Simplify your drive. Whether it’s a family vacation, weekend getaway or your daily commute, the 6′′ Garmin DriveSmart 66 sat-nav brings new levels of freedom, convenience and peace of mind to your time on the road. Garmin voice assist helps you easily find and navigate where you want to go. Enjoy easy-to-see maps on a bright, crisp 6′′ high-resolution display. Talk to me. Enjoy convenient Garmin voice assist for directions and hands-free calling. Get guidance and warning about Environmental Zones on your route. Know the best places along your route with Tripadvisor traveller ratings. Get a heads-up with driver alerts for sharp curves, speed changes, school zones and more. Make all the right moves with clear, detailed map updates of Australia and New Zealand.
Simplify your drive. Whether it’s a family vacation, weekend getaway or your daily commute, the 6′′ Garmin DriveSmart 66 sat-nav brings new levels of freedom, convenience and peace of mind to your time on the road. Garmin voice assist helps you easily find and navigate where you want to go. Enjoy easy-to-see maps on a bright, crisp 6′′ high-resolution display. Talk to me. Enjoy convenient Garmin voice assist for directions and hands-free calling. Get guidance and warning about Environmental Zones on your route. Know the best places along your route with Tripadvisor traveller ratings. Get a heads-up with driver alerts for sharp curves, speed changes, school zones and more. Make all the right moves with clear, detailed map updates of Australia and New Zealand.
Simplify your drive. Whether it’s a family vacation, weekend getaway or your daily commute, the 6′′ Garmin DriveSmart 66 sat-nav brings new levels of freedom, convenience and peace of mind to your time on the road. Garmin voice assist helps you easily find and navigate where you want to go. Enjoy easy-to-see maps on a bright, crisp 6′′ high-resolution display. Talk to me. Enjoy convenient Garmin voice assist for directions and hands-free calling. Get guidance and warning about Environmental Zones on your route. Know the best places along your route with Tripadvisor traveller ratings. Get a heads-up with driver alerts for sharp curves, speed changes, school zones and more. Make all the right moves with clear, detailed map updates of Australia and New Zealand.
Simplify your drive. Whether it’s a family vacation, weekend getaway or your daily commute, the 6′′ Garmin DriveSmart 66 sat-nav brings new levels of freedom, convenience and peace of mind to your time on the road. Garmin voice assist helps you easily find and navigate where you want to go. Enjoy easy-to-see maps on a bright, crisp 6′′ high-resolution display. Talk to me. Enjoy convenient Garmin voice assist for directions and hands-free calling. Get guidance and warning about Environmental Zones on your route. Know the best places along your route with Tripadvisor traveller ratings. Get a heads-up with driver alerts for sharp curves, speed changes, school zones and more. Make all the right moves with clear, detailed map updates of Australia and New Zealand.
