best sat nav

Asking for the “best” sat nav is like asking which servo makes the finest meat pie—there are two heavyweights and your phone muscling in. Garmin DriveSmart (66/76/86): Pros—clear directions, reliable offline AU/NZ maps with updates, big screens, speed/red‑light alerts; Cons—live traffic usually needs your phone, interface is more accountant than artist. TomTom GO Discover/GO: Pros—crisp maps, excellent traffic and routing, simple UI; Cons—smartest features lean on connectivity, some services become paid after the trial. Your smartphone (Google/Apple/Waze): Pros—freshest maps and top‑tier traffic; Cons—data use, notification chaos, and summer heat turning it into a hand warmer. Touring beyond coverage? A dedicated unit with offline maps is your safe bet; stuck in city traffic, the phone often wins on smarts. Budget around AUD 250–500 for a new premium sat‑nav (used 80–250), and mount it so it doesn’t impersonate a crash‑test dummy.