Customer Reviews
Works Great
Bought this gizmo for my wife because she travels. I plugged it right in and bam... instanst GPS. I've programmed all my favorite address for my wife in a zip. I mounted it right above the mirror and works great. First GPS and am loving it.
Came with A/C adapter, suction mount.
Have been using it for awhile myself and tested it by changing from its recommended path. It adjusted well.
Trust me you'll love it.
StreetPilot i5 - a great tool!
First of all, I have to admit that Iam terrible with directions. This GPS comes loaded with all of its maps. All you have to do is quickly scroll to the address you want. If you want the closest McDonald's, you can tell it that. Gas station, etc. It is so easy. The older ones (i2 and i3) did not have all of the maps pre-programmed. This is a must have and well worth the (small) extra cost.
I took this out the first time I used it and tried to confuse it by going the wrong direction. As soon as I took a wrong turn, it adjusted the route and told me where to go to get back on track.
This model even comes with free updates. If there is a map update, you can hook it up via the provided USB cable and upload new information.
Wow! I'm amazed. Better than TomTom 300
First off, I'm very familiar with GPS navigation devices since I own a Roadmate 800, a Pocket-PC based iGuidance, and this Garmin i5. I was also a former owner of the very-disappointing TomTom 300.
The good:
1) This thing is small, but do not think you can't see the screen. It has high resolution, good layout, and enough brightness to drive even during winter where the sun is right at your eyes.
2) Spoken directions: The spoken direction is very clear and concise. It is loud enough even with road noise and music turned on.
3) The size and weight is such an advantage you can take this with you on business trips, or even when you're just walking around downtown finding your way.
4) AA battery. You can easily replace these without having to buy batteries from the manufacturer unlike Magellan Roadmate.
5) The directions are very clear, it tells you which exit to take. Exit 16A or 16B? I like knowing which specific exit on a highway, that way I know if it's coming up soon or on which lane I should be. On a 4 lane highway, that's all you need to know because "stay on the right" doesn't mean much when you're on a 4 lane highway.
6) Fast satellite pickup. As long as you have batteries inside, when you turn this thing on, it locks you very quickly so you can start navigating.
7) Using the scroll-wheel input takes a bit getting used to at first since I'm used to using touch-screen GPS. BUT, it's very effective and it's designed in a manner where it narrows down your search for a street name or city so you don't have to type in all the letters for the specific street or city.
8) Very concise and accurate maps. Unlike TomTom, this will actually get you from point A to point B without suggesting ridiculous routes that will have you go through 20 stop lights when the nearest highway is available. Also, the mapdata is very up-to-date
9) Very fast and accurate rerouting.
Cons:
For the price, I can barely think of any. BUT, If I have to nitpick, I think the ability to change the route while the car is moving would be nice. For safety purposes, this thing will prevent you from adding a new route but they should take into account the fact that someone else could be the one changing the route and not the driver.
Also, the total distance to the destination would be nice. But, the estimated time of arrival and the fact that you can scroll through the routes before you start driving is nice so you can see if it's taking you through streets you're ok to drive in. If you're afraid of driving through bad parts of town, just drive through another road and the i5 will reroute you automatically.
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Conclusion: While this may not have all the bells and whistles of more expensive GPS like the Tomtom and the Roadmates, I don't think you can get a better bang for the buck than this GPS. If I had to guess, I would have guessed this to be a $500 or more unit. This thing outperforms the TomTom 300 handsdown, it's not even funny.
