a feature we never knew how much we needed.

Another great way that the 5200 works with your phone is using the MyDrive app, you can plan a route on your phone, then send it to your TomTom. We really can't over-stress what a great feature this is. 

Once your journey is planned and you're on the road, the visual instructions on screen are clear, the ranges of voices that you can choose from are clear and easy to listen to, and the map includes just the right amount of information to make you feel in control of your journey.

Unlike other models of sat nav, the Go 5200 comes with a lifetime subscription to all of the map updates, speed cameras and traffic alerts. It even has an inbuilt sim card for traffic services meaning they are always up to date. For the the other two, it can connect to your router via Wi-Fi.

The Go 5200 will check in every once in a while to make sure that you are still on the fastest route and offer you alternatives if you aren't. You'll never needlessly sit in a traffic jam again.

The battery is supposed to last up to an hour, but we found in our experience that it can last well beyond that. Still, it's probably safe to keep the charging cable in the car. It plugs into a standard USB port, and comes with an adapter for a cigarette lighter incase you don't have a port in your car.

Verdict

The TomTom Go 5200 is a brilliant sat nav. The controls are easy to use, the maps are clear and constantly up to date, and the navigation is pleasant and precise.

The integration with your smartphone is an absolutely brilliant feature, and the customisation available means you can really take control of your driving experience.

The price tag may be prohibitive for some, but we do believe that it's worth the investment. As we've said previously, the lifetime subscriptions to all the TomTom services will quickly recoup the price difference, and if you're the sort of person who drives a lot, the 5200 will make a massive difference to your driving experience.