Customer Reviews

Garmin StreetPilot i5 1.7-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(205)
4 star:		(99)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

November 2005: I already own several GPS units.

After getting into an argument with a novice who bought a Garmin "i3" and loves it, I bought a Garmin "i5" so that I could prove him wrong. A GPS unit this inexpensive just can't be that good. Boy was I wrong.

I picked the Garmin "i5" instead of the "i3" because my computer doesn't have a DVD drive for downloading maps.

The first area I was critical about was the thumbwheel with the two button (enter and back) solution. After a few hours I found I could enter data faster using the thumbwheel than using a touch screen.

The "i5" is small enough to hold in the palm of my hand, eliminating vehicle bounce, scroll the thumbwheel, and then press the thumbwheel to enter the desired letter or number.

Entering an address often requires only a few thumbwheel presses. First the state/province is entered, eliminating 98% of all the addresses in North America.

Garmin then guides you through a list of city and street names. Often the number of thumbwheel presses is shortened by selecting from a list of possible matches using the back button. Garmin did a great job in this area.

Next is the screen size. The advertising on Garmin's website shows screens with jagged lines. But the actual screen, although smaller is also clearer than most PNDs (personal navigation devices). I suppose this is because the pixels are closer together.

Next is signal strength. I put the "i5" inside my dashboard near the speedometer so that thieves wouldn't easily see it. It still worked great. It occasionally lost the signal but so did my more expensive PND which was windshield mounted.

Next is the instruction manual. You don't need it. Unlike the Magellan RoadMates, where the large buttons do nothing half the time and I don't know which to push the other half, the back button and the thumbwheel always do something and the screen always prompts you.

Next is routing. Don't expect the "i5" to find the best route to get from point A to point B. None of the PNDs do that and the less expensive ones usually chose the first successful route. But it will get you to point B and quickly recalculate a new route if you drive off route. Often the routes it chose were identical to my more expensive PND.

POIs (points of interest). Where POIs are useful is when you know there's a store nearby but you don't know the adddress. The "i5" will show you a list of stores and route you to one if desired. Once I drove around for 30 minutes looking for a small store without the use of the "i5". Finally out of frustration I used the "i5" to route me straight to the location and still couldn't see the store. After walking around for about a minute I found that the store was hidden behind a larger store.

My only suggestion is that I wish the "i5" had talking street names.

I bought this unit to see how well it worked and planned to return it. But I think I'll give it to my wife instead. She's always getting lost on long trips and the "i5" makes a nice low cost second PND.

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January 2006: I gave the "i5" to my wife and at first she was not impressed. I think she'd rather have jewelry.

But she liked the thumbwheel because it didn't interfer with her finger nails.

This morning she took a long trip and as usual called me. But instead of saying that she was lost, she said she got to her destination without any problems and stress free. Usually she's yapping away with her mother and misses a critical turn.

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December 2006: The original review claimed the "i5" used the SiRF receiver, but I cannot verify this. My apologies.

I continue to be amazed by the simplicity of the two button solution and the bright screen. In my opinion you won't find a better new PND for less money.

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May 2007: The "i5" has been discontinued. It is being replaced by the Nuvi 200, which has a bright touch screen and rechargeable battery.

Thanks everyone for reading this review and clicking on whether it was helpful, whether Yes or No.

A tennis ball. The Garmin StreetPilot i5. What do the two have in common? Size.

The i5 is without a doubt, one of the best purchases I've ever made. Everyone has the same reaction I first had when I saw it on display at a marine supply store. "That's a GPS? No way." Then they want a demonstration.

The main selling point for this unit is it's size. It can do everything that other competitor's GPS units can do, and more, at a third of the size. If you've ever wanted a GPS on your motorcycle, the i5 is the real deal.

The unit comes with a 12V power cord for automobile use. You can also pop in 2 AA's and leave the cord behind. The unit is rated for 3-4 hours use when using with AA's alone. If you are going to use the 12V cord, Garmin still recommends having fresh AA's in the unit, as the unit is able to update it's position upon powering up faster, that just going with the cord alone.

