- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 70 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
21 out of 22 people found this review helpful
2.5 stars
"Good but not that good"
Pros: Easy to use interface and solid construction and auto rerouting
Cons: Poor maps, no expansion, costly maps and updates
Summary: I was excited to get this GPS after taking long trips using either my Magellan color handheld or my PDA with Delorme software. It was nice to have all the maps on one unit without having to connect to a computer every time. That is the greatest bennefit to this device. It has all of the USA in one unit. There is no need to connect to a computer. The autoreroute feature is nice. On my Magellan Meridian I had to manually tell it to reroute.
Now for the bad. The maps are not very accurate. The unit could not find my home even though it has been here for over 30 years. Garmin tech support was able to confirm this issue. I have read other people have had this problem. I told tech suppor that after spending $750 I should be able to trust the unit to tell me where to go. Here are just a few of the errors within in a mile of my house:
Service Merchandise store closed 5 years ago - still listed as there and open
Black Eyed Pea franchise was owned by someone linked to Al Queda and closed just after 9-11-01 and is still listed as open.
Wal-Mart built 5 years ago isn't shown
Wal-Mart built 4 years ago isn't shown
Resturant that closed 5 years ago still shown.
Bank built 6 years ago not shown
None of the homes on my street can be found.
Outback Steakhouse built 10 years ago not shown
Walgreens pharmacy shown but CVS across the street not shown even though built at same time.
These are just a few (yes there are more) errors within 1 square mile of my house. I asked Garmin tech support how could I trust a device when I am 1000 miles from home when I can't even trust it 1 mile from home.
Also, some people have talked about PDA GPS systems. I have one and it is not perfect either plus it is a hassle to load the maps you want cause a PDA won't allow you to load a large region.
Honestly the best option is a notebook comptuer and bluetooth GPS. The maps are cheaper and more up to date. But this option is not as portable.
I am stuck with the Garmin cause I can't return it but I definitely will not depend on it solely. Garmin needs to publish a more reasonable map update.
- 1 reply to this review
-
Yes, i wish the maps and POI were updated moreso. I know you can purchase updates every July, but even these aren't perfect either.
If more updates to this were added on the fly, it'd be perfect. Although I've got to admit, a 5 is pretty low. This GPS gets you where you need to go most of the time..
