Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S

Gets confused with intense road layouts. doesn't recognisestreets thet ate 5 years old.... utter pile of junk and dangerousin an emergency because ut cant even get you to the hospital. Show details

6 inch not easy to set up – It is too complex to to load trips, my old 2011 5' is easy Show details

Not easy to use – Everything is complicated to set up on trips. Previous Garmin was simpler. Adding places to a trip is not easy as I just wanted a town, not a particular place. Also, it seems to change information entered, especially house numbers. Not sure I will rely on it and just stick to using google maps on my phone Show details

Great Unit – Have been using this unit for just over a year now, Being an older person I found it easy to use & set up, it is clear & easy to read and the maps I have been using in Sth Australia have been good. I hard wired it into my BMW so it comes on as soon as you start the car so no stuffing around, recently it reminded me to update the unit with FREE… Read more

maps, I was a bit worried to try this as I have read other stories where people have up dated their GPS only to lose what they had & had all sorts of problems, I have to admit it took me a couple of attemps to get it right LOL, but once done worked great. I would buy this 5" unit again & recommend it to all. Purchased from Harvey Norman for $208-00. Downside..The battery does not last long once disconnected from vehicle, so would be little use for using it for walks.

Cant find home – I have lived at my current address for 13 years.When I enter my address,it replies that it cant be found.After 13 years and many map updates,It still cant find me. Show details

Terrible user features – Cannot remove direction banner, speed camera alert shrinks before reaching the camera. Cannot turn off school alerts or any of the other alerts, despite there being a setting to do so. FPS rate on camera gives jittery playback. Wish i had reviewed it before i bought it. I live near a school,and so does my girlfriend, so the school alerts go off, non stop even in the driveways. Show details

Absolutely the worst – I've has this unit for a few years now and tested it all around Australia, and I have come to hate the thing. It seems hellbent on finding the worst route anywhere. It takes you on C roads when there are B roads, and B roads when there are A roads. It can't find the fastest or the shortest route unless there is only one road between you and the… Read more

destination, and even then you can never be sure. It might take you on a side jaunt somewhere. And when you detour off the set route while driving it gets hopelessly confused, tells you you to go back when it would be better to keep going or tells you keep going when it would be better to go back. Often when you enter a destination it will give you options in the USA or Africa, just annoying. It never seems to update. It still has roads from many years ago that no longer exist, especially the Pacific Motorway up and down the east coast. It thinks every truck stop has fuel when it is only a layby. Sometimes you can't see the purple route because it's off the screen or obscured by blue restaurant signs. The voice command is useless. The worst is that Garmin refuse to take feedback on all the issues, so it never gets any better.

Piece of Junk – Having used a Nuvi 760 for the last 10 years I decided to treat myself with a new GPS and boy did I make a mistake. The 760 had a very user friendly interface and you could make it do nearly anything but make a cup of tea. My new Drive Smart 51 is the most complicated piece of junk. Instead of keeping the interface simple Garmin have gone for a… Read more

new user unfriendly smart phone type system. They have changed the simple words such "Routes" to "Trip planner", "Favourites" has become "Saved". Even though I loaded all my favourites with their own distinctive symbol so I could easily identify them on my maps they show up as a brown flag. The 760 had the facility to change the properties of my Favourites but the new GPS doesn't. When planning a Route, I can only use 29 way points whereas my 760 was 50. One plus is that I can save more favourites (1000) and more than 10 Routes. Garmin should go back to making quality GPS's and not try to emulate a mobile phone. Leave that to Apple and Samsung.

Complicated to setup and, apparently, no capacity for the "lifetime free maps updates" – With SatNav plugged into my iMac, takes over an hour to initiate updates via Garmin Express installed on the computer. There are no progress bars or indicators, and it seems updates are not completable, as there is insufficient capacity in the device. The user is merely left wondering and guessing. Programming routes, favourites, etc. is only… Read more

possible when device is connected in vehicle and with ignition key turned ON. Instructions are complicated and needed to be printed out and taken into car - this is my experience.

I have not tried bluetooth pairing with my phone, but without this, the device cannot cope with live changes/traffic jams/car crashes en route. On one long journey from south to north of England, I had to use my phone's GPS and suggestions for alternative routes and abandon the Garmin.

Great reliable unit. But just tell yourself - it is only a GPS – Summary Of the three series: Drive, DriverSmart,and DriverAssist, this one strikes the right balance of feature and cost. The default behaviours are mostly sensible and adequate. The device has updated technologies to match today's life style and offers solid essential features. Pros: Responsive UI Mature approach to core features OTA… Read more

update via WiFi a huge improvement over USB (so you can ditch the Garmin Express software)

Stable software and durable build (e.g. using mini-USB instead of micro USB)

TripAdvisor and Foursquare features are .... well ..... usable

Cons:

Sub-par voice command (talking about voice recognition accuracy only; no where near Google Assistant or Siri) and can be frustrating to use.