Last updated at 05/12/2026 18:32:09
Garmin Drivesmart 66 Mt-s 6 Inch Sat Nav With Uk & Europe Maps Traffic
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Garmin 010-02469-10 Drivesmart 66 Eu Mt-s
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Navigacija GARMIN DriveSmart 66MT-S Europe 6" Life time update (010-02469-10)
Delivery $8.11
Garmin 1280 x 720 pixel DriveSmart 66 Sat Navs, 010-02469-10
Free delivery
TieDex UK GARMIN DriveSmart 66 6” Sat Nav - Full Europe Maps
Delivery $149.78
TieDex UK GARMIN DriveSmart 66 6” Sat Nav - Full Europe Maps
Delivery $149.78
originally posted on bestbuy.com
A severe letdown bought to replace my Nuvi 2595LM that mysteriously died. It had all of the features I need but the DriveSmart 66 is about the Dollar Store version of the old one.I own Garmin GPS units dating back to a still-functional Garmin GPS III, a marine combo fishfinder and the dead Nuvi but this new one has none of the features I have come to expect from a Garmin GPS, instead, silly interconnectivity trash that are about Middle School toy level and designed to gather marketable data on users to feed mass marketers and other 'influencers.' I should have bought the $59. no-name off of Ebay and gotten the same lack of quality.User's manual is a JOKE....directs to links with no information. Mentions the SIM slot and says there are accessories available at ... MoreA severe letdown bought to replace my Nuvi 2595LM that mysteriously died. It had all of the features I need but the DriveSmart 66 is about the Dollar Store version of the old one.I own Garmin GPS units dating back to a still-functional Garmin GPS III, a marine combo fishfinder and the dead Nuvi but this new one has none of the features I have come to expect from a Garmin GPS, instead, silly interconnectivity trash that are about Middle School toy level and designed to gather marketable data on users to feed mass marketers and other 'influencers.' I should have bought the $59. no-name off of Ebay and gotten the same lack of quality.User's manual is a JOKE....directs to links with no information. Mentions the SIM slot and says there are accessories available at another link.... that is a vacant lot.And AND...... the Off button does not turn it OFF. Holding it down for a few seconds gets a query "Do you want to turn it OFF?"....YES,. did that.... and it drained a fully charged, 3 month old Group 65 car battery in 4 days of sitting. I hooked up my digital Volt meter and in OFF mode it still draws .21 amps..... but does the manual mention that fact at all ?....ohhhh hellllllll noooooooo......Garmin, your new DriveSmart line sucks !
originally posted on garmin.com
I purchased the Garmin DriveSmart 66 in November and have since driven with it for about 3,000 miles. Here are some observations. The route calculations are quick, about 4-5 seconds, though I have not used the route planning options. The default option is the fastest route, which has generally worked well. The navigator can also reroute you quickly if you take a wrong turn.I did have a couple of issues with inaccurate directions in a high-population-density area that I had to figure out myself. I am not sure why this happened. Other than that, the navigation was pretty good.I like that there is an app that can be downloaded onto a smartphone, but my quibble is that the app always wants to be 'on' even when not in use. This is a drain on the phone battery.The ... MoreI purchased the Garmin DriveSmart 66 in November and have since driven with it for about 3,000 miles. Here are some observations. The route calculations are quick, about 4-5 seconds, though I have not used the route planning options. The default option is the fastest route, which has generally worked well. The navigator can also reroute you quickly if you take a wrong turn.I did have a couple of issues with inaccurate directions in a high-population-density area that I had to figure out myself. I am not sure why this happened. Other than that, the navigation was pretty good.I like that there is an app that can be downloaded onto a smartphone, but my quibble is that the app always wants to be 'on' even when not in use. This is a drain on the phone battery.The screen is easy to read and slightly larger than the Garmin model that the 66 replaced, and it is easy to read at a glance while driving. The split screen is also nice to keep you on track while driving.I travel often, worldwide, so having a reliable navigation device is very important for me. I would recommend this device to anyone who travels a lot and does not want to rely purely on a phone for navigation, especially in areas of low reception.
originally posted on sportsmans.com
The DriveSmart 66 is a very useful GPS unit overall. Despite Sportsman's description, this is a windshield-mount unit for car navigation. It has a reasonably-sized touch screen that provides clear information when navigating a route, and "pops up" useful information such as fuel stops or restaurants along a route. Live traffic is interesting...I can't fault Garmin for displaying incorrect information that is broadcast by RDS stations. I have not paired this unit to a phone and have not tried the voice features, and based on my needs, I'm not likely to pair a phone any time soon as I have all the functionality I want.There are a couple of quirks that reduced my rating from 5 stars. First, speed limit data in the map data is out of date by several _years_. For ... MoreThe DriveSmart 66 is a very useful GPS unit overall. Despite Sportsman's description, this is a windshield-mount unit for car navigation. It has a reasonably-sized touch screen that provides clear information when navigating a route, and "pops up" useful information such as fuel stops or restaurants along a route. Live traffic is interesting...I can't fault Garmin for displaying incorrect information that is broadcast by RDS stations. I have not paired this unit to a phone and have not tried the voice features, and based on my needs, I'm not likely to pair a phone any time soon as I have all the functionality I want.There are a couple of quirks that reduced my rating from 5 stars. First, speed limit data in the map data is out of date by several _years_. For example, on a highway near my home, the unit will tell me I'm entering a 45 MPH (construction speed limit) zone where there hasn't been a 45 MPH limit since construction ended. Second, if I enter a route with the unit disconnected (e.g., inside my house) and then plug into power, the screen will usually stay very dim until disconnected from power again.
