Customer Ratings & Reviews

I've been driving around with this speaker for about a week nearly and I think this product is good at what it does but this is clearly a beta product that needs more updates and time. Garmin's Speak with Amazon Alexa is interesting none the less but it almost feels like poor execution. The sad part of all of this is that I don't think a lot of the problems lies with the product itself but the way there is poor connections in different areas of the united states. This product is SLUGGISH when trying to respond back to you in areas that are terrible. If you drive through a forest with bad connections then you might as well forget hearing back from Alexa. There were a few updates what helped with connection issues but in my case, it didn't do or help the situation much. Another bad thing about the device is that it isn't as easy to install as one might think. it takes a while to route the cable over to the door. Long wires kinda offset this problem so it is what it is. The Garmin Speak app you would think work great with the Amazon music app but it doesn't which is strange. The product also does not do everything Alexa does! which kinda defeats you the know...the purpose of Alexa. It doesn't support with Spotify, It doesn't make phone calls and text like Alexa can. The Speak connects to your phone via Bluetooth and then leech on your phone connected to your car audio system. There couldn't have been any other way I guess but the results are that it doesn't always work and it needs to have the Garmin speak app open on your phone sometimes on your smartphone. Why? Sometimes you don't hear anything at all from Alexa and other times it works. Its the most annoying and frustrating experience. Sadly I hate to recommend this but I had a better time just using the aux plug. Bluetooth shouldn't be this spotty and I have no idea whats going on. You can not add locations like home, school, work, club, or anything else. So it's not even that useful as a standalone GPS. So what is positive about this product? Actually, when it works and set up properly my goodness this is a great product. Driving through the city worked flawlessly with my network. When asked to do a task like turning on the heat at home, and she makes funny jokes on the ride home if you want to entertain someone in the car. Alexa does make clear and loud direction when she speaks so that's great. The support seems to be growing and you can bet more will come to Alexa. I sit here writing this review disappointed honestly. It's so many factors working against this product that I simply can't recommend rushing out for this. Its buggy and isn't ready for primetime right now. Its a great idea but I will sit this one out until updates and a lower price make this a better product. I know that Garmin will keep trying on this vision to make Alexa better for the car but right now they have a "long road" ahead.

Good concept, but the product is plagued with connectivity issues. Has yet to reconnect to my phone without me having to manually reconnect each time I get in the car. While underway, the product disconnects numerous times during the drive with the screen simply going blank and leaving it to me to figure things out. It's too bad I'm outside the return window.

I like the idea especially if you have no other way of creating a hands free environment in your car. You can mount it on the window with a piece of adhesive that comes with it and a magnet in the device so you can take it down when not in use. It will give you good visual and verbal cues with its led screen that has arrows and distance shown on it. If you have a car equipped with bluetooth you can pair to your phone and utilize the speakers in your car which is nice but did take a bit of coordination in order to get it working. It was simply a long process and didn't work seamlessly like most phones do these days. The device is small and inconspicuous but part of the problem with the size, is its display, it is just too small. I would highly recommend that Garmin figure a way to make this wireless and have it run off a rechargeable battery as the cord needs to be hidden somehow. Using the device for your sound versus the car is not recommended as the speaker is small and doesn't have much bass. In regards to the Alexa software and using Garmin to give you directions, you just have to get used to how to ask it do something. Saying something to the effect of Alexa, ask Garmin for directions to... Not a big deal; just have to get used to it. In general, this is a cool gadget but I don't feel like it replaces my phone and it is only somewhat adequate as a GPS replacement in the car.

If your main desire is to have the convenience of Alexa in your car so you can keep enjoying the experience then this is a great gadget. If you’re wanting it for the navigation as your primary use this may not be the best option for you. Absolutely update the software as soon as you get it. It helps. Navigation using it isn’t terrible, it just isn’t the best. Ultimately it’s a good gadget...just not the best for everyone’s needs.

The most important thing I'd like to point out is to make sure you update the software before using--you'll get the most optimal current and great experience when you do so. If you use your Amazon Echo/Dot at home and would like Alexa on the go, this is great. I can't justify the price point though, even with navigation features. Although it would be nice to have the ability to set reminders like at home.

When the device does work, it's nice. But it rarely functions as it should. Very frequently it loses connection to my iPhone. It stalls often after being given a command. It crosses saved places when I ask to navigate home, it goes to work and vice versa and it's also not easy to cancel navigation. It's missing some of the main things a device like this should have, It can't do reminders. During the brief moments it does connect and responds I am delighted but this hasn't been consistent enough to create a positive impression.

