For those who can remember the Mio 26x series they were pretty bulky and slow devices, but now Miotech have slimed their GPS range down and produced a product that requires no stylus pen - simply use your fingers. Plus the buttons to the side are made easier for you to press thanks to their non-slip rubberised coating. So you can see that some thought has gone into the design.

Feature wise the C510E ticks all the correct boxes, you get Bluetooth support which you can use to link the C510E to a Bluetooth enabled device (such as a mobile phone) and use this as a hands free kit or to dial phone numbers embedded within POI (Points of interest).

There's a 12month subscription to a Safety camera database and you can even mark new camera locations directly on the map and upload these for others to share.

A TMC (Traffic Master Channel) ready port , which is a technology that warns you accidents or traffic problems and re-routes you accordingly.

Over a possible 5 hours of battery life (which is useful) an MP3 player and Photoviewer.

The UK and Ireland maps are also installed on the generous 512MB NAND flash Rom but you can add more maps from the DVD.

The navigation software comes courtesy of "MioMap Ver 3.0" and TeleAtlas maps, the interface is an improvement over the second generation as they have simplified the screen layout. But entering postcodes is a bit long winded as you have to click on multiple options to gain access to the input screen, this is not as bad as it seems as the unit is pretty quick to use.

You can also navigate via contacts, favourites, city, street. POI, history and there is a route planner but this is a real pain to find.

Along side the layout you have some new safety conscious features, such as speed warning symbols - which appear on your screen and there’s a safety lock option to stop you from touching certain menus whilst driving.

Navigating to destinations was pretty accurate thanks to its integrated SiRF-Star III, the supplied car kit was also stable whilst driving and kept the C510E firmly in place.

Route-recalculation during our road tests were responsive and the safety camera warning software worked a treat. The voice over for directions was one of the best we have heard. The default English male voice sounds like a butler and you will chuckle as he politely tells you which direction to go. However after he has said the word "turn slightly left" a fair few times you will want to smack him.

The map detail was fairly detailed with street names, night mode and directional aids all enhancing its operation. But due to the screen layout the cockpit view does feel a tad claustrophobic, but a key addition to the interface is the 'Roundabout' symbol, which is a system that will pre-warn you of what exit you need to take and display the exit number in the top left part of the screen.