Opinions on the Garmin nuvi 2597 LMT with 5" screen

[dennis thompson]

I am thinking about buying the Garmin Nuvi 2597 LMT with 5" screen.
Has anyone an opinion on this system or can you suggest another you might think is better,
in the $160 price range?
Thanks

[Jamie Buxton]

I have an older Nuvi with a 5" screen -- the model 54. It works just fine.

[Erik Loza]

This is just my opinion: I am basically "done" with any type of Garmin/TomTom/etc. I think it's a dead platform. We exclusively use Google Maps from our phones now. I haven't used my Nuvi for almost two years and don't miss it one bit. The issue I was running into was that each time you updated the Garmin, it would lose functionality. The last time I tried it, I paid $50 for the update and did not discover til we were on the road that there was a bug (I know this because it drove me insane and after searching the internet for it, discovered I was far from the only one who was experiencing the same issue...) that cause it to NOT BE ABLE TO SPEAK. I kept thinking I had it on mute or something like that it was a documented issue. Garmin's solution? Buy a newer unit.

If you just want a visual display to keep you company during the drive or give you an idea of the road ahead (which is not a bad thing; my dad has it for this reason), then you might be OK with a Garmin but as far as real-time traffic updates my Google maps has never been wrong. Uncanny, in fact, whatever data they stream that leads you on the best route. My suggestion is that rather than buy a garmin, spend that money on a good mount for you smartphone and use it, instead. Trust me: Google Maps is better, hands down.

Erik

[Izzy Camire]

I just got the Garmin NUVI 65 LMT and my result has been mixed. I first used it to guide me to someplace where I knew about 20 miles away. It guided me exactly on the route I would normally take. When we got on the final state route of my destination it said approaching the place. Then it said we had arrived problem was that we were 2 miles away. I kept going figuring it might realize it screwed up but it never said anything. The next 2 times I used it it got right to where I was going with no problems.
I would never have bought this I am old fashion and just print out Mapquest directions but I got this as a compliment from work.
I would say the thing is ok but after the first problem I would be concerned if it was guiding me into some congested area.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have a TomTom Start 50 with lifetime maps. I like it a lot. Map updates come 4 times a year. ($115 0n Amazon but got it at Christmas for around $75)
You can drive yourself crazy reading reviews. People seem to expect them to be 100% accurate but they always seem to get me close enough. I can't say I ever had a big problem.
I think a problem with a GPS at times is they are loaded with information taken from other sources. I know contractors would have problems finding my house when using a GPS. "Maps" used a name for my road that I never heard anyone local call it before. (But name is correct on some maps) When they typed in my address it would take them 1/2 hr up the road to the same house number on the same road just in another town.

[Lee Schierer]

I have a Nuvi 2595LMT and it works very well. I like the voice control feature for when I'm driving alone and need to make a change. The voice thing can be a bit confusing as road noise and pronunciation make a difference on the unit understanding. I've found it to be pretty accurate, but it sometimes will route you via US highways because the software doesn't account for traffic lights very well if at all. The traffic function thus far has been accurate for the times we have been in areas where the service is available.

My son used to use his smart phone to navigate until he made a trip alone late one evening and got into an area with no cell phone coverage. His phone didn't tell him to turn when he should and it cost him some extra time on the road. That convinced him to get an actual GPS.

I've found errors on the Garmin maps and Google maps as well. I have friends that live in a large gated community in Pennsylvania and both Google maps and Garmin will take you to the wrong end of the road when you punch in their address which is about a mile difference.

[Jamie Buxton]

This is just my opinion: I am basically "done" with any type of Garmin/TomTom/etc. I think it's a dead platform. We exclusively use Google Maps from our phones now. I haven't used my Nuvi for almost two years and don't miss it one bit. The issue I was running into was that each time you updated the Garmin, it would lose functionality. The last time I tried it, I paid $50 for the update and did not discover til we were on the road that there was a bug (I know this because it drove me insane and after searching the internet for it, discovered I was far from the only one who was experiencing the same issue...) that cause it to NOT BE ABLE TO SPEAK. I kept thinking I had it on mute or something like that it was a documented issue. Garmin's solution? Buy a newer unit.

