Here's one for all you satnav whizzes:

Just taken delivery yesterday of my Freelander SD4 HSE, here in France. Whilst explaining all the various toys to play with, the dealer went through all the satnav menus and explained how to operate them.

We encountered a problem, though, with the "voice instruction" navigation instructions - where you "tell" it what to do, rather than fiddle with the touch screen. We set it all up in English language, and the country of operation to France. The satnav works properly, when instructions are entered via the touchscreen, but when we tried to use voice instructions, they worked OK (in English) until we tried to tell it a French address, when it defaults to United Kingdom rather than France, and tries to find a UK city, which of course, it can't.

Bonkers. The dealer can't understand it, and neither can I. Anyone encountered this before, or offer any possible solution? I've been through the set up menus again, and can't ascertain why it's behaving this way.

The vehicle's very nice, by the way...

so its french maps, english spoken voice (as you would if travelling there on holiday)

works fine on touch screen

but when you use the "say what you see voice control" it reverts to a english map and looks for "rue le street" and doesn't find it

I don't have this function but have played with it on loan cars, but i don't recall any other function to set

my only thought would be to see if it works correctly with voice set to french

Yes, that's about the long and short of it. It works OK with French language and a French voice! I do not HAVE a French voice! Somewhere there's a problem, or silly Navteq didn't consider the possibility of an Englishman using that particular feature in France....

might be someone who has it who could compare, or did you try that with the dealers demo cars etc

Do the usual thing....shout at it in franglais and wave your arms about!  John
07 HSE Narvick Black
Land Rover Series One
Triumph Rocket 111 (sadly gone!)

But how would you then pronounce the street names, French or English? I guess thats the point, how should the system "decode' your speech? Thats probably also the reason why this feature is for switzerland completely disabled. We have German, Italian and French street names here. How should they be pronounced? I agree there are other options like just decoding in the way you've set the language, but LR obviously just took the easiest way here. MY2013, 2.2 TD4 SE fuji white
man. gearbox, xenon, "small" Meridian, 7" satnav, autom. aircon, RV-cam, heated jets/windscreen/seats/wheel

Well, they sell the system worldwide - I would have thought that a proviso should be published to the effect that the advertised facility doesn't work if you're anywhere but in an English speaking country. It seems just a little ridiculous - surely others in other non-English countries would have noticed?

All in all, I think my TomTom is better, anyway - it's response is far quicker, and I get the "location" of speed camera areas, to boot.

Further to this, the dealer has replicated the problem in another Freelander, and also in an Evoque.

As you say, the TomTom is better in many ways. I find the LR one will only use A roads, even where unclassified are obviously quicker (we have a lot of long straight empty unclassified roads here in the Fens).
However, isn't it now illegal to have speed camera locations showing in France? I thought the latest TomTom updates showed something like "speed check danger areas" or similar.

In Germany it works as well as in France (as long as the according Language is set) an I assume also in Italy. But not if you mix with a different language or if there are languages mixed within the country. Btw, what happens to cities in Wales, how does the system expect them to be pronounced? MY2013, 2.2 TD4 SE fuji white
man. gearbox, xenon, "small" Meridian, 7" satnav, autom. aircon, RV-cam, heated jets/windscreen/seats/wheel

....never mind Wales, how does it cope with Geordies or Glaswegians.... or indeed those of us from the deep South West me ansome?  John
07 HSE Narvick Black
Land Rover Series One
Triumph Rocket 111 (sadly gone!)

"...However, isn't it now illegal to have speed camera locations showing in France? I thought the latest TomTom updates showed something like "speed check danger areas" or similar..."

Yes, it's a cunning way for TomTom to get around the stupid French law. It works rather well - just as good as actually pinpointing the camera.

So, nobody, then, other than me actually experienced this Navteq behaviour with the voice instructions in a foreign country?

Does this help in showing how to make sure the system works for the right language (I don't know if your system is the same)

https://www.landrover.com/gb/en/lr/owners/...ver-sport/

Then go to infotainment and SWYS

Thanks, but all the settings are correct. The video confirms that my settings are correct. But it doesn't cater for using English language Say what You See when attempting to use the facility with French maps. Crazy.

Really random, but I was reading this thread in an attempt to make my 2010 Freelander talk to me at all. (It was totally silent in English). I then just tried the American English Language option and it is now talking to me - but with a transatlantic twang.
I guess it may only talk to me in German when I am next in France!!!