Nokia Lumia 710 owners have a lot to crow about, but one of the most striking features of the new Windows Phone device is Nokia Drive. We’ve been using it from day to day for the past few weeks, and we’ve been blown away by this powerful turn-by-turn navigation tool.

Your experience of GPS navigation on smartphones will probably involve lightweight mapping apps like Bing Maps, Google Maps or - indeed - Nokia Maps. They’re great for plotting out routes across the country and for checking out local facilities.

What they’re not too hot at is providing quick, accurate turn-by-turn guidance while you’re driving in your car. Where they do offer such a service, it’s typically not up to the level of a dedicated sat nav system.

Nokia Drive is. Give it whirl on your Nokia Lumia 710 (it comes with it) and there’s every chance you’ll end up putting your TomTom on eBay within a matter of days.

The app’s key strengths are speed and reliability. Unlike those mapping apps we mentioned earlier, Nokia Drive lets you preload detailed maps onto your device, negating the need for a network connection when you stray into a new area. Because your Lumia 710 isn’t preoccupied with downloading data, it can concentrate on where you are and where you’re going - it’s super-fast, in other words.

The app’s reliability is boosted further by the way the Nokia Lumia 710 combined with Windows Phone acquires your location so quickly and accurately. Along with the Nokia Lumia 800, it really is one of the best GPS systems we’ve seen on any phone.

It’s very easy to use, too. After the initial setup - in which you establish which maps you want to download (England, the UK, Europe etc) - entering the app will show you your location on a familiar 3D map, along with the speed you’re traveling at (if at all). Tap the menu button and you’ll be able to Set destination - a simple process that works similarly to Nokia or Bing Maps. That found, you’ll be returned to the map and your journey can begin.

Once on the road Nokia Maps reacts the same as any decent sat nav system, showing your progress on the 3D map and shouting out clear directions at the appropriate moment. You can choose from a male or female voice, or download a completely new one. You can also switch to a 2D view, if you prefer.

Bells and whistles aside, though, the true worth of a navigation system is in its reliability, and we were incredibly impressed with Nokia Drive. Our routes have taken us through towns, down motorways and through windy back roads alike, and it’s managed to get everything spot on so far. In fact, the way it warns you repeatedly of upcoming turns is almost (and amusingly) too much - like it’s boasting about its own accuracy.

Nokia Drive is a very special smartphone app indeed, chiefly because it doesn’t behave like a smartphone app. It’s a bone fide sat nav replacement, and it gives the Nokia Lumia 710 a major bragging point over its rivals.

Have you tried Nokia Drive yet? How did you find it? Let us know in the comments section below.