Use the best route from a choice of three

The shortest route is not necessarily the fastest. map&guide base helps you to save time in two ways.

In order to determine the fastest route, you can simply calculate up to three alternative routes. This allows you to implement the various options available such as vehicle type, preferred road types or cost factors without needing to re-enter the point of departure, destination and points en route.

When travelling in Germany from Karlsruhe to Saarbrücken, for example, the route is 45% longer if you drive via Mannheim rather than taking the direct route. However the longer route is mostly on the motorway. With a fast car you can make a time saving of around 20% on the significantly longer route as you can avoid no-overtaking stretches of road and you don’t have to drive through urban areas. The alternative routing function in map&guide base helps you to recognise such situations more quickly.

The program can also help in the opposite situation: In other words map&guide base tells you how much time you lose in taking a longer, more touristy or more scenic route.

Is it worth taking a detour?

Some long-distance drivers travelling across Europe try anything and everything to avoid toll roads (for example in Italy, France and Austria and lorry drivers in Germany). However the fact the money saved on toll charges is often accompanied by higher fuel costs and increased wear and tear on tyres and clutches is often overlooked. Plus if you factor in the time you have sacrificied and the strain on your nerves, you start to wonder if you have made any saving at all.

Using alternative routes you can determine quicker than ever before the "price" you pay for saving on toll charges.

Avoiding toll-paying motorways usually means a significantly lower driving speed: every time you are forced to stop at a junction or are not allowed to overtake the slow-moving tractor in front noticeably reduces your average speed. By means of the alternative routes calculated with map&guide base – e.g. with or without motorways and with realistic speed profiles – you can see at a glance how much it "costs" to save on toll.

A courier driver, who saves 8 euros worth of toll charges by spending an hour driving through two urban areas and taking a 20 km detour, will defininitely not make his employer very happy: The extra wear and tear alone probably costs more than the saved toll costs - let alone the wages for the additional time taken.

This alternative routing function is priceless for businesses in particular but also for all motorists driving in their leisure time who value an extra hour of relaxation far more than a bit of extra pocket change.

The perfect route to suit your day

If, for example, you plan your return journey in advance, it is unlikely you will know what mood you will be in on the day in question.

Perhaps you will be able enjoy the return trip if your business deals and meetings have all gone smoothly. But on the other hand you may have been delayed and need to make up for lost time. Or maybe you will have to leave at the start of the rush hour and will therefore need to avoid stretches of road prone to traffic jams. There is no way you can know in advance.

By using the alternative routing function you can find the ideal route for each of these three situations so you can later relax and begin your journey.