Received me above. Not currently being a enormous admirer of sat navs i have to say this is magnificent. Acquired the week prior to going on getaway to the states, just in time to downloaded current us maps, which did take a number of hours but was properly truly worth it. Sat nav labored minutes just after arriving and obtained us everywhere we requested it to, and even round a diverted route owing to a street closure. Photographs pretty very clear and it is really simple to use to uncover eating places, shops and sights.
Did have a laugh at pronounciation of some of the us position names. The garmin was a alternative for a tom tom which we experienced ordered a few of months prior but which wouldn't allow us load up us maps. Would highly advocate this product or service.
Practically the perfect sat nav. I was encouraged this unit by a spouse and children member who can struggle with technology but was eager to present me a very long listing of options. I have always long gone with garmin ahead of and never been unhappy, and at this rate i couldn't argue. I was up and jogging straight out of the box and was pleasantly shocked with the time to track down satellites, voice prompts that appear in plenty of time and a crystal clear see. The speed limit icon that is regularly shown will come in pretty useful on unfamiliar streets, and has truly shocked me at moments where by i might have been likely far too gradual when essentially the restrict is 10 or 20mph faster than i predicted.
On top rated of this, the pace digital camera alerts will make a sound as you enter a extend of street with cameras and audio a distinctive notify if you go more than this, as very well as the velocity restrict icon finding a pink haze. The lane advice is definitely excellent on the motorway, but will usually not make an visual appeal on other streets. It would have been extremely great to have lane steering on the tactic to roundabouts (i live in a city with six lane roundabouts and many exits). This is the only element missing for me however, because there are a surprising quantity of functions that are instead handy but is not going to confuse you if you don't call for them. If all you want is a very simple sat nav, it works like a allure.
Pros
- Excellent and lightweight device
- Well worth the money!
- I'm in love with my Gar!
- Slightly disappointed Garmin customer.
- A well-specified unit that does the job well
- Unit OK but has some glitches
Cons
- Maybe I was unlucky
- Unreliable Garmin - should have stuck with TomTom.
- Chucked it out the window (really!)
- Not what I expect from Garmin.
- Navigation software can't be trusted & poor handsfree phone performance.
- Replacement Sat Nav
Negative Review of Garmin nuvi 2547LM 5" Sat Nav with UK and Western Europe Maps and Free Lifetime Map Updates
Disappointed now: ( after using it for 3 weeks. Disappointed now :( after using it for 3 weeks now the gps is freezing after i take a different route than the one specified on the map. Did a factory reset and still the same and my time display in gps is wrong even after setting it as automatic.
Features of Garmin nuvi 2547LM 5" Sat Nav with UK and Western Europe Maps and Free Lifetime Map Updates
- Easy to use bright 5" touchscreen sat nav includes preloaded street maps for 24 Western European countries including UK and Ireland
- Free Lifetime Map Updates ensure you drive with the latest road and Points of Interest information
- PhotoReal and BirdsEye Junction View and Active Lane Guidance clearly shows the lane you need to take
- Real Directions(TM) provide clear guidance using recognisable buildings and landmarks as reference
- Up Ahead displays points of interest along your route including restaurants, hotels and petrol stations
nüvi 2547LM,
With Lifetime maps, Real Directions for more natural instructions, speed camera alerts and much more, the 5-inch nüvi 2547LM is a sat nav designed to give you a safe, fast and stress-free journey., Crisp, High Resolution Display, nüvi 2547LM has a 5.0' high resolution display with "pinch and zoom" capability, so you can swiftly get a closer search at any onscreen info. Dual-orientation capabilities allow for you to use both horizontally or vertically.
Comprehensive Maps with Free Updates, nüvi 2547LM comes loaded with detailed maps of Western Europe. With free lifetime¹ map updates, your routes are confident to replicate the most up-to-day maps, POIs (details of curiosity) and navigation details. New maps are obtainable for down load up to four times per calendar year, for the existence of your product, with no charges. nüvi 2547LM makes it straightforward to locate addresses and thousands and thousands of POIs such as corporations, retailers, eating places and other locations. It arrives preloaded with POIs, so there is no need for you to enter that handle facts. Just select one particular — or quite a few — and navigate there, quickly and simply. You also have the capacity to add custom made POIs.
Garmin Real Directions with Garmin Real Voice, nüvi 2547LM has our Cyclops Speed Camera procedure, for real-time, route-related and correct alerts. The complete safety camera databases is previously pre-loaded on your sat nav. Even so, you can get normal or 1-off updates to ensure you've generally acquired the most up-to-date digicam spots, so you can drive safety and lawfully.
Detailed Driving Direction You See and Hear, Lively Lane Steering with voice prompts prepares you to drive as a result of an exit or junction with self esteem. As you technique, an animated design makes use of brightly colored arrows to point out the correct lane necessary for your route a welcoming voice presents extra enable. nüvi 2547LM:Crystal clear Direction At Junctions PhotoReal junction check out realistically shows junctions and road adjustments together your route, together with the bordering landscape and highway indicators. Yet again, arrows indicate the correct lane to be in. For difficult junctions, Bird's Eye junction see presents a comprehensive aerial picture of the road community, wanting down as if from overhead. nüvi 2547LM:Get A Bird's Eye Check out
Far more Information at a Glance, nüvi 2547LM keeps your driving map onscreen at all occasions and added facts appears together with. For details merely contact the screen. As you push your route, the 'Up Ahead' aspect regularly informs you of close by companies, together with places to eat, petrol stations, hospitals and retailers. nüvi 2547LM displays pace limit, present-day velocity and accurate time of arrival. With a brief glance, you can study the name of your present road.