The i5 gets a perfect score from me when it comes to ergo. Navigating through menus is quick and painless.

It also has an auto-brightness setting that brightens or dims the unit's display depending on ambient lighting conditions. Even cooler, at night, the nav map changes it's color scheme to darker colors which is cool.

Voice prompts are right on cue. Very glad the voice has NO "computer-voice" and even happier it's a female voice. I call her "Garmina".

So why not 5 stars? There's no Mac support for this device. This is why I had to buy the i5 instead of the i3. Having North America pre-loaded however might be worth the extra $100 bucks for some. Garmin also offers a "POI" (points-of-interest) loader software FREE, again, only for Windows users. This nifty feature enables you to load user defined proximity notifications for all kinds of different variables. Approaching a school speed zone? Once programmed, the unit will warn you to reduce your speed.

Bluetooth support would have been nice too, since other new (but much larger) units have it. If you have a Bluetooth cell phone and a Bluetooth GPS, the cell can inform the GPS of delays, accidents, road closures etc. in real time. This is of course with a subscription. The unit does have a USB port and maybe Garmin might want to think about writing in support for the use of a USB Bluetooth adapter in future firmware updates (pretty please).

Garmin does not include a carrying case for the unit, which it should have. You will not want to leave this in full view when away from your vehicle, it will most certainly be stolen and the kid who stole it will use it on their BMX, since it's so small.

This unit uses NAVTEQ map data, (North America pre-loaded) which is known industry-wide as the benchmark for map database into.

The i5 rules.

I'm such a tech geek. Why do I need a golf ball-sized road assistant? Don't know, but I fell in love with it at the store. Initially, I walked into Circuit City to purchase a radar detector and nothing more, but after seeing Garmin's Street Pilot i5 ("i5"), I became curious. For years, I have always found ways to get lost on the road. I have an uncanny knack for making wrong turns, and often find myself a little confused when one road either changes names or does a 90 degree turn on me. With that being said, I hate being lost!! It's stressful, makes by blood boil, and turns me into a driving heart-attack waiting to happen. Thus, I bought the Garmin's i5 on sale at Circuit City for $399.99 (while still selling at other stores for about $499.00) and here's what I think about it:

Out of the box

Out of the box, the i5 comes with a colorful quick setup guide (with the full manual only available for download at Garmin's website), a disc and USB cable (for downloading updates) and two different mounts: One is a windshield mount, and the other is a permanent dashboard mount. I wish there was another way to mount the i5 to the dashboard without permanently affixing it to the dash. But since I'm driving a '96 Thunderbird and not a '05 Thunderbird, I didn't care about permanently changing the appearance of my dash. When I say "Permanent" I don't mean screws and bolts, but there is some really strong glue on the back of a black plastic disk that attaches to your dash; you then connect the windshield suction mount to the disk. I've removed the unit from the disk mount multiple times in the past week using its quick release, and the disk has not given. I didn't go for windshield mount option because that would place the i5 a little too far away from me. Since the fonts are small, I can see the maps better when mounted on my dash. For those of you who don't want to ruin your dashboard, you can still mount the unit to your windshield. But If your eyes were good enough to qualify you for a drivers license, then you should be able to see the screen when mounted on the windshield; I just like it on my dashboard better.

Operation

Operation was a breeze: I opened the box, plugged in the power cord and connected it to my device and viola! The unit asked me a few preliminary questions regarding my time zone and I was ready to go. It is very easy to navigate through the user interface: You use the thumb scroll to channel through your options, then press the wheel in to make a selection. If you make a mistake, you press the back button on the left which will back you out of your mistake(s) in incremental steps until you reach the main menu. The navigation voice is that of a woman's, is very loud and clear, and can be spoken in various languages. It's also very easy to spell street names and input street numbers using the thumb scroll.

