Garmin StreetPilot 7200

Reviewed by

John R. Delaney

on 04/18/2006

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One of the unit's coolest features (next to the screen, of course) is a pricey optional accessory, but it's one that could save you hours of aggravation. For $267, a GXM 30 Smart Antenna delivers real-time traffic and weather updates via the XM NavTraffic satellite service. NavTraffic shows events such as accidents, construction, and congestion along your route, giving you the option of detouring around the affected area before you get there. In fact, the Garmin StreetPilot 7200 will suggest an alternate route before you head into a problem area. You can also see the current weather conditions and forecast for your entire route, with severe weather alerts for tornados, thunderstorms, and flood conditions. Unfortunately, in addition to shelling out cash for the antenna, you'll have to pay $9.99 per month for the service. A $16.94-per-month subscription adds more than 150 channels of XM Satellite Radio that can be accessed through the StreetPilot's XM-ready Music Player interface.

Alternatively, you can opt for an FM traffic receiver instead. For $214, you get an antenna that picks up data from the Clear Channel network (which is similar to the XM NavTraffic service) and a 15-month subscription to the service. Thereafter, you can opt to subscribe on a monthly basis ($15 per month), or you can save money with an annual subscription ($59 per year).

The Garmin StreetPilot 7200 took approximately 4 minutes to acquire a 3D fix the first time we started it up, but once our location was established, it took less than a minute for the unit to initialize thereafter. The GPS receiver did an admirable job of tracking our movements while cruising around Long Island, and the driving directions were clear and concise, but the true test was yet to come.

We created a route through Brooklyn and Manhattan, where tall buildings and snarled traffic are plentiful, and were impressed with the Garmin StreetPilot 7200's ability to maintain a strong satellite signal in the Big Apple. While the XM NavTraffic service was helpful in identifying problem areas along the notoriously accident-prone Belt Parkway, on more than one occasion, we found ourselves sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic while the traffic map indicated clear sailing. We also lost our XM satellite signal a few times, but each time, it was restored within minutes.

The Garmin StreetPilot 7200 was very quick to recalculate a new route when we strayed from the prescribed route or chose to detour around a construction area. We were also pleased with the built-in FM modulator; audio quality was not as sharp as that of a CD player, but MP3s and XM radio stations sounded quite good through our car stereo system.