1-quit Unit Administration, Use Specific on the web to retain your nüvi up-to-day. Garmin Specific can make it quick to update maps and computer software, transfer favourites to and from gadgets, and set up free personalized autos and voices ¹If you invest in a nüMaps Lifetime membership (marketed separately or bundled alongside one another with particular GPS models), you will get up to 4 map data updates for every year, when and as these updates are designed out there on Garmin's internet site, for 1 compatible Garmin product or service until your product's beneficial everyday living expires or Garmin no for a longer time gets map knowledge from its third get together provider, whichever is shorter. A product's "useful life" indicates the interval all through which the products (a) has ample memory capability and other demanded specialized capabilities to utilise existing map facts and (b) is able of working as meant with out big repairs. A product or service will be considered to be out of support and its handy lifetime to be ended if no updates have been downloaded for these types of solution for a interval of 24 months or a lot more. Until if not stated, the updates you get beneath the subscription will be updates to the same geographic map details initially provided with your Garmin solution when at first purchased. In some cases, your Garmin item may possibly not have enough memory remaining for you to load an update to the map information, in which case you will will need to both (a) pick decreased map info coverage for your updates, or (b) order separately a microSD/SD card (if and as applicable to your Garmin product) and load all or a part of the map knowledge protection for your updates to the card and insert the card into the microSD/SD card slot contained in your Garmin solution. If neither of the actions in (a) or (b) can be utilized to tackle your product's lack of adequate remaining memory, then Garmin may perhaps conclude that the "useful life" of your solution has expired. Garmin could terminate your nüMaps Lifetime membership at any time if you violate any of the phrases of this settlement or your subscription. Your nüMaps Lifetime membership may well not be transferred to an additional Garmin product or service.
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Nicely Worthy of the Funds!. We acquired this to substitute our previous garmin as we were being about to go to poland, by street, for the initially time. Incredibly you can put in your location, which was throughout five countries (england, france, belgium, holland, germany and poland) and it will just find the shortest route. It not only tells you, as do the other folks, to transform right or remaining but gives you the title of the avenue way too. The only destructive is that it sees delays on the route (any where on the 12 hour route) and asks you if you would like to take an option route. At initially we were being getting the alternative route till we realised that these delays ended up normally 200 or 300 kilometers away and not likely to affect us but that the diversions would in all probability hold off us a lot more! want it would say how considerably away the delays ended up!.
I'm In Appreciate with My Gar!. Perfectly i was fearful it wouldn't do all the things i needed it to, but it does and does so much a lot more moreover. Its simply just great at what it is and what it ought to do, particularly location up a multi stop journey, so quick so speedy. It even remembers your favorite queries and spots and up coming time they are just there ready to be selected, it queries pretty speedily, it adjustments your route extremely quickly if you divert or overlook a transform, and on the odd situation there was targeted traffic problems it came up on the exhibit. The seven inch display screen is pretty crystal clear and effortless to use, and employing the garmin universal dash mount (which is terrific way too) you can place it in just the ideal place for un-obstructive nevertheless effortless glancing viewing. Its powered by a thicj cable from the cigarette lighter socket that also doubles as the visitors warning information aerial, so thats a minimal messy to type out, but quickly got made use of to it, primarily as the unit is effective so effectively and you begin to drop in really like with it. There is a small draw back to it although, i discovered when in town centres and you tactic pretty complicated junctions, the car or truck image can go a tiny much too little by little and you imagine its pointing to a person road when in fact it would like you on yet another, so i did pass up a street or two, but that could be my mistake, but it soon re-calculates and will get you again on monitor once again, in seconds. The other gripe was the site visitors assistance, which did not warn of a major snarl up around a substantial roundabout in preston that was remaining 'improved', hah, the works had clearly been likely on for months and the website traffic was backed up all more than the place (experienced two big streets and motorway junction to kind out there), and nonetheless it was not knowledgeable and so did not keep away from the space, we drove straight in to the chaos. Nevertheless, overall its a great piece of kit and are unable to suggest it highly sufficient. My only other experience of a satnav by the way is the one particular built into the sprint of my honda cr-v, which is extremely very good, but this garmin only blows it away. .