Comparison / Reliability

I haven't tried any other navigational devices so I cannot compare this one to the more pricy brands, but I can tell you that the screen is just as bright and vivid as the other units on display at Circuit City. I am learning to trust the i5's sense of direction. The first day I purchased it, I turned it on in Circuit City's parking lot and clicked the link that searches for nearby "transportation" places. I received hits for all the nearby airports with turn-by-turn directions at a glance, and was incredibly impressed! Next, I told the i5 to find nearby food places, and it returned all the places of various cuisines in proximity to me, including small nondescript mom-and-pop restaurants that the unassuming motorist would never notice! Didn't know there was a Hip-Hop Museum a couple miles from my house until I searched for nearby museums (Who'd have thunk it?). Turned out to be a defunct building still listed as a Hip-Hop Museum (but still cool). For most of the destination spots stored on the i5's hard drive, the complete addresses and phone numbers are provided; I would highly recommend calling the destination spot before driving there, to minimize your chances of driving a few miles to a rib shack only to find that the business is defunct. The i5 has over 6 million preloaded points of interest and categorizes with headings such as nearby food, post offices, city halls, museums, department stores, shopping malls, gas stations, etc. You are also free to manually input an address and street name which is also easy to do.

Fun

Using the i5 for finding things to do on the weekend is like playing a game of catch the flag: I enjoy typing in the names of restaurants and amusement attractions to where I've never been, and watching the i5 locate the address and put my car on auto pilot, taking me to the uncharted destination. I must admit that I smile every time the i5 says "arriving at destination on right." It's just so 21st century.

Range / Sense of direction

Each time I turn the i5 on, I have to wait about 20 seconds while it finds the satellites, then I'm good to go (the unit locks onto 3 satellites when you have the "3-D map" setting on). The only time my i5 looses the satellites is when I enter my parking garage in Downtown Detroit. If you make a wrong turn, the i5 will notice after about 5 seconds then say "recalculating" which takes about another 5 seconds, then tells you what to do now. Depending on your preferences the i5 will either tell you to make a U-Turn, or have you make a series of turns around the block until you are back on course. I turned the "make a U-Turn" preference on. So now, if I pass my destination by mistake, the unit says, "When possible, make a U-Turn." Also, I used my i5 on a very wet and dark day this week and it never skipped a beat. I have noticed however, then when I ask the i5 to navigate me somewhere while I'm sitting in a parking lot with various ways to ingress and egress, the i5 doesn't know what direction my car is facing and may tell me to make a series of turns to get onto a particular road (when that road is actually right in my face). Also, if you exit a freeway too early and continue on the service drive, the i5 will not notice the change as long as the service drive runs parallel to the freeway, it only recalculates your course after the service drive and freeway diverge and the satellite realizes that you moving in a different direction of the freeway. However, once the i5 realizes that you are on a different path (probably a minute later depending on when the divergence occurs, you are put back on course in seconds) I rate the i5 4 out of 5 stars for this reason only.


External power usage

For the occasional days when my cell phone is plugged into my DC outlet, I wanted to test how the i5 long would it take before the i5 drains an alkaline battery; it took about 5 hours to drain my 2 AA Duracell alkaline batteries. Garmin's specifications says that the i5 should between 6 and 7 hours. I probably only got 5 hours because I had the volume turned all the way up, and the map settings on "most detail." There is a battery setting on this unit that ask you whether or not you are using Ni-Cad or alkaline batteries. I guess this helps the unit determine the most efficient way to use the batteries. First I thought it asked that question to determine whether or not to charge your rechargeable batteries, but after leaving the power cord plugged into my i5 overnight, I found that my rechargeable batteries' strength meter was neither weaker nor stronger by the morning. Garmin's next Street Pilot should have a built in battery charger.

All in all the i5 is a wonderful unit. I think it's a joy to use and a must have for those who like to explore different place without getting lost.