| Style | Navigation |
Garmin Drivesmart 66 Mt-s 6 Inch Sat Nav With Uk & Europe Maps Traffic
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Garmin 010-02469-10 Drivesmart 66 Eu Mt-s
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Navigacija GARMIN DriveSmart 66MT-S Europe 6" Life time update (010-02469-10)
Delivery $8.11
Garmin 1280 x 720 pixel DriveSmart 66 Sat Navs, 010-02469-10
Free delivery
TieDex UK GARMIN DriveSmart 66 6” Sat Nav - Full Europe Maps
Delivery $149.78
A severe letdown bought to replace my Nuvi 2595LM that mysteriously died. It had all of the features I need but the DriveSmart 66 is about the Dollar Store version of the old one.I own Garmin GPS units dating back to a still-functional Garmin GPS III, a marine combo fishfinder and the dead Nuvi but this new one has none of the features I have come to expect from a Garmin GPS, instead, silly interconnectivity trash that are about Middle School toy level and designed to gather marketable data on users to feed mass marketers and other 'influencers.' I should have bought the $59. no-name off of Ebay and gotten the same lack of quality.User's manual is a JOKE....directs to links with no information. Mentions the SIM slot and says there are accessories available at ... MoreA severe letdown bought to replace my Nuvi 2595LM that mysteriously died. It had all of the features I need but the DriveSmart 66 is about the Dollar Store version of the old one.I own Garmin GPS units dating back to a still-functional Garmin GPS III, a marine combo fishfinder and the dead Nuvi but this new one has none of the features I have come to expect from a Garmin GPS, instead, silly interconnectivity trash that are about Middle School toy level and designed to gather marketable data on users to feed mass marketers and other 'influencers.' I should have bought the $59. no-name off of Ebay and gotten the same lack of quality.User's manual is a JOKE....directs to links with no information. Mentions the SIM slot and says there are accessories available at another link.... that is a vacant lot.And AND...... the Off button does not turn it OFF. Holding it down for a few seconds gets a query "Do you want to turn it OFF?"....YES,. did that.... and it drained a fully charged, 3 month old Group 65 car battery in 4 days of sitting. I hooked up my digital Volt meter and in OFF mode it still draws .21 amps..... but does the manual mention that fact at all ?....ohhhh hellllllll noooooooo......Garmin, your new DriveSmart line sucks !
I purchased the Garmin DriveSmart 66 in November and have since driven with it for about 3,000 miles. Here are some observations. The route calculations are quick, about 4-5 seconds, though I have not used the route planning options. The default option is the fastest route, which has generally worked well. The navigator can also reroute you quickly if you take a wrong turn.I did have a couple of issues with inaccurate directions in a high-population-density area that I had to figure out myself. I am not sure why this happened. Other than that, the navigation was pretty good.I like that there is an app that can be downloaded onto a smartphone, but my quibble is that the app always wants to be 'on' even when not in use. This is a drain on the phone battery.The ... MoreI purchased the Garmin DriveSmart 66 in November and have since driven with it for about 3,000 miles. Here are some observations. The route calculations are quick, about 4-5 seconds, though I have not used the route planning options. The default option is the fastest route, which has generally worked well. The navigator can also reroute you quickly if you take a wrong turn.I did have a couple of issues with inaccurate directions in a high-population-density area that I had to figure out myself. I am not sure why this happened. Other than that, the navigation was pretty good.I like that there is an app that can be downloaded onto a smartphone, but my quibble is that the app always wants to be 'on' even when not in use. This is a drain on the phone battery.The screen is easy to read and slightly larger than the Garmin model that the 66 replaced, and it is easy to read at a glance while driving. The split screen is also nice to keep you on track while driving.I travel often, worldwide, so having a reliable navigation device is very important for me. I would recommend this device to anyone who travels a lot and does not want to rely purely on a phone for navigation, especially in areas of low reception.