A bit Dissatisfied Garmin Customer.. Pre requested mine and pretty delighted that it arrive on working day of launch. Acquiring previously had several years of great support from a standard tomtom one particular i was a reluctant transform to garmin but so several negative testimonials of latest tomtom goods persuaded me to make the alter. I definitely only desired to incorporate europe for a long driving holiday break and the outdated tomtom did not have that. I have heaps of reservations having said that about this garmin not the very least of all was it failure to get the job done correctly after a pair of hours down the french motorway on day one of the two week push by means of europe for which i had precisely acquired it (i experienced previously completed a vacation to scotland and the west country and it wasfine then) ! the unit froze on us while driving and then possessing switched off would not restart it just held cycling via a commence up screen and then off once again, and no amount of button pushing would halt it. Quite a few hours of net looking that night and pushing bits of the display screen to check out to do a learn reset seemed to form it out in the finish but i had by then dropped all the trip info for that element of the journey, and all my favourites all place in for the vacation we had been on! i was not happy at all. If we had been on our possess on the vacation with no web obtain we would have experienced a major situation, the good thing is we experienced pals with us to support and get us back on observe on that working day. We had paper maps etcetera, but not so easy finding inns in peculiar town with those people is it. !a number of more drawbacks in comparison to my previous and pretty fundamental tomtom. You can't get all the data you have to have on the key display. I want to see the existing time, the distance and time to my location all at a look, tomtom does it, garmin requirements more presses of the display screen to get all that. And i are not able to realize why they don't allow this, as you can customise the sidebar but you basically are not able to add the details to that i feel you need to have. Really poor that. You must not need to have to touch the device to get a little something as basic as the present time up. Update, this design now has all the facts on the screen you will need, a computer software update place that right a couple of months ago. It tends to make this a considerably extra friendly device to use now. Tomtom warms about toll streets and many others when it designs a route, garmin doesn't. You can include them as 'avoidances' but it would be good to get a warning beforehand. Tomtom give you possibilities to customise the sound of alerts, no overall flexibility at all with garmin, you get what you a specified. Execs. The capability to look through and zoom in and out of the maps is a whole lot greater than on my old tomtom. And the overview map that exhibits mountains and so forth is a wonderful way to get a experience for your journey and its then quite possibly to zoom correct into the specifics of the route. Routing. Dodgy in my view, but are not all sat navs! various situations garmin has tried using to choose me off motorways for no apparent purpose, or cut corners in compact villages to just take you down bumpy narrow back again streets in which its way better to carry on by way of on the major road. This garmin also has no possibility to established a route for strolling, my outdated tomtom did, and so do older garmins so why not this a person? distinct stupid as it will don't forget the place you parked your car if you need to have to find it but it then gives you driving directions back again to it !beware if planning to use this someplace like the alps as we did. It will shed reception in the numerous tunnels and slender gorges. Ok i would be expecting it to do that but why then does it generally exhibit you miles absent on the screen ? it appreciates you ended up on the street, it must know you have been in a tunnel so why can it not just believe you are traveling together at a set velocity on the identical street. It can be very challenging when there is a junction just outside the tunnel as all routing is missing as soon as it loses the sat sign and you just hope it will get it back again rapidly the other side. And why on earth does it not have toll booths proven on the maps ? a pretty essential element in my viewpoint, and would be very beneficial to know ones coming up so you can can get prepared but nothing at all at all is shown. You can configure the facet bar to present what is in advance. Its valuable but why not somehow show if the petrol station for examlpe up in advance is on your route or off it ? you consider a person is coming up in a mile or so but in then disappears off the monitor is it turns out its a number of streets absent and not on your true route, not extremely beneficial. All over again tomtom does this far better with on route and off route looking. Traffic warningsthese feel to work but as is typically the case with this kind of issues they are usually a bit behind and maintain ups and long gone right before you get there. Various dire warnings driving down as a result of france of ninety min delays were being overlooked by me and site visitors was weighty but relocating and any hold off was small, absolutely nothing like that predicted. No question not the fault of garmin that, but just a standard warning on using information on these kinds of route diversions. Bluetooth. A little bit unhappy that it will sync with my aged nokia telephone but not examine the phonebook, so not a great deal use for dialing out. Its strange for the reason that my outdated cellular phone will work fine in my audi with its personal bluetooth it reads my telephone ebook with no trouble. Display and instructions and so on. I like the picture serious junctions, tons of them on motorways across uk and europe, they do assistance. Lane steering when you get it also aids. On occasions nevertheless primarily on some roundabouts the arrow on the monitor appears to be a little bit unwanted fat and you eliminate clarity on the actual way you will need to go. It would be great to get an overview map of your route and progress alongside it with one particular touch, you can get it but it requires multiples monitor touches to do it. I cannot remark substantially on the voice recommendations as most of my use has been in an open top rated automobile, and it not quick to listen to them with the wind sound, and in any case i tend to depend on the display screen by habitscreen attachment. Operates great for the most part but i have observed you can get vibration via the automobile that will make the unit vibrate as perfectly for a couple of seconds, (and that's worse in a sports auto with stiff suspension) so mount not that sound, and if you are a bit weighty handed when urgent the display screen the unit can go on the ball joint. Garmin basecamp. I have experimented with to use this to do routes on the pc but have located it extremely irritating and fiddly to use and gave up. Tyre was a good deal better and quick to established up waypoints to then make routes employing that. Garmin casebought the genuine situation as very well. Good and straightforward to use but does not thoroughly enclose the unit as aspect are elasticated so i dropped it, and unit nevertheless received a dent on the corner, yet another garmin disappointment. So there you go. I did prepare to send it back just after it let me down but its been pretty very good due to the fact then. But total i am a dissatisfied garmin buyer and pondering if i ought to have just forked out for new europe maps for my outdated devoted tomtom and saved a bit of hard cash!.