I purchased the Garmin i5 from Amazon about a month ago. I had just completed an interstate move, had been considering a vehicle GPS for some time, and thought that learning a new city would be a good excuse to take the plunge.

First, the i5 is small. Really small. When I unboxed it, I thought there was no way I would be able to see the map displayed on the screen. It is surprisingly easy to see the map and directions on this display (I have it suction-cupped to the windshield just below the rear view mirror). The unit can be set to automatically change from a daylight-readable (white streets on a cream-colored background a la yahoo maps) to dark-readable (yellow streets on a black background) color scheme.

I was a little leery of the input/system navigation method - one scroll wheel and two buttons. It is very easy to use, both to look up an address and to find Points of Interest (POIs). Speaking of POIs, the i5's POI database is excellent - I'm in Nashville, where it lists dozens of restaurants (filtered by name as I start to enter it - e.g. as I type "d" it shows only those beginning with "d" and then "de" only those beginnings with "de" etc. - and sorted by distance to the current location) but I've used it in very sparsely populated areas of Tennessee and Alabama and it still finds quite a few POIs (they are just a little further apart). The user interface is a little difficult to use while the device is mounted on the windshield and driving (of course, you're not supposed to do this anyway).

Navigating with the i5 is easy and intuitive. The unit takes about 1 minute to get its initial satellite lock when starting up - by the time I'm ready to turn out of the neighborhood, it is ready with directions. The voice prompts arrive about when they should (this varies based on your speed - at 60 mph, you get a prompt 1/2 mile out, at 30 mph, it's more like 500 feet) and then immediately after completing the turn you get the next instruction (e.g. "turn right in .2 miles," <car turns> "in 10 miles, turn left."). Note that the voice prompts are "left" and "right"; the name of the street is displayed on the screen. The distance to and direction of the next turn are displayed on the screen as well. Re-routing (on those rare occasions where I've missed a turn) is quick and efficient.

My only real gripe about the i5 is the volume control. The maximum volume is quite loud (it can easily be heard above the car stereo) but the only way to change it, while navigating, is to back out of the map screen, enter the "settings" menu, and adjust the volume via a software control. This is a real hassle if, for example, you get a phone call and need to turn the volume down on the GPS. A simple volume adjust knob on the side would be a huge improvement. My other "product suggestion" involves the batteries. The unit can be powered via three AA batteries or the 12-volt Cigarette lighter adapter. The battery life seems to be fairly good (my adapter stays in one vehicle, from time to time, the GPS gets used in the other, I have not run through the first set of batteries yet); however, if the unit was capable of charging rechargeable AA batteries while plugged in to the adapter, it would make life just a little easier. Additional adapters are available for about $50 from Garmin or $15 from a third-party Chinese manufacturer (probably the exact same hardware, minus the Garmin label).

Overall, I'm very happy with my i5 and would recommend it to anyone looking for a vehicle GPS. It is not capable of real-time traffic updates, Bluetooth phone integration, or any of the high-end features, but it works very well for a $350 GPS.

From one with no sense of direction whatsoever, I fell in love with this gadget the first time I plugged it in. Extrememly easy to operate, I didn't even need to read the manual to understand the 3 self-explanatory buttons. Out of the box, it was up in my car and working in a matter of minutes.

I decided on the i5 over the i3 because of the pre-programmed information it already has installed. A HUGE asset! I also chose this over any Magellan after much researching and comparing price and features. This Amazon price is also the best I found on the web, short of buying it used or refurbished, which I'm not a fan of doing.

So far, I've had no trouble at all with it ever recognizing which road I'm on; in fact, I've discovered several new roads around my own town that are much easier to navigate than the ones I've been using for 8+ years. It was smaller than I expected, but it turns out to be the perfect size. You really don't need anything bigger. The color screen is crisp and clear, and it's very easy to pop up on the windshield, which is where I keep mine. The suction is VERY powerful, so it's not coming off unless you want it to.

I also love that it can tell you the closest food (broken up by categories, or searchable by specific name), as well as shopping, gas, hospitals, and much more.