Bad screen viewing angle (Cheap TN panel)

Robotic voice and no voice preview on selection

Thick bezel makes the device look outdated

No one-touch mute/unmute button on navi screen (accessible under sub menu) This feature was available on some old models (e.g. nuvi 2455)

Battery life is short (I had to plug in the charger halfway planning for a itinerary)

Personal opinions:

First, before you buy any personal portable GPS navigator, just ask yourself do you REALLY need one these days. In typical situations, smart phones are adequate especially when your care has Android Auto / Apple Car Play. On a hot day or over a long journey, it makes sense to used a standalone GPS device for me to save my phone from dying prematurely. Most mobile phones are not build for prolonged used under high temperature.

Like any personal device, if you switch from one brand to another, it may take a little time to get used to. But for me, when I had the chance to choose between TomTom and Garmin (I also have couple of late version of TomToms) I more often get Garmin.

The bottom line is, for me, this unit works reliably and comes with adequate features. Oh, it does also have Bluetooth hands-free feature, too, which I don't need.

Never get Lost Again – Best thing I have ever bought for the car. No more getting lost or searching thru maps and taking the wrong road. Easy to set up. With lifetime free maps. Comes with built in dash cam as well. Sooooo easy to use. Paid $170 on Ebay. Brand new unit. included free Garmin high speed multi charger. All with 12 months replacement warranty

Great for the price – Great GPS with lots of extras. Speed check ... free lifetime maps ... easy to understand voices ... The interface is pleasant to look at ... It shows places to eat ... where to buy fuel ... so many extras to mention. The detailed maps are easy to follow. I paid under $200. Great value for money.

Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT is unreliable garbage – Garmin express program This program is essential for updating software and maps. It is garbage. Its servers are slow and small updates take over 1 hour to download. It fails to recognize the connected gps and fails to know when the gps software is updated. The update software fails and constantly loops (without telling the user there's a problem).… Read more

It will not turn on The screen goes black and won’t turn on. It may be linked to the terrible batteries Garmin use that don’t last 60 seconds without a power source. It’s so unintuitive that it won’t bypass the battery when plugged into the car charger. My $10 electric shaver does this when the battery is low, but this $300 GPS won’t. The GPS fails to turn on even when plugged into the charger for 5 hours straight (I’ve tried it in different cars and the problem persists). I’m travelling on my holidays and this GPS literally refuses to turn on.

I bought this unit brand new 3 years ago and it has never functioned reliably. Do not be fooled by the pretty screen compared to competitors like Navman, because what good is a pretty screen if you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere with a GPS that won’t turn on. Do not buy a Garmin product unless it comes with a 5 year warranty.

Awful.

Overrated and overstated with many hidden shortfalls – Bought this to use overseas as it has Voice Command which is a critical feature for driving in Europe. It can also accommodate extra maps by way of a micro SD card, so I bought the Garmin City Navigator Europe NT Full Coverage 010-10680-50 maps for the outrageous price of $139.00 to work with this GPS whilst driving in Europe. To my horror I… Read more

discovered that the Voice Command feature does not work on any maps but with what was originally loaded onto this GPS. For example, when trying to use it for France, it says this feature (Voice Command) is not available in British English. It was the same for the UK and ALL other European countries. Over and above, the maps were horribly outdated. Although Garmin stated the European map I bought was 2018 and current, it could not locate an address in Spain which was in existence for 12 years plus. In fact, it could not locate the entire village. Yet Google Maps found the address in seconds. This GPS does not come with a mains charger - it is an extra and from full charge, you'll be lucky to see 20 minutes until dead flat albeit Garmin claim 30 minutes which in itself is ludicrous. If you want to enter an address while in your hotel room for example, unless you have a wall charger, forget it. The Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S is overrated and overstated and we are clearly being mislead by Garmin. Avoid at all costs - especially if considering this item for overseas travel. Rather hire a car with a GPS.

Not worth it! – This is the 2nd Navman I've had in 3 months! Both have just died on me without any reason! Horrible product , never purchasing a Garmin again! Looks good but works horribly, maps arnt in date , hardly any signal strength , absolutely terrible! Will be going with tomtom or Navman next!

Excellent tool – This is our most recent Garmin GPS. We have now had 10 models over the years, but this one is the best. Works perfectly anywhere including the bush - not like a phone GPS that needs a phone signal. Its easy to program and accurate and easy to install on the windscreen with the magnetic base. This means you can pull the unit off the windscreen… Read more

when driving, give it to my navigator and change things while on the move.

We pre-program all of our important drives BEFORE we leave Australia, along with all our accommodation, things to see do as well as chosen quality restaurants and laundrymats.

We plan to travel for months, so we do all the planning before we go - as we do for all of our trips.

When tested against our 2013 model, this one is a winner.

We also use this as our hands free phone. It works perfectly with the phone bluetooth.

BUT the voice command is useless and just a toy.