Product Info
- Product Dimensions: 1.9 x 13.7 x 8.3 cm ; 186 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 481 g
- Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
- Item model number: 010-01123-12
- ASIN: B00C270LBC
Conclusion of Garmin nuvi 2547LM 5" Sat Nav
Obtained the week prior to likely on holiday to the states, just in time to downloaded updated us maps, which did get a couple hrs but was nicely value it. Sat nav worked minutes soon after arriving and received us almost everywhere we asked it to, and even spherical a diverted route owing to a street closure. The garmin was a substitution for a tom tom which we had procured a pair of weeks prior but which wouldn't enable us load up us maps. I've owned several garmin units in the previous but by no means a focused vehicle 'satnav' - beforehand used an previous garmin oregon which need to be about ten yrs previous now (also personal treking/out of doors hand-held garmin devices). This garmin (2597lmt) was a excellent update: crystal clear screen, 3d maps, voice directions and straightforward destination entry.
Even though en route, the 'up ahead' feature confirmed gasoline, toilets and refreshments on the journey and the website traffic delays were up to date as we went (with the option to re-route to stay away from). We bought this to switch our outdated garmin as we have been about to go to poland, by road, for the very first time. The only unfavorable is that it sees delays on the route (anywhere on the twelve hour route) and asks you if you would like to get an alternative route. It even remembers your favorite searches and spots and upcoming time they're just there waiting to be selected, it lookups really rapidly, it changes your route really swiftly if you divert or overlook a turn, and on the odd situation there was traffic difficulty it arrived up on the display. The seven inch screen is pretty apparent and effortless to use, and applying the garmin common dash mount (which is wonderful as well) you can spot it in just the the best possible placement for un-obstructive nevertheless uncomplicated glancing viewing.
Its run by a thicj cable from the cigarette lighter socket that also doubles as the traffic warning news aerial, so thats a tiny messy to type out, but shortly bought used to it, in particular as the gadget is effective so properly and you begin to slide in love with it. There is a minor downside to it nevertheless, i discovered when in city centres and you solution pretty intricate junctions, the automobile symbol can shift a very little much too little by little and you imagine its pointing to 1 street when in actuality it wants you on yet another, so i did skip a street or two, but that could be my error, but it quickly re-calculates and receives you back on track once more, in seconds. The other gripe was the targeted visitors assistance, which did not warn of a major snarl up all over a substantial roundabout in preston that was getting 'improved', hah, the is effective experienced clearly been going on for weeks and the website traffic was backed up all over the location (experienced two significant roadways and motorway junction to type out there), and nonetheless it was not conscious and so did not prevent the location, we drove straight in to the chaos. I have plenty of reservations even so about this garmin not the very least of all was it failure to do the job appropriately following a few of hours down the french motorway on working day 1 of the two week travel by way of europe for which i had specifically bought it (i had earlier carried out a excursion to scotland and the west nation and it was high-quality then) .The unit froze on us whilst driving and then possessing switched off would not restart it just held cycling as a result of a start off up monitor and then off once again, and no amount of button pushing would halt it.
I want to see the latest time, the distance and time to my destination all at a look, tomtom does it, garmin desires far more presses of the monitor to get all that. You should really not need to have to contact the device to get a little something as fundamental as the existing time up. Update, this product now has all the details on the display screen you require, a software package update place that correct a couple of months in the past. Tomtom warms about toll roads and many others when it strategies a route, garmin does not. And the overview map that demonstrates mountains etcetera is a terrific way to get a experience for your vacation and its then possibly to zoom ideal into the facts of the route.
Many times garmin has experimented with to just take me off motorways for no clear motive, or reduce corners in little villages to acquire you down bumpy slender back streets where by its way superior to have on by means of on the most important highway. This garmin also has no choice to established a route for strolling, my aged tomtom did, and so do more mature garmins so why not this one particular?. It knows you had been on the street, it should really know you were in a tunnel so why can it not just think you are touring together at a set pace on the exact same road. Again tomtom does this far better with on route and off route searching. Numerous dire warnings driving down by france of 90 min delays have been dismissed by me and visitors was hefty but moving and any delay was negligible, absolutely nothing like that predicted.
No question not the fault of garmin that, but just a common warning on getting suggestions on these kinds of route diversions. It would be terrific to get an overview map of your route and development together it with one particular touch, you can get it but it requires multiples display screen touches to do it. Works wonderful for the most component but i have found you can get vibration through the car or truck that will make the device vibrate as very well for a number of seconds, (and that's even worse in a sporting activities motor vehicle with rigid suspension) so mount not that reliable, and if you are a little bit weighty handed when urgent the monitor the device can go on the ball joint. Awesome and uncomplicated to use but does not fully enclose the unit as aspect are elasticated so i dropped it, and device nevertheless received a dent on the corner, one more garmin disappointment. But all round i am a let down garmin shopper and thinking if i should really have just forked out for new europe maps for my outdated trustworthy tomtom and saved a bit of cash. This is my fourth garmin in-car or truck sat nav, my final one particular staying the 1690, which was a fantastic unit, but when garmin made a decision to start off charging over £50 a 12 months to proceed 'live' providers on that unit, i moved on to the 2597 lmt unit.