Make sure you update software before casting judgement. After Garmin updated the software automatically, this thing is awesome.

I dont live in a congested city with a ton of cellular traffic. I am in Tulsa, OK and this think works fast and flawlessly. I've seen reviews where users have had connectivity issues or issues with it taking a while to respond and mine is almost as fast as my Echo's in the house. SO MUCH FUN. This is going to be the next direction of the Echo's and Amazon Alexa for sure.

The idea for this product is great, however, my disappoint began before I even powered it up. First of all the mount is permanently attached to the device, so you have to mount it to the windshield. I wanted to mount it to the dash, but if I would have the screen would have been upside down. The power adapter was also poorly thought out as it's a 12V lighter plug, but has no USB ports to plug your phone in. My vehicle only has one outlet, so I can't charge my phone while using the speak, which ironically the speak depends on my phone for it's navigation. That's just the start of the issues. In using the navigation, you have to put the address into the app on your phone. You can't simply say "Alexa, tell garmin to go to 8888 walnut street, anytown, tn" So if I'm driving and want to change addresses, I have to look down at my phone to do it. To make it worse, you only have 3 favorite locations you can use with Alexa for navigation, Home, Work, School. The streaming audio is hit and miss. I have found that if I stream Amazon music, the music will randomly stop for several seconds at a time. Very Annoying. Pandora seems to stream just fine. I also ran into an issue with Alexa, where I was streaming audio, asked Alexa a question, but received a "poor data connection" message. This was while driving in a metro area, with FULL LTE Signal strength. The music and navigation worked fine at that point just not Alexa. So to sum it all up, this is a device I was very eager to purchase as I loved the concept, but it turns out to be a complete waste of money. It's awesome when it works, but it seldom does and if I can't count on it to work, then what's the point?

This is a portable Alexa! I just bought a second one for my other car and love it. I even got ride of Sirus for I can play anything I ask for. Yes you will need you phone, android and apple will work.

I started looking for a new GPS unit and saw this on the BestBuy site. Decided against it and bought a Rand Mcnally unit. After opening it and getting it set up I factory reset it and decided to return. I didn't want to have my hotspot on all of the time for the features. Hemmed and hawed about which Garmin or TomTom to get and ended up going back to the idea of this little unit. I drive a Fiat 500 so there isn't a whole lot of room in the car and I liked that this unit is so small. Got it home, hooked it all up and was really not that excited about it. I figured I would return after work the next day. Well, after the morning drive to work with this little thing I decided to keep it. Not for the GPS functionality but for the Alexa bit. I loved it. It uses my bluetooth and plays through the car stereo. No hotspot needed. The volume of the audio coming through is much louder than just straight through my phone. The GPS functionality isn't that great but I have only used it for 13 miles. Also it can probably be improved in the future via software. I also think the display could be better. Maybe in future editions. Also would like a long USB cable option instead of a 12v plug. I use my 12v for a power strip that has USB inputs. But I can find a long USB cable at Bestbuy. The other thing is I wish it would have been a little less than the $99 I paid since the EchoDot is easily found for $40. But still not horribly unhappy with the price. I am sure it will be a bargain at Christmas time. I would purchase again but will be waiting for the next edition or when they have a normal GPS unit with Alexa (that I can play music trough my cars Bluetooth and have an SD card slot to add all of my music) at this price.

Its horrible. I bought it for a weekend drive for the weekend to New England. It constantly lost the signal and when i asked Alexa something she either showed she had no signal or she just didnt answer. If your windows are down or the AC is on it cant understand you. It freezes and you dont even realize until you figure it out on your own. I say Alexa play Erase Me by Kid Cudi and shell say i cant find “she raised me”. Did i mention the price? Its 160$ and it doesnt work. And ive had it for 3 days now not just one day.

The alexa aspect of it is nice, but a bit spotty. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 tries to get it to retrieve what you ask. Directions work nice, but I hate having to ask alexa to ask garmin to get direction. It would also be nice to have the option to have the route display on your phone as well. Turns can be confusing if streets are close together.

I got it for my sister as a gift since her car is an older car that doesn’t have Bluetooth. It worked for the most part, but there were times it wouldn’t connect when it should have.

NO address, no Pandora playing. Always saying no internet connection and the phone is totally with signal. No voice response. Awful performance

Don't bother doesn't work looses signal got to keep telling it what to do and it still doesn't understand don't waste your time