Review: Navman F20 satellite navigation

A no-frills sat nav device for under £200

The Navman F20 is the first from the new Freedom range, and makes no bones about the fact that it’s an entry level device. Priced at around £180 it’s one of the cheapest new models on the market.

Despite its entry level features you’ll still find eight-digit postcode searches and an integrated Sirfstar III GPS receiver. Maps of the UK and Ireland are supplied and you can upgrade with additional coverage via the MMC card slot on the side.

Those used to higher end sat-nav devices might find the Navman's lack of customisable features on the F20 a little restrictive. Maps aren’t particularly detailed but show an accurate position on the road and it has a fast time-to-fix response (how long it takes to locate the necessary satellites at startup).

Journey information such as distance to destination, speed, direction and estimated time of arrival are all available on a separate screen a button press away. In terms of preferences you can change a range of basic features such as units of measurement, and there are manual zoom controls on the main map, but there’s not a lot to do in terms of tweaking the unit’s behaviour.

Navigating and viewing a route itinerary is very easy, but there is no option to avoid specific roads or parts of your journey.

One interesting feature is the safety camera database, enabled with a simple ‘on’ or ‘off’ setting on the menu. When turned on it tends to dominate the display - you’re notified with flashing red text at the bottom of the unit when approaching a camera. A year's subscription to camera database updates will set you back £33.

Despite the F20’s basic nature its simplicity does hold a certain charm. It’s probably safer than a lot of the high-end devices as there’s really not a lot to fiddle about with while you’re driving. It does the job of finding a route and guiding you to your destination well, so if you’re in the market for a no-frills solution this could be your man.

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Mio Miomap v3
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