Garmin are a effectively-known brand in the aviation and maritime sat nav markets but in the uk tom tom seem to be to maintain the market place share, so quite a few people will be thinking of this unit vs . rival tom tom models. The unit is pretty effectively showcased, with voice command selections and fingers-free bluetooth connectivity and an capability to hyperlink to applications managing on some wise telephones (additional on this later on). The lmt stands for lifetime maps and website traffic. So after each individual 3 months or so, garmin update the europe maps and these updates can be downloaded for free by connecting the device to a computer and managing garmin communicator or by using 'my dashboard' on the garmin internet web-site. In my experience it requires the navteq maps that garmin makes use of about 6-eighteen months to capture up with improvements to the uk road program such as new slip roads, junctions, roundabouts and so on.
The traffic offered with this device is not the most refined garmin traffic method – it works by using rds analogue radio transmissions, which are picked up as very long as though you use the equipped cigarette charger electrical power cable when you use the sat nav – this is subscription free and does not call for a smartphone to be connected by way of bluetooth. The 2597 will display the character of any traffic detected on your route alongside with an estimate of the minutes hold off it represents to your journey, presenting to divert all over the visitors delay (or you can set this up to quickly divert you all-around traffic as and when it is detected). User stories of garmin's rds centered traffic technique are blended – as has been my knowledge with this and older garmins i have made use of that have it. Users report that from time to time the website traffic delay is only noted when you are previously caught in the website traffic jam, supplying you no advance warning or solution to divert about it in advance of you get struck in the hold off. It is definitely inferior to tom tom's most advanced site visitors method but it is free for existence and may well be adequate for those people who do not generate lengthy distances on a every day foundation.
Tom tom's improved website traffic method is up-to-date extra generally and uses more information, such as checking celltelephone signals of drivers, and so forth. There is a improved garmin traffic program – the high definition targeted visitors process makes use of dab digital radio transmissions and updates pretty much in serious time, about the moment a moment, with a far more detailed and refined report. In the finish i upgraded my 2597 lmt by introducing the garmin gtm 70 electronic targeted traffic receiver, and at the time i did this the total charge to me of 2597 + gtm 70 through amazon was just about equal to a 2598 lmt-d. I can vouch for the digital visitors program that i now have by means of the gtm 70 getting exceptional to the rds primarily based program integrated with the 2597 lmt – it surely updates a lot more quickly and looks additional correct. I suggest any one who drives extensive distances or for whom preventing visitors jams is significant (couriers, reps?) to look at the gtm 70 improve route or else to go for the 2598 lmt-d which incorporates electronic site visitors.
And sure, garmin's digital website traffic appears just about every little bit as good as tom tom's live visitors companies – the reward of the garmin procedure is that it is membership free once you have a unit or receiver established up for it. I consider there is a just one-off payment for this but end users report that smartphone centered visitors, despatched by using the bluetooth connection, is far more or a lot less as superior as the normal high definition electronic site visitors. Of program, you will want to keep your phone linked to the sat nav all the time and there will be details usage on your telephone. Security cameras are pre-loaded on this unit but note that updates to the knowledge are not offered for free. So if you want the skill to have the details on safety cameras up to date regularly you want to go on the web and invest in a one off obtain or a twelve-thirty day period membership – it fees about £17 and is well worth it if you drive a good deal of miles.
Latest Unit But Not So Hot Software. Unit and menusthe unit is strong and light - nice to hold, good quality. Bracket and charger well designed, no problems. The menu layout is very clear and easy to use, but remember the `three-bar' menu button is a context button that gives options depending on what is being displayed. That is the go-to button if you can't find an option. Although the big `where to' button seems simple enough and conventional for all satnavs, if you plan trips these do not appear under `where to', but `apps'. It may just be me, but the memory of items (places you went to before) on the device - aka favourites - is very haphazard. You need to house-keep the memory on the device via basecamp regularly to avoid chaos. I did not opt for a model with voice control but this might have been useful. We did not go for this due to the laughable results we seem to get from phones. The pitch and reality are woefully different. Zooming in and out is easy but should not be done on the move for safety reasons. Driving navigationsorry to be negative to garmin - who i guess are the same as rivals navman and tomtom, so these issues could apply to them too. Except that i had a navman i bought 2 or 3 years ago and had no problems with navigation at all. In that time no progress seems to have been made!all the hype about `real talk' where the device says `turn right at the bakery' is pointless distraction and only marginally useful compared to all the issues i list below. Where you can see the junction and know the road, you don't really need a satnav do you? but it lets you down continually when you are tired and in a strange town. The motorway junctions are good guidance - a picture is shown and the lanes are clearly called out/shown. But often it waits to the last minute to tell you which lane to get in, and even driving below the speed limit you often have only seconds to take the right road. Says nothing at the junction you are approaching but tells you what to do in 0. 