Customer Ratings & Reviews

Saves the phone battery and it's easy to use. Voice command makes it easy to find a location while you are driving. It shows the posted speed which is nice if you haven't seen a speed limit sign in a while - but it's not always accurate due to construction, etc. It has an option to show your elevation which was great in Colorado. It doesn't like to navigate on forest roads or by-ways. It likes to find the fastest route, not always the most scenic. However, once you are on a smaller road, it does recognize where you are. If you want to go off road, you probably want Google maps or a more expensive GPS. It comes with window mount but it's illegal in most states to mount to the window. I wish it came with a different mount. (most automotive GPS have window mounts) We had to get creative.

While our old GPS still works great, its maps were getting out of date and the cost of upgrading was more than half the price of buying this new unit. Having lifetime map and traffic updates are wonderful and I've already updated it several times with new maps and software. Using voice commands to find a place/address is very handy as is using the Garmin app on my smartphone to send a contact's address and/or an address from a search directly to the GPS. I also use Furkot.com to plan trips and the .GPX export from there can be copied to a micro SD card and loaded onto the Garmin. When traveling on a multi-day trip, the imported trip is organized by day making it a breeze to select the right trip segment and click go to navigate. My father-in-law is now convinced he needs to get one!

This Garmin nuvi-2597LMT far exceeds the ease of use and functionality of our 8-year old Garmin i5 Street Pilot. The size of the screen is just right. The spoken directions are clear. When making a wrong turn, the re-routing is quick and smooth. The voice command for giving an address is very convenient for hands-free use. However, it sometimes takes a couple of tries of speaking very deliberately for it to recognize the words and numbers in the address. The real-time warnings about traffic ahead or roads closed is useful. We still are learning the features and convenience of this user-friendly navigation aid.

I had an old Garmin unit from around 2008. It's worked fine, but the latest set of map updates are too big for it, limiting us to regions of the country. I did some research and ended up purchasing this one and love it. We just returned from a 1,000 road trip and the unit performed great. I love the traffic and re-routing info, the larger screen, the images of the exit signs that are coming up, and the lane tool that tells you exactly what lane to get in. The voice command option is cool, but I had a hard time getting it to work successfully. Might be me, or it, or me learning to work with it. Moving my old info from the previous Garmin was not too difficult, and nice to have. Overall, I highly recommend this. Lifetime maps and traffic is great, too.

This is a great GPS. It is so much better than my older Tom Tom GPS, which wouldn't update at the end. This GPS is easy to use and easy to update. The screen is quick and shows the turns as you make them. Not a lot of lag time. The screen itself is big. I like the Lifetime Map and Traffic updates too. There are many options, which I like. It shows all sorts of information, including time of arrival, time to arrival, how high you are, what direction of travel, how far you have traveled. A lot of information.

This is my first purchase of a standalone GPS. I've always used my smartphone in the past, but wanted something with better features that won't drain my phone battery. This is a good standalone GPS with many features. Once I got it home and hooked it up to my computer, the maps updated and I fully charged it. Tried it out on a few locations that I've been to where I knew there were some quirky turns to get there. The GPS handled it with ease. I also installed the Garmin smartphone link off Google Play to my LG G2 phone. Paired it to the the nuvi via bluetooth with no issues. One thing I like is the ability to search for a location with the smartphone app and have it sent directly to the nuvi. Once sent, one touch on the nuvi and you're on your way. The voice controls on the nuvi worked fine for me. Spoken commands and entering addresses by voice worked well. The display is fine and I had no issues seeing it. There's lots of in route options available on the screen, with more to see with the touch of a button. I wish the suction cup mount would allow me to dash mount the nuvi. It won't hold even on the smooth plastic dash areas. On glass however, it's solid as a rock. The GPS snaps on and off the mount easily so you can remove it from the car and leave the mount in place. One other thing is the unit DOES NOT include a wall charger, so be prepared to shell out 20 or so dollars to purchase one. The standard traffic function worked decently. I can't comment on the "live" functions (yes for live traffic, weather, and cameras, you have to purchase a subscription) as I've not yet purchased those. Overall a solid unit from nuvi.

Have only used it a few times but it has a Good size screen, easy to use voice commands and so far has given reliable directions. The split screen that displays lanes for exits or intersections is a huge improvement over my old gps.

I use this to commute in the San Francisco bay area. Traffic is very helpful and when accidents happen, it takes maybe 5 minutes before it updates (though Caltrans sucks at providing detail for other types of incidents). The maps are also really good, though some POIs are out of date (notably BART stations - but this problem exists even on Google Maps, so it's likely a city engineer's fault). I use the Bluetooth functionality so that I can legally talk while driving (I use it as a hands free), but the speakers suck and the microphone sucks. I would be happy with an external mic. It mostly works, but the other party sometimes has a hard time hearing me.