I can't recommend this highly enough - a definite must for anyone who travels even a little. It blows online directions like MapQuest out of the water, because the voice navigation never leaves you wondering where to go. And what you get for the price you pay - it pays for itself in the no time considering the security you feel of always knowing where you are and where you want to go. I don't think I would want any additonal features, so don't bother paying for a pricier system. This has all the bells and whistles you could want! You couldn't pay me to let it go!

I bought this item several months ago. After much research and comparison shopping, I picked the i5. I feel its' the best value for the money. I think the small size is an asset and gives you more options for mounting, etc. I waited to write a review until I had a good chance to use it. So far, I think its one of the best purchases I have made in a long time.

More than try to pursuade someone to buy it, I wanted to write a couple of things for people who are waiting for it to arrive or who already bought it. These tips may apply to all Garmin GPS users.

To begin with, don't even turn it on for the first time until you are in or around your car, or at the very least outside in a open space. I wouldn't do it sitting outside next to the apartment or house, and inside by the window won't work. It needs a clear view and no major obstructions around. If you do it inside the house, you won't get a signal and you'll wind up on the phone their tech support, like I did. I wanted to put in some addresses and the home location, etc. in the house and then take it out later and set it up the car. Bad idea. It immediately, and naturally, wants to find a signal. It gets mixed up in a weird loop of confusion when you do this. Although the Garmin tech support was helpful, I waited for a half hour to get them only to have them tell me to go outside and call back.
Then it was another half hour on the cell phone only to be told to reset it (see below).

Set the device up outside, and the for first time only, it may take as long as 40 minutes to get the signal. It took mine about 20 minutes. I was sure it was broken -- but not so, this is normal. Now, it always starts up in about 30 seconds or so.

If for some reason you set it up incorrectly and you want to restart it like was fresh out of the box -- press the arrow and wheel buttons down together, and then while holding them, power it up. It will ask if you are sure you want to reset it. Remember, everything you did will be lost -- like adding favorites, etc.

As for mounting, I tried it all around. I decided I wanted to keep it plugged in permanently and not deal with batteries. Garmin warns you that the "permanent" dash mounting disc will be near impossible to remove without much work. Well, I set mine up and after leaving it on the dash in the sun, it lifted off and tipped over! So much for permanent. I called them and they said this was unusual. However, I'm writing this because I have a tip. I went to the auto store and they had heavy duty mounting squares -- those little double sided white adhesive squares. Well, using those, I was able to mount this vertically on the dash near my dash controls. People say this can't be done due to the weight, but its there. I love this location. I have to just glance down near my gauges and there it is. Its hidden a bit in case thieves are looking in. Plus, I was able to easily string the power cable down along the seams in the dash and its completely hidden. It has never gotten loose at all, not the disc or the suction cup, not even in the terrible Eastern heat wave this summer. If the suction cup part is falling off for you, just wet the back a little bit, it will hold.

Using the Garmin wheel and back button can get a little tedious, so I have been saving all my locations. When looking for a location, don't get discouraged if what you're looking for doesn't appear in the suggested list. Keeping typing out the entire address, even if nothing is showing up. The same goes for businesses you might be looking for. For example, I was looking for a Bed, Bath and Beyond. I had already type in "Bed" and nothing appeared in the list on the side. In this situation, I used to assume the business just wasn't included in the POI list. I've learned to not give up so easily. I continued and by the time I finished typing in "Bath" it appeared on the list. Additionally, if you want to find a business in a place other than your current location -- go to find a city -- and then do find a business, and find your POI and navigate.

Also, when typing in addresses, you sometimes will have to try variations and abbreviations of some road names to get the right one. For example, I had to add in a street that began with "Mount." I tried over and over until it finally found it, I believe it was listed as "Mt." Sounds obvious writing now, but when reading it written as "Mount," "Mt." just didn't occur to me for a while. Also, if the Garmin can't find an address, reconsider the town you put in. If you can avoid putting in a town, and can choose a county or something similar, choose that.
I have never had it fail to find an address yet, but quirky things like the above have happened several times and wasted time.