5 km. You need to pay close attention to the type of junction it describes, and get good at judging distance. A glance at the unit will tell you the type of junction and how far to go - but be warned that you may pass many junctions and signs before that (that you are meant to take no action at). In a city it is easy to panic and take a turning too soon. In the modern world there are often roads at freeway speeds and yet complex city junctions with fly-overs tunnels and so on. These have existed for decades but the human interface of satnav does not seem to be able to handle these (do the software designers actually drive cars?)says 'enter roundabout' - which does not give you a clue what lane to be in. After my first few weeks i am still regularly being mis-directed because directions on roundabouts /junctions are not clear/timely. The map does not help as it is too confusing to match what you see on the road in the split-second you have to decide what to do. You need the 'map' of the roundabout before you get to it, but the `birds eye' view is too `wide' and the road representation is too thick on screen relative to reality. This may be simply a reflection of the price-point to encourage you to buy a premium service. The destination (waypoint) is all that matters to the unit (whereas planning on basecamp allows you to choice the exact roads you drive down). But it is still hard to make it choose a route you want - a route selector is available if there are multiple possibilities but often there is only one option. You cannot modify a route on the unit (in terms of the roads used). You can only select /create waypoints. This means that following scenic routes is best planned on basecamp. Voices - irritating preppy english voices, based on a kind of computer algorithm that makes up words from the letters it contains. Laughable french pronunciation in fact is impossible to understand even well-known town names - considering the unit covers the whole of europe this would make it a serious problem if you were covering a lot of different countries. You literally have no clue what they are saying. (it may be better to select the local voice and learn the phrases in the local language that mean `keep right' etc). This is inefficient and dangerous for you as you then have to look at the unit to read the road/junction name. Road options - i switched 'unpaved ' option off but it still took us down this type of road ! it takes you down impossibly small roads, through villages and housing estates instead of the main road, and tries to take you down tiny lanes that are dead ends or private/residential. The mapping is comprehensive but the people who code the algorithms for driving seem to have very small 4x4s and no regard for the privacy of land - and expect you to drive your shiny hire car (for instance) down a narrow lane with thorn bushes either side - just to save 30 seconds on the route. Even if you set the `motorway' preference to maximum. Rerouting - a major problem in the real world is also that the unit doesn't tell you when you are going wrong but simply recalculates - this is good for wandering around where you don't care what road you are on - but in many cases you simply want to turn round and regain the route that you planned - not an alternative. But psychologically it is very un-nerving to be going in the opposite direction to your destination and not be told to turn round. (a problem with all satnavs is that coming out of an underground carpark it takes a while for the satellites to be regained - by which time you may be obliged to simply go in any direction - in a town with a one way system this is a recipe for misery). On the other hand when you encounter a real blockage there does not seem to be a way to indicate which road is blocked. It seems to infer this from the fact you took another road. But due to the lack of feedback i'm not sure. If you look at the unit it says `recalculating' briefly but that is all. Long story short you still need to study a map and know your route by heart if you want to stay on the most efficient route (i. E. Get there on time!). Speed warning - it would be very useful to have an audible signal for speed limit change but this doesn't seem to be available. Also i can't see the speed limit display clearly - the icon/ font too small. While there is a separate `virtual dashboard' display this does not show the speed limit (!) but items of data that are only useful when stationary. Another major beef is that it doesn't help you start a journey from where you are exactly but simply says 'go to marked route'! - as if it can't be bothered to help you drive down a track/small road /car park at this stage - but happy to send you into the boondocks at any point thereafter! this is the whole point of a satnav - when you are in a strange place, maybe tired and don't have a mental map of the roads around you - the icon of your car on the device is meant to point in the same direction you are actually pointing, but in fact you really have to think `where am i' to make this small step to `the marked route'. (my 3 year old navman started me off from anywhere without a problem - even off the highway). Other users have commented that the unit is too slow to update in towns and gives conflicting and confusing instructions. I agree - and in particular it gives street names which is pointless as you can't know what the name of the street is in a strange town. (even a pedestrian would struggle with this!). This is not a unit problem but the understanding of the premium navigation company in the world not apparently knowing what it is like to drive in a strange town alone - perhaps at night. Absolutely ridiculous. Maybe you simply can't get a good system without spending £250? i. E. Maybe my expectations are unrealistic. Or maybe the science is not advanced enough yet. But there may be a simpler explanation - that if you pay ford prices you won't get a jaguar. Maps - others have commented on the map updating, but i purposely chose a recent unit so i did not have to submit myself to the trauma of downloading a new map; i haven't had a problem with mapping. You can't expect the device to magically know if a road-works is in progress or when a new roundabout has been built. Which brings me to `user map updates'. Personally when i am driving to a meeting i do not stop and write down a mapping error so that i can help garmin. But there is no button on the device to help me do this either - you cannot press on the screen and say `there is something here' to remind you later (although you can press the screen to navigate to a specific point). This is an oversight if they expect the users to be their unpaid `updating workforce'. Otherwise i expect the map updates to be the result of a team of professionals. I don't think garmin or their competitors can rely on users to fill the gap where google has such a head-start in terms