Garmin nüvi 2595LMT 5-Inch Portable Bluetooth GPS Navigator

• Lifetime map and traffic updates
• Speed limit indicator - unit displays speed limits for most major roads.
• Lane assist with photoReal junction views.
• Over 8 million points of interest and see branded icons on the map as you navigate.
• Park position recall - find your car where you left it.

This is my 3rd Garmin GPS. I have become accustomed to their user interface and performance, so I can't compare to other makes. I wanted to talk about the new features that attracted me to this unit and how I evaluated their usefulness on my first 3 hour road trip to a location I know by heart.

Feature 1 5 inch screen. I am older and am having to use reading glasses to see the GPS mounted to the dash. My earlier unit was a 4 inch. I considered a 7 inch Magellan, but when I found out you couldn't install custom POIs on the Magellan, it ruled that one out for me. We go camping frequently and I have all the state parks as custom POIs. I also have truck stops I like to use. The 5 inch display was definately an improvement for me.

Feature 2 Automated voice recognition. I definately don't like being distracted by touching the screen to see how far the next roadside rest is (see custom POIs above). So I thought telling the GPS what I wanted made a lot of sense. When it comes to "commands" this feature works OK, but I have discovered I have to turn the radio volume down or talk VERY LOUDLY. The latter disturbs my wife :-) However, when you want to provide an address to locate, the unit performed badly. I couldn't get it to correctly locate any of 3 addresses correctly... i.e. "4810 Whitewood Court" ended up with something very strange.

Feature 3 Turn lanes. Knowing which lane you need to be in to correctly exit the highway and be ready for the next turn. There are two distinctly different features on this unit for knowing the turn lanes. One is "Viewing Junctions" which displays a picture of the upcoming junction, complete with signage. This takes up about the right half of the screen. The other turn lane feature is a small area in the upper left corner that shows , by using arrows, the number of lanes. The lane(s) you are to be in are bright white, while the others are grey. I found the arrows to be VERY useful and quick to absorb at a glance. I found the "Viewing Junctions" not very useful, as you had to look over a much larger area of the screen to absorb the information in a glance. I found I had to glance at the "Viewing Junctions" image several times before I understood which lane it wanted me to be in. For me at least, the "Viewing Junction" feature was of no use to me.

Feature 4 Traffic. On my trip there were no traffic problems, so I didn't get to experience any rerouting due to traffic conditions. This feature appears to only work when you are in or around larger cities. Between cities, pressing the traffic button indicated that there was no or weak signal.

Feature 5 Posted speed limits As you are navigating a small sign appears on the display showing the posted limit and your actual speed. If your actual speed exceeds the posted limit, it turns red. Nice little feature to keep honest people honest.

Other Notes:

I found the estimated time of arrival to be more accurate than my previous GPSs. Perhaps because it knows the posted limits as they change along the route??? The menu system is different from my prior GPSs.

There is an icon composed of 3 horizontal white bars that, when pressed, bring up other options. Sometimes this icon is in the lower right of the display, sometimes it is located elsewhere depending on where you are in the menus. Since this was a little different than prior units, I am having to get adjusted to this.

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Why I bought a Garmin Nuvi 2595LMT.

I have owned many voice command systems in my car from both Magellan and Garmin. I use my gps in my car and in my truck when pulling my 5th wheel. I had a Magellan Maestro 4050 with voice command since 2008 and decided to look around for a new one with a few more bells and whistles. I spent a week solid reading reviews and was ready to buy a Nuvi 3490LMT but kept on reading about software issues and after trying on at BestBuy didn't see it worth $400 for a few additional features.

With that in mind I looked back to Magellan Roadmaster 1700 and a 4700 and even the 5175 Traveller and just couldn't find one that had the features I wanted.

So back to Garmin I looked and found out that The Nuvi 2595LMT had everything I like and needed and was $150 less than the NUVI 3490LMT.

What I liked in the Nuvi 2595LMT

5" screen

Voice Commands

Speaks street names, turn by turn

One button to save and name a location.

Free map and traffic for life

Highway Lane selection

Highway Exit enhancement

Highway speed for that highway

Speed limit exceeded notice

Pedestrian mode

Can change icons and voices

Has maps for most of Mexico

Select multiple routes and not just one

You can add coordinates in for a route which I use a lot.

And the great price from Amazon which I have bought many items from and has a great return policy.

I will turn off Bluetooth because I already have it in my car and truck stereo systems and to save battery when in pedestrian mode on battery.

What I don't like

Nothing yet about the unit.

I hate users who write rviews before they read the manual and learn how to use their unit.

Then complain how the unit doesn't do this or that and the unit does> All they have to do is take the time a read and learn.

