I’m looking for a new GPS for my car. I currently own a Garmin Drivesmart 61 that is horrible. The routing is a joke. It wants me to exit highways only to get right back on. It also takes me off of main roads to gravel/dirt roads only to loop back to the main roads. The final straw last week was routing me to a gravel road and told me turn right into the RIVER! Unfortunately, updating it doesn’t help. As a sales rep I’m on the road every day and I rely on the GPS a lot. I’ve always had Garmin in the past but needless to say my confidence in that brand is low right now. Any opinions of TomTom, Magellan or Rand McNally?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: birddog1,

Do you have it set to route via shortest distance or fastest time? If set to shortest distance it will literally take you the shortest route even if it means getting off and on the main roads or taking sketchy routes.

(I don't have a recommendation for a dedicated GPS unit - I've been using Waze for several years for the traffic and police alerts. I used to use Garmins though)

Garmin guy here. Tried Tom-Tom and Magellan, threw both in the trash..Using a Garmin drive 50 LMT and it is flawless! That said, I check for and run all updates. I have owned this for about a year now. Prior to this I had a Garmin Street Pilot, good unit but screen started fading after about 2.5 years.

The best thing you can do is use your phone for google maps or a similar app like waze.

I like google maps because you can download the area you are going to so that if you don't have cell service your gps still functions.

Plus you don't have to worry about updating.

I believe it’s set for fastest time. I do have the Waze and Google Maps on my phones (iPhone for personal and Samsung business issued), I just might need to get something to hold my phone and go that route.

We have a Garmin Nuvi and built in GPS Nav in the vehicles.

Really all you need is your phone and an App. I am quite happy with the performance of Google Maps but many here have spoken highly of Waze.

Cell phone mapping is only reliable if you are within cell coverage.

GPS uses satellite.

In rural areas GPS is best.

Garmin NUVI with LTM (life time map updates).
As said above this will work when there is no cell service and can also give heads up about traffic accidents and go arounds.

I recommend a Garmin with a traffic cam. Screaming Cockatoo has the one I will eventually upgrade to. Unfortunately I can't remember and can't find the model # at the moment.

I do travel to some rural parts of Ohio which have no cell coverage so I need to keep that in mind if switching to an app only navigation. I like the idea of a built-in camera, so far I’ve driven over 22,000 miles since January so having a little added security from the camera isn’t a bad thing. The GPS I have now was bought in January and it wasn’t cheap by any means but I just need to find the best option. I’ve always had good luck with Garman products in the past so I was a little surprised by the poor performance of this one.

What has been stated in the original post is not typical of any Garmin GPS regardless of model or price range. Check again. What you described as poor performance is exactly what you get when you have it set for shortest distance. Make absolutely sure you have the unit set for fastest route.

I switched over to a Garmin a few years ago when I started traveling more for work. I used my phone and then my iPad at first but I found the Garmin user interface much, much, better and the accuracy of the directions to be consistently more precise.

I also like the separate device so my phone is not tied up in case I need to use it.

I agree with others that you must make sure your settings are correct.

Ram Mounts are the way to go, you can get any combination of mount, arm, base.

https://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount

The X Grip holder is universal, they even make them large enough for an iPad/tablet, I run the Xgrip on my motorcycle handlebars using a 3 inch arm to a base on the handlebars. Works great.

https://www.gpscity.com/ram-mo...&t=cell+phone+mounts

quote:

What has been stated in the original post is not typical of any Garmin GPS regardless of model or price range.

I only run Garmin GPS units.

Every single one of them has done exactly what the OP describes at one point or another.

Take the fastest route setting as an example. I can't tell you how many times it routes me in a direction that doesn't make any logical sense. I'll go the direction that I know is the way that makes the most sense, it will recalculate, and then the arrival time drops.

Just the other day it wanted me to pass an exit on the highway, travel another 20 miles, turn around at that exit, and then come back to where I was.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Collins:
What has been stated in the original post is not typical of any Garmin GPS regardless of model or price range. Check again. What you described as poor performance is exactly what you get when you have it set for shortest distance. Make absolutely sure you have the unit set for fastest route.

I’ll check it again but I’m not sure that jives with the issues I’m having. For instance, when it tells me to exit the highway and immediately cross over the road to get right back on the same highway (this is an established hwy, nothing new) or last week when it routed me into a river where no road existed.

Garmin GPS for the past 20 years here. GPS set up for shortest distance may put you into downtown El Paso, or on a fire road in California, for example. "Faster time" is better, IMO.

I have a Garmin (LMT50?) and love it although, there is a couple spots around my house where it wants to take me off the freeway only to put me right back on. (only aound my "home" location)

Used a few weeks ago when driving from Boston to Plattsburgh NY and then to Montreal. Worked like a champ every time. The wife was harping about bringing it on the trip ("I have my phone...") until we found ourselves in areas without phone service and also didn't want to incur the international fees while in Canada.

OP - try fiddling with your routing instructions. Sometimes I will purposely turn on the "Avoid toll roads" options just to drive local. Oh and as mentioned, the "fastest" vs "shortest" is something to be aware of.

quote:

Originally posted by marksman41:
I recommend a Garmin with a traffic cam. Screaming Cockatoo has the one I will eventually upgrade to. Unfortunately I can't remember and can't find the model # at the moment.

Garmin DriveAssist 50 LMT is the one that SC has. There is a newer version, the 51. I got the 50 -- two of them actually, for my wife and me. Found them on ebay, Garmin factory re-furbs, for $102 each.

They are the GPS / dash camera combination units, and if your vehicle does not have a backup camera, the Garmin BC-30 backup camera will work with these and display the camera image on the GPS screen. You can actually use several cameras, so you could put one on the rear of your vehicle, for example, and another on the back of a trailer.

Garmin Nuvi have always been great. I will sometimes check my route on Google maps to see if there are any updates for construction. My Garmin also has the Traffic function and will reroute for accidents and backups.

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:
Garmin GPS for the past 20 years here. GPS set up for shortest distance may put you into downtown El Paso, or on a fire road in California, for example. "Faster time" is better, IMO.

What if you want neither? Like prettiest drive or most fun road to drive?