The DriveSmart 66 is a very useful GPS unit overall. Despite Sportsman's description, this is a windshield-mount unit for car navigation. It has a reasonably-sized touch screen that provides clear information when navigating a route, and "pops up" useful information such as fuel stops or restaurants along a route. Live traffic is interesting...I can't fault Garmin for displaying incorrect information that is broadcast by RDS stations. I have not paired this unit to a phone and have not tried the voice features, and based on my needs, I'm not likely to pair a phone any time soon as I have all the functionality I want.There are a couple of quirks that reduced my rating from 5 stars. First, speed limit data in the map data is out of date by several _years_. For ... MoreThe DriveSmart 66 is a very useful GPS unit overall. Despite Sportsman's description, this is a windshield-mount unit for car navigation. It has a reasonably-sized touch screen that provides clear information when navigating a route, and "pops up" useful information such as fuel stops or restaurants along a route. Live traffic is interesting...I can't fault Garmin for displaying incorrect information that is broadcast by RDS stations. I have not paired this unit to a phone and have not tried the voice features, and based on my needs, I'm not likely to pair a phone any time soon as I have all the functionality I want.There are a couple of quirks that reduced my rating from 5 stars. First, speed limit data in the map data is out of date by several _years_. For example, on a highway near my home, the unit will tell me I'm entering a 45 MPH (construction speed limit) zone where there hasn't been a 45 MPH limit since construction ended. Second, if I enter a route with the unit disconnected (e.g., inside my house) and then plug into power, the screen will usually stay very dim until disconnected from power again.
Before talking about the Pros and Cons, I'll say that there's no standalone GPS which will outperform the most popular phone-based GPS out there. So, don't expect this device to be better than your phone GPS, but there's 1 thing that makes a standalone GPS like this one still useful in almost 2025 compared to a phone GPS: It's the satellite navigation which doesn't need a phone nor internet to work.Pros:1. Screen not freezing compared to 7" and 8" versions2. Not heavy compared to the 7", 8" versions3. New updates allow us to search the full address: street# 4. streetName, City, State ZipCode, all at once. Comments on Amazon say this was not possible(my Nuvi can't do it).5. You can control your phone notifications from the Garmin GPS screen(play music, pickup ... MoreBefore talking about the Pros and Cons, I'll say that there's no standalone GPS which will outperform the most popular phone-based GPS out there. So, don't expect this device to be better than your phone GPS, but there's 1 thing that makes a standalone GPS like this one still useful in almost 2025 compared to a phone GPS: It's the satellite navigation which doesn't need a phone nor internet to work.Pros:1. Screen not freezing compared to 7" and 8" versions2. Not heavy compared to the 7", 8" versions3. New updates allow us to search the full address: street# 4. streetName, City, State ZipCode, all at once. Comments on Amazon say this was not possible(my Nuvi can't do it).5. You can control your phone notifications from the Garmin GPS screen(play music, pickup calls, even search an address from the phone's Garmin app instead of typing on Garmin slower than a phone touch screen)6. Garmin can display nearby gas stations, restaurants, ATMs on a portion of the screen.7. USB C cable: you can use one USB cable for both your phone and the GPS instead of having multiple cables like on the DriveSmart 55 and 53 that use old usb mini B.8. You can use the same mount for your phone for the Garmin DriveSmart 66(just the mount with the round head; not the phone holder) instead of having to install 2 mountsCons:1. The GPS mount is located in a position that is obstructing the view in the dash cam version. Never buy the dash camera version or you'll regret it.2. The 7" and 8" versions screens are known to freeze a lot3. Setup is complex. Don't try to complete the full setup at once or you'll be stuck. Complete the connection to your computer first by downloading Garmin Express, then use their provided USB 3.0 cable(blue inside the plug) and plug it to a USB 3.0 plug otherwise your computer or the GPS might not detect the cable. Once the cable is detected, start the GPS search on your computer and on Garmin GPS, choose connect to computer and then choose Transferring files option. Every time the connection is disconnected, you must unplug the GPS, wait 5 seconds and restart the setup from scratch. I have a fairly strong Ethernet connection and a powerful PC and it still took me 1hr to complete the setup.4. Using different cable or cigarette plug than the one