Great GPS. This is my second Garmin GPS. I wanted one with voice command. This GPS gets me where I want accurately and even more hands-free than before. The only negative I can come up with is the battery life. Only about 1 hour of battery life isn't very good. I can deal with it though as being in the car I can keep it plugged in but I would have expected a little more battery life.

Wow so much better than my old garmin. Love the features and the screen is very easy to see and read. I use this for my motorcycle so needed something easy to use and read. Great GPS!

The new Garmin GPS was an excellent upgrade from the other Garmin I used--it is very user friendly, the larger screen is great, faster, new helpful tools! Overall LOVE it!

Purchased for my daughter who is a little apprehensive driving on busy freeways, having to pay attention to traffic, exits...Really loves the Lane Assist feature and that it has hands free bluetooth, in an older car that doesn't have it. 2 birds...recommended it to co-worker who is looking for the same features. Made the mistake to not pay attention to the Lifetime Traffic feature and got stuck in it for an hour. If you turn it on, follow it, even if you think you know better.

Purchased to use on a trip while driving a rental car. Very easy to use and and loved being able to use voice commands. Just remember to speak clearly. Unit gave clear directions and we had no problems whatsoever. Another nice feature while traveling was ability to take you to a city/town without having to give an actual address.

I purchased and then returned this all in the same day. My return had nothing to do with the GARMIN. Over the years they have changed the screens. My old one has a matte screen that reduces glare. This is very important for me since I use the GARMIN in a convertible. The sunlight hitting the screen made it unusable. Had my second vehicle not had a navigation system, I would have kept it for that vehicle. It has everything you need in a navigation system and then some. A big screen, efficient routing, and the ability to set numerous parameters. Had this had a matte screen I would have it now.

This is my third iteration of Garmin over about nine years. This is the first one that has featured voice recognition and traffic updates. The screen is a nice size and the improved split screen that shows which lane to be in before an expressway spit or merger is appreciated. I miss the British and Australian accents the most. There is only one English speaking standard option that works with the updates. So far, the voice recognition works well when searching for a destination without having to type it in. Pros: screen size, traffic updates, voice recognition Cons: memory card required for map updates, new search format, lack of different voice options

I was headed to Indianapolis for a Dr. visit @ IU Hospital, the night before my visit, as appt. was very early the next morning. I tried using the GPS/Navigation on my phone to get to my hotel. The app. was completely useless. Luckily I had printed the route before leaving home and had to go off that, momentarily taking my eyes off road @ each new direction. The next morning I again tried the app. to get me to the hospital. No luck! Also tried my SPRINT tablet with same results. After frustratingly trying to "navigate" around Indy I decided I was going to look into a "real" GPS unit. That night I went to bestbuy.com from my hotel room and found this device on sale for a savings of $50. Checked the reviews and all were favorable. Called best buy that night to ask if they had it in stock. They did and gave me detailed directions to their store. Needless to say, first thing the next morning, went to best buy and bought the unit. $50 off and six months same as cash. Had no problem setting it up. Had no problem navigating downtown Indy and getting out to a place I was familiar with to get home. Absolutely love this GPS. CLEAR audio direction, keeping your eyes on road @ all times. Even navigated me to a favorite Amish store on the way home. I would seriously recommend this device.

Got this on Black Friday sale. Did firmware and map update on first power on. Navigation is good and brings me to where I want to go. I miss the 'recalculating' announcement from my old gps but that is just me. Like the traffic but hard to say where it is unless you view the whole route. One gripe I have is that even now and then, the display remains blank when I start up my car. Have to press power button for 10+ seconds so the unit reboots and displays properly.

So happy I updated my GPS device to this Garmin. I love that I have lifelong updates- easy controls and it works better in the city. When putting in an address it automatically finds the city based on the street name and/or address. If there are multiple options for (ie. 123 Main street) in your state it will show you and you chose the one in the city you are going to. Much easier. I also love the car icon selections I can change. Wish the DONUT was still there Garmin- it's gone! It was my kids favorite.

Very easy to use right out of the box. I like the Bluetooth option for hands free calling and the ease of voice commands.

It is accurate and easy to use, easier than most phone GPS’s which is what I have been using and you don’t risk losing save places when changing phones. You can enter GPS coordinates or when you get to a destination you just touch the car image and you can save that location. The suction mount works well for me. Getting a -LMT (Lifetime Map and Traffic updates) GPS is not to much more than a GPS without LMT and makes more sense. It has many other features such as Bluetooth connection, etc.