I'm sure I will get a lot of negitive remarks to my statement but it really bothers me when the problem is the human factor.

With that said I almust add that yes firmware updates are always needed as minor bugs are found and what I see is Garmin in on top of this or they wouldn't be in business long.

Read Best Reviews of Garmin nüvi 2595LMT 5-Inch Portable Bluetooth GPS Navigator Here

I recently upgraded from an older Garmin to this unit, and while it clearly is improved in some areas, the method of finding addresses leaves LOTS to be desired. In the older unit I could easily change the state, and then enter number, street, and city. Very easy. In this new unit you enter a number, then the street, and then wait. And wait. And wait. Until it finally shows a scrollable list of results for your region which you then need to tediously scroll through to find the combination of street and city you are looking for. Horrible. Yes, you can find a city first, but even that adds lots more steps than the older unit! Why did they change a system that worked so well? Try finding an address on "Main" street and see how long it takes you!

On the plus side, sattelite aquisition is much quicker. You have a choice of routes after you (finally) find your destination, the map and unit are, for the most part, responsive. There's lots of options for map details, the voice volume is plenty loud, and the built-in database is comprehensive. The 5" touch screen displays a nice image, and is NOT reflective so it's easier to see, unlike a competitor I returned that had a glossy screen that was impossible to see in daylight due to reflections. The mount is not a powered mount, but works well. It's a standard Garmin mount. Overall, the unit does what it's supposed to do, and it does it very well. My only (and big) complaint is the new method of finding destinations. I'd sure love the option of using the old system.

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Most of the reviews here are for the 2595, not the 2555 that I purchased. I didn't need voice activation or bluetooth so the 2555 is just fine for me.

I have to disagree with the reviewer that says it is slow to find where you are. I am a long-time Garmin user and I think it is light years faster than my old Nuvi model. Although some of the new features are a little difficult to get used to I still think this unit deserves the highest marks. The larger screen alone makes it worth an upgrade from an older unit.

It's also great to have lifetime maps and traffic upgrades. Again, that gives this model high marks. My favorite feature on the 2555 is the categorization of places you would like to go. For example, on my old unit I used to have search for and then type in "REST A" to find the next rest area on my route. With the 2555 "Rest Area" is a category and therefore only a couple of button presses away.

In summary, I am a happy consumer who is enjoying the new features that Garmin has added to it's new 2012 line of GPSs. Well worth the upgrade!

I have been using TomTom. But when it brought me to a remote, strange place two times in a row (and my model was the one that I had to pay for updates), I knew I had to get another one.

In Amazon, I saw this product with rave reviews so I decided to give it a try. And I am happy I did!

Here are the cons and pros..

Cons(1) The VOICE: I am the first time Garmin user and I love it in many ways BUT honestly, the voice choices are plain bad! In this category, Tomtom fairs a lot betterit did give me very charming, clear, and natural voice. On the other hand, Garmin gave me very few voice choices. I was so looking forward to using voice that gives me street names (Tomtom did not have this feature) but when I tried this American "Jill," I was like, "What a joke!" It was worse than those automated answering machine voices. So unnatural and abrupt! I finally settled with American "Michelle," who has more elegant and calm voice and I am happy with it (though "Michelle" cannot give me street names). (2) SLOWER, MORE DELIBERATE ARRIVAL CALCULATION & COMMAND: Compared to Tomtom, my new Garmin nuvi is definitely slower in calculating the estimated arrival time based on my vehicle speed. Also, it does not give me directions like "Turn right" soon enough. This is not good when I am supposed to be in "right turn only lane" already. Tomtom gave me "right turn ahead" direction before like one mile, and when I am moderately near, it would remind me one more time just perfect timing. With Garmin nuvi, I'm learning that I must focus a bit more on direction onscreen ("right turn after 400")to prepare for turns. I am getting the hang of it.

Pros(1) I love lane change assist feature! No more worrying and stressing out! My family is so impressed with the real picture it shows ahead before every junction and exit (with my son going, "Ma! It looks just the same!") :)

(2) It does what navigation is supposed to do. Clear, accurate, and dependable navigation to the destination. Finally, there is a navigation that ensures maps are updated and information is correct. What more can I ask for? Unlike Tomtom, it has NEVER FAILED ME. Cannot be more thrilled! (3) Lifetime map updates With highways always under constraction, this is huge. 4 free updates a year for lifetime. Cannot beat that.

Overall, I would highly recommend this product. I was reluctant to switch from Tomtom to Garmin but I made the right choice. In terms of what navigation is supposed to do, this tops it all. I love driving with my new Garmin nuvi 2595! :-)