Thread: Garmin nuvi 3597LMT or TomTom Go 6000?? HELP!!

I just bought a car (my first car actually) and i was going to buy a new gps for it.
My car is a lancia ypsilon with blue&me software and i want my gps to have bluetooth speaker functionality.
I also want "voice-activated navigation" and lifetime traffic.
After researching online i found myself torn between the Garmin nuvi 3597LMT and the TomTom Go 6000.
I must say that i always used this forum to download and install garmin map on some garmin unit belonging to a friend of mine and that
i am pretty accustomed with garmin units now (on the contrary i read that tomtom units needs to be "hacked" before installing downloaded map and it's not very easy to do for the new models such as the go 6000).
At the end i decided to ask here where i always found the answer to all my problems with garmin maps.
So i'd like to know by comparison which one is the best gps unit between those two. (considering the functions stated above and also that i'd like a "state of the art" navigator)

EDIT: I forgot to add that budget is not a problem so suggestions for different unit than the one posted (more expensive or less) are more than wlecome.
I also have one last question: When does garmin "releases" the 2014 gps unit??' I just wanted to know because if they relase them by january i might wait and go with the new one.
I also hope i have posted this in the right sub-forum because i couldn't find one with dicussions on different navigators.

Sorry for my bad english

Originally Posted by Astx

As i know latest TomTom not "hacked" at all, but with Europe maps (45 coutry) it's not a problem: on both devices you will get lifetime map updates. Other maps for TomTom only for money.
Big difference with trafic delivery (except RDS-TMC via radio): garmin via smartphone (like 600 Tomtom), but 6000 via internal SIM-card (without rouming cost in EU country).

Thanks for all the replies but i checked on the garmin website and it states that the garmin 3597 comes with a traffic receiver so there's no need to use a smartphone to receive traffic or am i wrong?? (even though it makes sense that you need a smartphone with internet connection to receive traffic updates).
Btw I just checked on amazon italy and the garmin 3597 is available with a 16% discount!!!
I'll just hear a few more opinions and then i'll order it!!!

I think in some EU varients now the '3597' comes with the GTM60 HD traffic receiver and is called 3598LMT-D. This can receive both 'standard' FM TMC traffic and HD traffic via DAB+. Additionally, throughiit's SmartphoneLink the 3597/8 can receive internet traffic via a linked iPhone or Android smartphone. I know naught about the TT, but i own a North American 3597LMTD and it's a beautiful piece of work. In the US it comes with the HD receiver and i believe it's the same as the EU 3598LMT-D. The AU model is delineated as 3597LMT and is packaged with GTM36 FM only traffic receiver. There are also 2 variants of the unit itself, one has 2GiB internal memory and the other 8GiB. I would think all EU models have 8GiB onboard, but the Italian model is LMT only so has an FM-only Traffic Receiver with it. All 3597's can also receive internet traffic via a SmartphoneLink though and if your area has only FM not DAB+ traffic message service the GTM60 is no benefit.

Yes. Up to 32GiB SDHC cards formatted FAT32 by default are fine and you can use as-is. The 64GiB HDXC cards use a different format which is not recognised by any Garmin units to date. You cannot reformat them with Windows, you need to use a 3rd party software to format to FAT32 and that will probably void the card's warranty if it fails with the FAT32t format. Just be aware that you will eventually run up against the map numbers and total tile number limits with these big cards so it gets to the point where you have no advantage because the unit just cannot see the additional maps.