Panasonic Strada CN GP50N Review

As one would expect from a manufacturer which specializes in televisions, cameras and stereo systems, the Strada CN-GP50N has the emphasis on excellent audio and video output. That is not to say the navigation plays second fiddle - on the contrary, this is first and foremost a sat nav not a portable entertainment centre.

The TFT touchscreen itself is really big, a massive 5 inches, which is about as big as you can get in a portable GPS systems, but at 271 grams weighs a great deal less than its size-wise competition. Batteries will become fully charged in 6 hours when attached to the cigarette lighter adapter and can operate for up to 4 hours on a full charge.

The unit comes with the cigarette lighter adapter as standard, along with mounting hardware, a USB cable and a 2GB Memory Card.

Route planning can easily be done in the comfort of your own home where you can preview distances and travel times without being in satellite contact. You can save your favourite routes, like to mother-in-law and back (or more probably pub and back) and choose from up to 30 recent trips from the list of Last Destinations.

The Panasonic Strada CN-GP50N comes with maps of 37 European countries and includes over a million points of interest (POIs). The large screen does enable the unit to display many POIs without becoming overcrowded or confusing. 3D city maps are also included for some locations and upgrades can be sought using either the USB cable for downloads or by data on an SD card. You can download safety camera data this way as well.

Despite Panasonic having a heavy presence in the entertainment world, this unit's strength is in the audible and visual output rather than adding non-sat nav features such as an MP3 or MP4 player. On the other hand, Bluetooth is supported for hands free telephone calling.

A very useful feature is the GPS Assist which uses an electronic compass to ensure you are still heading in the right direction even if satellite coverage goes down for a while, for example in tunnels, and the Smart Assist function adjusts the position on the map accordingly.

A sad drawback is the lack of TMC (Traffic Message Channel) ability. At this price, even with the big screen, this would seem an almost must have. For £10 less, you can get the Sony NV-U92T which only has a slightly smaller screen (4.8 inches) but comes with TMC included. However, you would lose your Bluetooth feature and it depends which you feel has greater priority.

The unit is not cheap. For a further £10 you can invest in the Mio C520t which has all the bells and whistles, including both Bluetooth and TMC, and is a whole 100 grams lighter. Despite the large screen it would have to be said the Mio packs more punch.