provided might automatically reduce the GPS brightness and no way to increase the brightness. Test your USB C cables with the GPS so that if in the future, the GPS cable doesn't work anymore, you won't be surprised to find out that some USB cables don't charge nor turn on the GPS.5. The battery indicator doesn't show how much percentage of battery is left, and there's no way to check it. All Garmin car GPS I've owned have batteries that don't last 30 minutes but this GPS is the first that can't show how much power is left in the battery.6. Only fast path route is usefull on the GPS. Garmin removed the shortest path(just like google did on Map longtime ago because communities complain about GPS re-routing many cars on their small roads). There's a straight line option but it's useless because it doesn't show you the roads to your destination. It shows straight lines from origin to destination and if there's no traffic, you can guess your own shortest path from that.6. Suction mount won't stick well to windshield. It's even worse for the 7" and 8" screen sizes because they're larger and heavier than the 6".7. You cannot use old Garmin mounts for the current DriveSmart 66, 76, 86.8. You cannot use your phone mount for version 76 and 86 because they need a bigger round head(compared to the smaller ball head for phone mounts) to hold them.
The DriveSmart 66 continues Garmin's tradition of improving and adding functionality. I have owned Garmin auto and handheld GPS units for at least 21 years (2002) and continue to find them better suited than other brands on the market for my specific needs. In general I really like it BUT it is a step or two backward compared to the 5 year old Garmin DriveLuxe 51 unit it replaced.Here a few things about this unit that I do not like, compared to earlier units I have owned.1) The major problem is that the DriveSmart 66 has lost a specific major function that I utilize heavily - the ability to connect my unit to Garmin's BaseCamp (computer desktop) software.When I plug the DrviveSmart 66 into my Macintosh (running Apple's M1 processor), BaeCamp does not recognize ... MoreThe DriveSmart 66 continues Garmin's tradition of improving and adding functionality. I have owned Garmin auto and handheld GPS units for at least 21 years (2002) and continue to find them better suited than other brands on the market for my specific needs. In general I really like it BUT it is a step or two backward compared to the 5 year old Garmin DriveLuxe 51 unit it replaced.Here a few things about this unit that I do not like, compared to earlier units I have owned.1) The major problem is that the DriveSmart 66 has lost a specific major function that I utilize heavily - the ability to connect my unit to Garmin's BaseCamp (computer desktop) software.When I plug the DrviveSmart 66 into my Macintosh (running Apple's M1 processor), BaeCamp does not recognize it, thus I cannot transfer waypoints and routes that I have created on my computer to it. However, Basecamp continues to connect to my current GPSMAP 64sx handheld, and had no problem connecting to my previous automobile unit, a DriveLuxe 51.I do a LOT of canoeing, meaning I have created over 500 waypoints (and continue creating more periodically) for canoe put-ins and take-outs. These waypoints cannot be easily created on the GPS units themselves because they are in very remote places, hard to locate on a small GPS unit. Consequently, once or twice a month, I am transferring waypoints from BaseCamp to both my auto and handheld units.I worked with Garmin technical support (they did a great job by-the-way), and gave me a work around - using a 3rd party app - Android File Transfer. Clunky, but it does the job. Still, it is not nearly as convenient as transferring waypoints directly from BaseCamp to my GPS units. As the transfer process between BaseCamp to my existing handheld unit still works (and worked for my previous DriveLuxe 51), why not have this functionality for the DriveSmart 66?2) My second problem is when using the Route Planner function on the DriveSmart 66. When a route recalculates, it used to show the route from the current location to the endpoint. On this unit, the unit recalculates the remainder of the route, but shows the highlighted route starting at the next intermediary waypoint and then continuing on to the endpoint.I have a weekly route going to 13 or 14 different places. For this example, let's say we have 4 waypoints (in addition to the starting point) in this route, A, B, C, D. When I start the route it shows the complete route from my starting point to A, then on to B, C, and D. When I get to A, because of the direction my car is pointed, I go around the block rather than do a U-turn. So the DriveSmart recalculates. Instead of displaying the route from my current location, A, it displays on the the segments from B to C, and then onto D. Unless I zoom out on the map, I can't "see" on the unit