TomTom's latest Go satnav device adds a range of connectivity options to make it a more rounded companion for your car, not just a device to get you from A to B.

The TomTom Go includes all the features you expect from the Go family - like Traffic, speed cameras, smart route guidance and free mapping updates, but expands to offer a more fully-featured smartphone connection too. 

New to the 6200, 5200, 620 and 520 models is connectivity that will give you smartphone notifications on your TomTom display. These will appear at the bottom of the display in a swipe-up tray, letting you quickly glance, have them read to you and respond where necessary. 

These notifications are designed to help you keep your eyes on the road, rather than reaching for your phone when you get a message. The Go won't support all messaging formats, however, and email isn't included, but you will be able to get WhatsApp, Facebook, Line, SMS and iMessages read to you. 

That's not the only smartphone skill these new Go models will offer however: they also support Siri, Google and Cortana, so you'll be able to talk to your phone exactly as you would if you were directly interacting with it. 

This will mean, for example, that you can tell your phone to play songs on Spotify, or to initiate calls. You can use voice to find locations too, although there's no direct link-up between mapping on your phone and mapping on the TomTom, unless you're using the TomTom My Drive app.

tomtom go adds wi fi smartphone notifications and siri google cortana voice controls image 2
TomTom

All the connectivity options come via Bluetooth and as before, the new Go models offer four options. The Go 6200 and 5200 have an embedded SIM for live updates to traffic, and have a 6 or 5-inch display respectively. 

The Go 620 and 520 need a smartphone connection to provide that data, so you'll have to tether via Bluetooth on these models – again, in 6 and 5-inch screen sizes respectively.

One advantage that the 6200 and 5200 have is that you get Europe-wide roaming with these devices too, so you'll get traffic and other services when you're driving further from home, without having to worry about roaming on your smartphone tariff. 

There's another new addition to these models and that's Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi connection is there to update the TomTom software. The idea is that you connect to your home Wi-Fi network to allow map updates, rather than having to plug it into a laptop.

With most home Wi-Fi connections extending into the driveway, that should mean that when your car is parked, your TomTom can check for a connection and update itself without you having to do anything. 

The new TomTom Go models will be available from September, breaking down as follows:

  • TomTom Go 6200 Europe: £359.99
  • TomTom Go 5200 Europe: £319.99
  • TomTom Go 620 Europe: £259.99
  • TomTom Go 520 Europe: £219.99