Garmin nüvi 1450LMT

great unit! – I have had one for many years now, and it has always been excellent. I like the split screen with all the info on one side and the maps on the other. I want one for my other car, probably second hand or refurbished. Show details

Lifetime maps are great but device is slow – Had the Garmin Nuvi 1450 for 2 years now to travel around. Been all over QLD, NSW, some parts of VIC and TAS. The GPS does fine in the city but gets a bit loopy in rural areas and especially in the mountains. Thankfully the updates are free and there's a slot extra storage via sd card. Overally, I'm happy with the GPS but it would be greatly… Read more

improved if they sped up the wait time during "calibrating", powering on, and searches.

PROS:

-Free lifetime maps

-Slim (13.7 x 8.6 x 1.6 cm)

-Large display (12.7 cm diagonal)

-Simple features

-Simple, easy to read maps/display

CONS:

-Very slow to type

-Very slow to load searches (varies on what you're searching for)

The device works well for me. I got it for a good deal. The screen is large and the icons are easy to read. The slow typing speed can be very frustrating. There are faster models out there but be willing to go up in price. Ultimately the best part of this GPS is the large and easy to read display, the free lifetime maps and if you're using it mainly as a 'set it and forget it' device for travelling, it's fine. Don't expect this to do quick searches on this thing. It's a hit or miss and in my experience, it's more miss.

Garmin Nuvi 1450 – I bought mine from Dick Smith and registered it straight away. The maps were inaccurate and probably out of date, as new road are being built all the time. I took the device to Brisbane from Sydney and it was totally useless. Firstly, the speed would freeze and this was not a lot worry to me but the route was so outdated that the old road, that… Read more

Garmin kept referring to, just did not exist. Fortunately I can read the road maps, otherwise I would have been totally lost. I have tried to update the maps, but without success. I had used Tom Tom before without any problems and regret changing to Garmin.

Garmin nuvi 1450 LMT – This is my first GPS I have ever had. Mounted it on the dash with the adhesive disc. Doesn't obstruct driving vision but has a large 5" screen. Very easy to register and get map update on my PC. No trouble using unit and I am a bit of a technophobe. Took it for a test drive and it seems not a bit scary. A bit of good advice from the sales… Read more

tech, go online and register for the lifetime updates before you use the unit, apparently bad idea to start using the unit as soon as you buy it.

NB, after using this device for a while I can advise people to check a map before they take instructions as I have been advised to take some ridiculous ways of getting to a destination. I recall another reviewer mentioning this. Seems very clear and easy to use

Unreliable – Does the strangest of things, I have had this unit for nearly 2 years and it has been a bit funny, Just completed a 3000km trip up Australia east coast, Takes a long time to calculate a route and always has trouble finding satellites, after the last update the unit is worst ever, The destination arrival times are way off and it will not… Read more

recalculate and continues to attempt to send you back to the original route even if you are heading in the same direction on a different road this is very bad in all areas, country and city, I have owned 3 GPS and this is the first Garmin and it is the least user friendly unit, I bought this when I was unable to update my last GPS unit.

I am very disappointed due to the reliable name I thought Garmin had.

Don't buy – My Garmin 1450 works, barely. Love the lifetime map updates; dislike pretty much everything else. I "upgraded" from my old TomTom XL that I had for 4+ years so its maps were well out of date. My mistake. After pumping my old XL full of freebies from TomTom's web site and being able to configure it easily it's quite a come down with the Garmin… Read more

being so non-configurable. The default sounds are just like I'm in cattle class on a plane with no nice interface to change them. The interface itself is clunky and slow, the touch screen doesn't respond and I end up moving the unit on its swivel mount trying to push it enough for it to respond. Next GPS will be a TomTom or their App. Lifetime map updates, close approxiamation of fuel consumption. It's a GPS so startup to the map is logical, lots of wasted space on the screen, drops destinations & routes, too many touches needed to get to a route, put a route in & the speed doesn't update and the list goes on & on.

love mine – It has free lifetime maps, it is easy to use, quick to calculate, has toll road avoidance, love it. Touchscreen works well, I use mine a lot as I do a lot of work in different areas, I really like the brand and have bought my family the same brand all work really well. lifetime maps nothing

Do not deal with Garmin – I bought a Nuvi and the Free lifetime maps did not work and Garmin told me to get stuffed!. They are the worst company to deal with and do not honour their obligations and they just don't care. If you want to be treated like a monkey,,,,buy Garmin. Otherwise buy a Tom Tom..they work Appallingly bad customer service - stay away!!!!!!!

Worth the upgrade – I wanted to upgrade from my existing Tom-Tom navigator which served me well for over 5 years. Hence I was looking for a GPS without bluetooth but with great functionality and life time map updates? I saw this particular GPS being advertised at Dick Smiths for $149 AUD with life time maps and traffic updated, well I just had to check it out. After… Read more ·  1

introspecting it online and hands-on I purchased it. The unit out of the box gives a very durable feel, the screen is wide, well lit and with good resolution. The voice is clear and the buttons are big, which means it can be operated with a thumb sized finger or while wearing a glove during winters (awesome!).

It should be noted that in order to get life time maps and traffic updates you will need to register this GPS as soon as possible. To do this you will require a PC or a MAC with reliable internet connection. I found that the manufacturers instructions were no longer correct (perhaps old) when it came to registering or updating the maps. Hence you need to follow the following process: 1. open account with Garmin, 2. register your product, 3. download plugins and other related files.

It takes around a good 1 hour to get registration + life time maps activated, this also includes updating of the AS/ NZL maps.

I really likes the boot-up time of this device, which is super fast as compared with my old Tom-Tom. The navigate menu is logical and very well structured. The touch screen is very responsive and I had no trouble scrolling the screen. Garmin uses 'whereis' for its maps and hence you are always assured of getting a very accurate results. This GPS also has a built in calculator function which I found to be great, in addition it has so many other great features which are best discovered through the instruction manual which can be downloaded from the Garmin web-site.

I will definitely recommend this GPS for those who already have a bluetooth in their cars, and life time updates with traffic (LMT) is worth its weight in GOLD.

Hope the above review helps you in making an informed decision. Screen size, start time, life time maps, life time traffic updates, good built, menu layout registration process could be simplified