Vexia Econav 380 UK/Ireland review

But soon we come across problems once more. First, the user interface isn't that user friendly. Commonly used items such as the volume control are tucked far away, several clicks from the main map screen, and it's not always obvious what the icons on the main screen mean. Second, its automatic routing can't compete with even the most basic TomTom Satnav, whose IQ Routes feature calculates itineraries based on the recorded average speeds on roads (at specific times of day) rather than posted speed limits, as this one does.

Finally, the screen, sound and general performance simply aren't up to scratch. We found the coating on the screen produced a terrible amount of glare. Add too much much sun to the mix and it's difficult to see. The volume of the speaker, even when set to maximum, isn't loud enough to overcome road noise and wind roar in noisy cabins. And the Vexia also has trouble picking up satellites quickly from cold, taking minutes at the start of each journey booting and establishing a signal lock.

A final irritation concerns the next small next turning icons, which appear in a bar at the bottom of the screen - they've clearly not been Anglicised, with roundabout icons pointing the wrong way around junctions.

So, even if the Econav 380's fuel saving features worked flawlessly and worked for everyone, the weakness of the rest of the package mean you'd have to be a seriously inefficient driver to justify splashing out. And with the UK and Ireland version costing £150 and the European model £180, it's more than a little overpriced too.