of data accuracy and integration. Secondary features - pois. A generic problem with no quality information about restaurants (all satnavs are the same in this regard) - so relying on a poi without doing prior research is a big gamble. And unlike mapping (which is good and up to date) pois suffer from poor reliability - i. E. Restaurants don't exist!hands-free phone (bluetooth) - i paired my phone easily but have not used it yet. I think the unit will use the phone contact list but i have not tried this either. Traffic - not tested. Other types of journey (e. G. Walking ,cycling) - not tested. Planning on basecampbasecamp (bc) is excellent software functionally - lots of good features and does what you want and what you would expect. But it has issues in terms of user experience that really should be addressed with a re-coding update: the logic of use is sometimes compromised by perhaps programming limitations, making it slightly less intuitive than one might expect. It appears bc is designed to satisfy all gps users not just drivers but cyclists and walkers etc. You must connect the device to your pc to use basecamp as it uses the device maps and the device navigation computer algorithms to plan routes. The map has a graphic quality of 10 years ago compared (say) to google maps, which was shocking initially but you get used to zooming in and out constantly to figure out where you are - and using google maps at the same time to get some clarity. I guess this is due to the limit of data space on the device (and in fact matches the mapping on the device. )(note i do not use bing as life is too short, but there are alternatives to google maps. Michelin, mappy etc. )following guidance online you can choose and modify the roads you go down - directly on the map - and you can import and export routes/tracks from/to google maps. (i have not done this but i have imported kml files with waypoints no problem). Baffling menu with 'trip' planner unable to be modified in terms of the order of waypoints/items in the main screen. Then you must create a route (in alphabetical order) and then you open the route and then are allowed to re-order the items to create a logical trip. What programmer thought this up??the primary concept in bc is the use of lists. This allows you to have an item of data (say a waypoint) in one folder and yet refer to it - copy it - as an item in other folders/lists. This is a useful concept but it's difficult to understand what is the original and what is the copy. Unless you know which the original is, you can't move it (you end up making more and more copies). In fact my use of the word `copy' is wrong - these duplicate items are more like windows shortcuts, which you can safely remove without deleting the original. The system tries to recalculate routes if you change something - irritating since it uses the device to do the route calculation and is thus very slow. (you can cancel this to save time, but still seems like programming at beta stage). The unit itself has a magic `optimise route' feature which i have not tried but will apparently take a number of waypoints and determine the most efficient route between them. This is bizarrely not apparently available on basecamp (unless i missed it). A waypoint and a searched item can be used interchangeably - a bit messy. (it makes you wonder what the point of the term waypoint is). If you mistakenly select an item (called `place') on the map as a waypoint after already having it saved elsewhere (perhaps in a previous trip), it will create a new waypoint called place1. So you must manage your waypoints carefully, naming them and selecting them. . Or could end up with 10 copies of the same place. Because:. When searching, bc will search all the public data before your data - and searching on the device takes a long time. (in fact i have never seen a personal item selected since the amount of public data is so huge). It does not seem possible to change the order of search, but you can opt to search only a subset of the data - for instance private data only - but that implies you need to search twice - once to see if you already have that `thing' and then again if you don't already have it. Post-trip on basescampbc has to be synced with the device manually - and creates confusing folders related to the date of sync (so you seem to end up with multiple copies of what's on the device - except that tracks you have created are not duplicated?). In short, it's a mess - a mess that the user has to spend time and effort to sort out. Its hard to tell what is an original item or a `shortcut'. But at least you know have a complete backup of your stuff - and you can see where you have been in terms of both waypoints (places) and trips - aka tracks. I love data and intend to fully use the ability to document tracks (tracking works whenever the device is on, and you don't have to plan a route to track any journey). You can easily export tracks to excel, say. Last little glitch - bc scans your pc for devices so if you pop in a camera card it appears in the bc menu list. Slightly worrying. There are other features i have not explored - adventures, and photo integration. Summaryit works same as a 3 year old navman at a similar price, but is a slicker faster unit. Pc software basecamp has good functionality for both planning routes and saving tracks. Note the reason i had to upgrade is that my old navman could not get map upgrades (even if i paid money), so i had to have a new unit. But whether this one is better than navman or tomtom or whether this unit is better than others in the range remains to be seen. Scores high on a nice gadget to own, but pretty low on its function - getting me somewhere without literally going round the houses. Personally i love satnavs and gps but the only reason they still exist is that smartphones went on a little design detour of their own when they went to touchscreen. In a couple of years the shear power of google maps will kill off all but the most specialised satnavs as your phone will be powerful enough to give you turn by turn navigation and hands-free phone and so on. But the crucial failure of standalone satnav is that it can't know what standard a restaurant is, what time it opens, whether the petrol station is selling cheap fuel, etc. It is this integration and richness of data that people consider routine on their phones, that is missing on a satnav unit. So i give the unit 9/10, basecamp 7/10 for messy design (needs a major update), and the navigation mapping `system' gets 5/10 for working just about but requiring a lot of user effort and stress. .