If you just want a visual display to keep you company during the drive or give you an idea of the road ahead (which is not a bad thing; my dad has it for this reason), then you might be OK with a Garmin but as far as real-time traffic updates my Google maps has never been wrong. Uncanny, in fact, whatever data they stream that leads you on the best route. My suggestion is that rather than buy a garmin, spend that money on a good mount for you smartphone and use it, instead. Trust me: Google Maps is better, hands down.

Erik

Has it occurred to you that there are people who don't want to spend a hundred bucks per month in data charges on a smartphone?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have Garmin nuvi. It's a newer model I have had for 5 years. I bought it at Costco IIRC and paid $75 for lifetime maps. It works well and the only time it has led us astray was being ignorant of a new roundabout in Bend,OR.

[Larry Frank]

I have a Garmin Nuvi and am pleased with it. The majority of the time it does really well. I also have a smartphone and prefer to use the Garmin.

[Erik Loza]

Has it occurred to you that there are people who don't want to spend a hundred bucks per month in data charges on a smartphone?

I assume you didn't want to come across as crass in that reply, as I likewise don't want to but since you asked, I assume you know there are folks who already use their mobile devices and data plans quite heavily and who also shop competitive data plan pricing.

If folks don't operate that way, then perhaps the stand-alone GPS makes sense for them. But for those of us who use our mobile devices heavily, there would have to be a compelling reason to pay for and use an extra piece of hardware that does the exact same thing our phones do. That's what I was trying to say. But that's OK if it doesn't work for you. Just my 2-cents as always.

Erik

[Curt Harms]

Like Lee, We have the LMT2595 w/free lifetime maps and traffic. I bought it refurbed with factory warranty off da Bay for a bit less than $100. It looked factory new but was not in a Garmin box . In addition to the navigation functions, it has bluetooth so hands-free phone function. We are not fans of the audible prompts but there's an icon that when tapped mutes the voice. That icon also mutes the ringing sound when placing a call. If there's an answer audio is there. Incoming calls ring and can be answered even with mute on. It has a micro SD card so stored routes don't take up space in onboard flash. Previously I had a Pioneer. Hardware was great, software was awful.

[Wade Lippman]

I just got a Nokia Lumia 635 for $13. The GPS they supply with it is as good as my 2 year old Garmin and the screen is almost as big. (the gps with my old Nokia Lumia 520 sucked) You don't need to have a contract for it as you can download maps over wifi. Though you can get a $100 1 year contract through H2O that will give you 2000 minutes or txts, or the equivalent of data; I got that for my old phone and just leave it in my card so i know I have something.

Has it occurred to you that there are people who don't want to spend a hundred bucks per month in data charges on a smartphone?

For my new phone I have an unlimited plan from Straighttalk for $40/month. I sure don't want to spend a hundred buck per month in data charges!

[Myk Rian]

I have a Garmin Nuvi and am pleased with it. The majority of the time it does really well. I also have a smartphone and prefer to use the Garmin.

Likewise. Our Nuvi has always been good at directing us. We keep it in her car, so I use my phone. It doesn't use up a whole lot of data. I get 2gig, and have never gotten to 600meg.

[Jerry Thompson]

I still have a flip cell phone and I use printed maps for the most part. Remember the old maps one could never refold correctly?

[Bob Rufener]

I have had two Garmins and like them a lot. They don't always give the best routing but it always gets me to where I want to go. I have a smart phone with limited data on it and have used it for navigation. I like the stand alone GPS devices as it has a large screen, gives me lanes of travel and which one I should be in, gives me audio directions in advance of turns, and I can view the screen easily to see curves and turns ahead of me. I have upgraded maps-it takes a loooong time to update but was easy to do. I am not familiar with the model you are considering but Amazon has a lot of reviews and 80% gave it a 4 or 5 rating. I saw it for sale for $114. Just make sure you get lifetime maps included. My wife and I took a trip to New Zealand a few years ago and bought a micro sd card with the maps and other information for the country and it really worked out well. Maps are available for most countries of the world. We take the Garmin whenever we travel and use a car.