what me next few turns are.I hope this is a glitch with the latest City Navigator North America map update and is fixed in the next update.3) This is a minor quibble, but the graphical interface is more "boxy" (it looks a lot like some of the design elements of Windows 100. More importantly, the information fields take up more space than they did on my previous DriveLuxe 51. So, when viewing a map, in the lower left corner, where the Back Arrow and Speed Limit is displayed, they appear larger and boxier; the same with the display in the lower right corner (Time, etc. and the Hamburger menu). This is a very minor annoyance, but becomes a little more annoying when I have Trip Data or Up Ahead displayed along the right side of the display; it is much wider than on my old unit, reducing the amount of the map I can see.On the positive side, the display itself is much sharper than my older unit.4) Again, a very minor issue, but I don't care for the clip-on mount compared to the magnetic mount my previous unit. I assume this is a cost saving function. On my old unit, the power plugged into the mount itself, not into the unit. So if I removed the unit from the mount (and put it into my glove box), it was a very easy process of pulling the unit off the mount in one easy step. Now, I have to reach behind the unit to unclip it and then remove the power cable from the unit itself, a 2 step process.5) A new feature (compared to my previous unit) is the ability to display and control music that is on my smartphone and play it through my car radio. Perhaps many people like it. But, if I can control the music with my phone, why bother with controlling with the Garmin. When a new song comes on, the Garmin briefly displays the title of the song. Not a big problem, but I don't need it. It appears that I can turn off the music feature, but that seems to disable all other Bluetooth audio like navigation prompts. Why not let me disable ONLY the music. This is a GPS! I want it for the GPS functionality, not for unnecessary MP3 player functionality.Summary: I have spent a lot of time on things I don't like about this unit, mostly some downgrading of functionality compared to my previous Garmin unit. With that all said, I still really like all my Garmin units and find them extremely useful, especially in areas that I frequent where cell service is unreliable or unavailable. I wholeheartedly recommend Garmin units.
This unit is replacing an older Garmin Nuvi 880 that was experiencing random circuit failure. The Garmin Drive Smart 66 arrived earlier than expected, well packaged, and in perfect condition. The instructions stated it was “ready to use”. I connected the GPS to my computer USB port to make sure the unit was fully charged, and I set up the Wi-Fi. Then I saved 10 of my favorite destinations in the unit. I left the unit connected to complete charging for a while. When I came back a couple of hours later, the unit had gone into sleep mode, so I awakened it. I found that the Wi-Fi was no longer set up and all my destinations were gone. I researched the Garmin online website to see why it might have reset itself like that. I read that I may need to update the firmware and ... MoreThis unit is replacing an older Garmin Nuvi 880 that was experiencing random circuit failure. The Garmin Drive Smart 66 arrived earlier than expected, well packaged, and in perfect condition. The instructions stated it was “ready to use”. I connected the GPS to my computer USB port to make sure the unit was fully charged, and I set up the Wi-Fi. Then I saved 10 of my favorite destinations in the unit. I left the unit connected to complete charging for a while. When I came back a couple of hours later, the unit had gone into sleep mode, so I awakened it. I found that the Wi-Fi was no longer set up and all my destinations were gone. I researched the Garmin online website to see why it might have reset itself like that. I read that I may need to update the firmware and maps and try again. So, I did that, and then reloaded and set up the unit a 2nd time and left it for a couple more hours. After returning this time, all the setup information was still there, and it has been operating well since then.I Installed the Garmin DS66 unit in my truck, and functionally it works mostly OK so far. It has very fast screen response, bright, clear display, and receives satellite communications very quickly. It has many great operational and display features that I like a lot, such as notification chimes for school zones, speed zones, red light cameras, tolls, RR crossings, etc..I have used it on a couple of local trips destinations, finding the route planning and execution functions need some improvement. In one instance where the directions required exiting to a southbound route and then turning right, reaching the destination within ¼ mile, the Garmin DS66 calculations had me exiting to the northbound route, making a U-turn, followed