Unit Ok But Has Some Glitches. I bought this unit (garmin 2567lm) to replace my ageing road angel navigator 9000 (which was a good unit but sometimes was unreliable and subscriptions expensive and expired). I have only had the garmin unit for about a week but have covered over 400 miles with it. The routes chosen are generally more sensible than the road angel although some errors do occur such as stating the wrong lane at junctions (the map (so far) shows the correct route). Delivery was on time. The garmin speed camera subscriptions (cyclops database) for the uk is only £17/year (still to be purchased). Ordering on line (amazon) allows you to have a 10% discount on garmin purchases on their website once the product is registered for up to 30 days from purchase date. Positives:- quick to register on the garmin express website, however the initial map/software update did take about 2-2. 5 hours but was easy to do (windows 7 with ie 10 + 13mbps broadband), just followed on screen instructions and did not use the pc for anything else during the update process. Once complete you are left with about half the units memory (~3. 5gb of 7gb) this is for uk and w europe with one map update (done on purchase), not sure if it adds to memory usage each time you update or replaces it so it may not take many updates before you need an external micro sd card (slot in bottom of unit) to expand the memory, will need to see if this is the case - especially as this is a lifetime map updates product. - finds a satellite signal very quickly (so far < 1 minute each time), i park in a underground car park in birmingham city centre. - routes are usually sensible including use of high speed (60/70 mph) a roads where applicable as opposed to just sticking to motorways with long detours as my old unit always insisted on. - time to destination is quite accurate. - mapping is quite clear with auto zoom en route, you can also choose uk road colours (motorways blue, a roads green, secondary a roads red etc. ). - spoken voice is clear and can be set to quite a loud volume (but some street names are pronounced incorrectly). - photo real junction view is quite good (and quite realistic), these are only on motorways and appear automatically on approach to the junction (~0. 5 miles), they are static and disappear once you pass the junction. - includes a postcode search, uk 7 digit and you do not necessarily need a house number (good for industrial estates - just bypass the house number step). - you can display "total distance to go" in navigation map display mode. - over speed warning - a couple of beeps and the displayed current speed goes red, speed limit is also displayed (not 100% accurate though)- speed camera warning - you can select audio warring in the stet up menu, if done so it beeps when you are near the safety camera/zone (~0. 2 miles), if you are below the speed limit only one audio warning is made on approach but the visual details are displayed in top right hand corner of screen (in red) and on moving map (red camera symbol displayed in position on the road), if you are above the limit it beeps fairly regularly to remind you (as well as the visual display), the higher your speed the more urgent and frequent the beeps. So far verified on fixed cameras, average camera zones, mobile camera zones, red light cameras and variable speed limits (only where the camera exists on the gantry, confirmed on m6 j10a - 8 both ways), i have not updated the unit yet using the optional cyclops subscription, the warnings described above are supplied with the unit as standard out of the box (once menus are set up). - so far speed camera database seems fairly accurate, especially locations. - you can detour by 0. 5, 2. 0 and 5. 0 miles to avoid upcoming roads (if you know you want to), this requires manual selection but is quick to do. - the unit is quick to execute commands on the touchscreen (may be a sign of the times)- can connect to your mobile for more services (you need a smart phone for this and a data package) the services are traffic, live safety camera information etc. (2567lm or bluetooth unit only)- can connect to a mobile for phone calls. (2567lm or bluetooth unit only)- can search for local facilities in any town (bit complicated to do but good for petrol etc. )negatives:- you have to use the supplied garmin in car charger with integrated power cable, i hard wired mine in as it is neater and less to forget to put away in car parks etc. , i used to have a 12v/5v usb (2 amp) charger and universal usb cable with the road angel, this does not work on the garmin as it thinks it is connected to a pc and takes a few minutes to get going after realising there is no pc and does a master reboot, using the supplied charger works ok (no reboot) once wired in if that's what you want to do, be aware if you are considering using a commercially available universal non garmin usb charger/usb power cable to use with this unit it will re-boot each time it sees power. You haver to use a garmin car charger/power supply. - my unit did switch off without notice today on the m6 south near j14 on a journey, it came to life automatically but was out of use for about a minute, ok on a motorway but not sure how i would feel if navigating in a busy city centre. - some speed limits wrong (mainly by a hundred yards or so - but be aware)- if you have the speed camera audio warning you also get a warning for exceeding the speed limit in a non camera zone, this is less frequent but can be annoying when you are in a 70 zone but the unit thinks the limit is 50! will have to see how i get on with that. - you cannot display arrival time and distance to destination on the main navigation map screen at the same time, you can have one or the other (and other things like elevation, time to destination), although there is a sub menu to view both away from the main map (one menu press). I set it to display "distance to go" on the main navigation map screen as in the sub menu the arrival time is on the top of the list and quite easy to get to (view) when driving. - speed camera warnings are just beeps as are over speed and other warnings, the road angel told me (audio message) what camera type it was and speed limit (very accurate), you really have to keep an eye on the unit i. E. Map for cameras etc. (or your speed!), but not bad considering the navigation and other functionality is so much better,- lifetime maps are actually only 4 updates a year for the "useful life of the product" however long that will be?- speed camera database will need updating using a wired usb pc connection and subscription, my old unit did it over the airconclusions:this is a good unit for a replacement to my old road angel it seems a good choice and so far has been fine (despite the differences in warning types + one off unscheduled reboot), these are differences that i need to get used to but find it is much better and easier to use and has the basic features i used to have for navigation. There are lots of features that i will never use but the basics that i am used to are on the unit and have mastered how to use them quite quickly. I have not used the smartphone apps (no smartphone) but used the bluetooth for calls, this is not as good as the bluetooth in my car but good for hands free if you do not have this feature. There are no instructions supplied in the box but they can be downloaded from:[. ]the instructions do not provide many screenshots and how things appear but are suitable to get going. To note: i have never used a tom tom, navman or other satellite navigation unit (apart from my old road angel) so cannot comment on how this compares to them (user interface etc. )update october 2013i have reduced the score to 3 as the unit seems to reboot or freeze randomly, sometimes twice in a few minutes, other times nothing for hours. Garmin support is ok but not really that good, also today noticed that i cannot update it anymore, you pay for updates and they don't work. Will see what garmin come back with. Support is nowhere near as good as my old road angel.
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