by two miles of back roads and service roads, making five more left turns, crossing railroad tracks twice before reaching the destination.Another trip required traveling eastbound on a route, making a right turn and then a second right turn arriving at the building. The Garmin calculated traveling eastbound, then making a left-hand U-turn to travel westbound, then making an immediate left turn across traffic to a non-existent access to the building parking lot. I did not follow the Garmin DS66 directions on this trip, but If I were forced to follow them, I would have needed to make a second U-turn to go eastbound again and then turn right. While the Garmin DS66 did get me to the destinations, these were examples of the most bizarre route planning instructions I had ever seen in the three Garmin devices that I now have. I would rate the Garmin DS66 at 9 out of 10, while I rate the software at a 6 out of 10.
This is my second Garmin Sat-Nav. Some things are better but some things are worse. On the plus side the voice pronounces English locations without an American slant. Nearby things popping up is quite useful but can be annoying. Putting in locations via postcodes is better as it removes letters that would not be valid. Getting it saved to Favourites is more tedious. It is too easy to choose the wrong Favourite on the Menu especially if you have larger fingers. Garmin always seem to have had a problem with distance to turns etc. You can easily go past where you want to be as it is telling you the turn (or whatever) is still 90 yds away. This one seems worse than the former. I bought this Sat Nav as it has live traffic. Only my phone is too old to download the App. ... MoreThis is my second Garmin Sat-Nav. Some things are better but some things are worse. On the plus side the voice pronounces English locations without an American slant. Nearby things popping up is quite useful but can be annoying. Putting in locations via postcodes is better as it removes letters that would not be valid. Getting it saved to Favourites is more tedious. It is too easy to choose the wrong Favourite on the Menu especially if you have larger fingers. Garmin always seem to have had a problem with distance to turns etc. You can easily go past where you want to be as it is telling you the turn (or whatever) is still 90 yds away. This one seems worse than the former. I bought this Sat Nav as it has live traffic. Only my phone is too old to download the App. Very unuseful. Preferred the graphics of my previous model but perhaps it is just something to get used to. If you have never had Garmin before you will find it performs pretty well and will wonder what I'm complaining about
Compared to the last great automotive device the Nuvi 3790 from a decade ago, this is a worthy successor, with a price tag that is very reasonable. All my legacy maps, icons, voice, etc are compatible with this device, but it might take some manual file grafting. Layout field boxes are not as customizable, and not as vocally verbose as the nuvi, but the DriveSmart has different visual that are helpful and the return of customizable road exclusion that were last seen way back on the Quest 2 . Though shortest route pathing is gone, calculation is very fast, screen is very pleasant to the eyes, lots of extra useful features such as on route weather mapping, Tripadvisor, and FUEL PRICES which is a feature that would actually save you money. There are only some minor ... MoreCompared to the last great automotive device the Nuvi 3790 from a decade ago, this is a worthy successor, with a price tag that is very reasonable. All my legacy maps, icons, voice, etc are compatible with this device, but it might take some manual file grafting. Layout field boxes are not as customizable, and not as vocally verbose as the nuvi, but the DriveSmart has different visual that are helpful and the return of customizable road exclusion that were last seen way back on the Quest 2 . Though shortest route pathing is gone, calculation is very fast, screen is very pleasant to the eyes, lots of extra useful features such as on route weather mapping, Tripadvisor, and FUEL PRICES which is a feature that would actually save you money. There are only some minor gripes to this device they are; * Much thicker than the Nuvi 3790, it will not hide in your pocket like a slim cell phone. * Dashboard mount no longer utilize the speaker and USB power interface. This means the operation of mounting and dismounting the DriveSmart takes a lot long and cannot be done with one hand. You must to fiddle with USB cable manually, which will require both of your hands, and if you dont have some way to retain your USB cable, chances are it'll just slip and get lost on the floor once youdisconnect. I've solved this buy attaching a cable tie around the usb cable around the dashboard mount. * USB-C port, but USB-2 speed only. At least its not USB-1 speed like the Nuvi.
It was my 4th purchase of a Garmin device, the first two still working just fine after a great many years for the eldest. This was supposed to be a replacement for the Nuvi that died mysteriously after 10 years of service but it is what I would deem to be a 'Dollar Store quality' replacement for that unit. The user manual is laughable in its paucity of information, apparently written by one whose typing skills are thumbs-only and not cognizant of the information provided being in error.In addition to the tinker-toy features that are so loudly bragged upon, the On/Off button does not turn the unit OFF. It drained a fully charged Group 65 auto battery in 3 days of the vehicle sitting, not used, the name-brand battery only 4 months old. The manual does not mention ... MoreIt was my 4th purchase of a Garmin device, the first two still working just fine after a great many years for the eldest. This was supposed to be a replacement for the Nuvi that died mysteriously after 10 years of service but it is what I would deem to be a 'Dollar Store quality' replacement for that unit. The user manual is laughable in its paucity of information, apparently written by one whose typing skills are thumbs-only and not cognizant of the information provided being in error.In addition to the tinker-toy features that are so loudly bragged upon, the On/Off button does not turn the unit OFF. It drained a fully charged Group 65 auto battery in 3 days of the vehicle sitting, not used, the name-brand battery only 4 months old. The manual does not mention that aggravating failure and it was only found via Search for 'Garmin GPS drains car battery" where the proper Off procedure was addressed..... HOLD the off button until it asks whether you want to turn it off, then tapping that on screen.In general, it denotes amateur hour at recent Garmin decision-making on operability programming.
I have had one or more Garmin GPS's for over twenty years. I was a salesman driving over 40K miles per year in the southeastern US. I am familiar with Garmin units and how they have changed over the years. I purchased the Drive Smart 66 when my last Garmin unexpectedly died last fall while on a trip. For the most part I am please with the performance. I am not a fan of the South East Interstate System. (too much traffic and accidents, especially around holidays) Retired now, I tend to use the Garmin Base Camp computer app to find US Highways to make my trip routing and load it into my DriveSmart. This works well except you must make sure you turn the auto routing optimizer off. I do wish there was an option other than "Fastest" or "Straight Line" navigation as the ... MoreI have had one or more Garmin GPS's for over twenty years. I was a salesman driving over 40K miles per year in the southeastern US. I am familiar with Garmin units and how they have changed over the years. I purchased the Drive Smart 66 when my last Garmin unexpectedly died last fall while on a trip. For the most part I am please with the performance. I am not a fan of the South East Interstate System. (too much traffic and accidents, especially around holidays) Retired now, I tend to use the Garmin Base Camp computer app to find US Highways to make my trip routing and load it into my DriveSmart. This works well except you must make sure you turn the auto routing optimizer off. I do wish there was an option other than "Fastest" or "Straight Line" navigation as the "Straight Line" navigation still puts you on interstates. I guess they would be fine if there was a "Custom Avoidance" for "Interstates." I have not tried using the "Auto Route Optimization" feature. If it would work with the Traffic Receiver and put you back on your intended route after the avoidence, That would be great.
| Style | Navigation |