This is in the manual, but a good thing to remember -- just press the wheel in like a button to save your current spot as a favorite. Its very handy.

If you are navigating and shut the i5 off without reaching your destination or stopping the navigation, the next time you turn it on it will still look to navigate.

If you test it out and find that its giving you routes that you don't like, say for example you know a more obvious route -- try switching the option for quicker time or shorter distance. If you don't get the difference, the quicker time option generally puts you on highways that may get you someplace quicker even though you are physically covering some more miles with that route. With this option, you usually get routes that are more direct and don't involve a lot of side streets, etc.

I bought the additional antenna. I read that someone said it helped her get a quicker signal just having it inside the car. This has not been my experience. I have the antenna way in the front of the dash, at the base of windshield with a clear view of the sky. I seem to get the same signal with the antenna plugged in, as I do with the GPS alone sitting just behind my steering wheel. I did try it outside of the car and it seemed to be a little quicker, but it wasn't that differnt. I didn't want to deal with having a cord running outside of the vehicle so I didn't bother. I wouldn't not recommend it if you are looking to use it inside the car.

On eBay, I purchased a little screen protector. I'm very happy with it. It sticks without adhesive, its just a cling.

Lastly, if you listen to music in the car, or chat a lot with someone, the option for "attention tone" has turned out to be really handy. You won't miss any instructions with it.

Hope some of these tips help -- and enjoy your i5. I do. :)

I've just recently taken a new job & moved to a major metropolis where I don't know a soul. I was tired of always being lost in my new city & having to go on line to find directions for even the simplest of life's necessities: Where's a grocery store? Where's a bank? Where's a Starbucks? Where's a good steakhouse? Where's the library at? I've sat on the fence long enough about buying a GPS unit.

Prior to making this purchase I'd put in a lot of research time; looking over consumer reports & price comparisons, customer reviews and the likes for brand names like TomTom, Magellan, Navman, Lowrance and Garmin. Going on line countless hours to browse for GPS units knowing eventually I'd break down and buy one. But I kept putting off the purchase because I was always looking for the best product & a fantastic deal. But moving to a new city and not knowing where anything was forced my hand to act.

A couple of nights ago I went ahead and purchased the i5 by Garmin. Today I was about to make a trip downtown to get my taxes taken care of at a business location I'd never been to. The UPS guy knocked on my door and delivered my i5 about an hour before my appointment time. I opened up the box and set the i5 down telling myself, "You'll never have enough time to learn how to use this before your appointment." But I wanted to give it a try just to see how easy it really was. I powered it up and stepped out onto the patio deck and it already had my location on the display. In less than 3 minutes I had it updated with my home location, time zone and language selection and out the door I went.

"Where To?" To input your information you need to use their roller wheel, & after you entered the first digit of the address you're going to you've already mastered the wheel button. The i5 worked perfectly and the display always kept me abreast of the names of the cross roads two blocks ahead. It got me to the street I was looking for and turned in the right direction of the business I wanted to find.

Out of years of habit I immediately found myself looking at the buildings for a number, looking for a number, looking for a number. As I'm wondering where the heck this place is, the i5 announces, "Arrived at destination, on right." As it said this I'm looking out the passenger side window as the gold letting on the door leading into the company I was looking for announced this was indeed the place I was looking for. It worked perfectly!

So if you're like me and have been waiting and waiting and waiting to buy a GPS, don't wait any longer. The i5 is a neat little GPS at a very affordable price. I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Two thumbs up, 5-stars, a perfect 10. What ever grading scale you're using, put this one at the top.

I bought the Garmin i5 as a present for my wife. She is not the type to have any patience with complex devices. So before giving it to her, I wanted to make sure that it was up to the task. I "road tested" it for a couple of days, just to be sure it was something she would use.

My conclusion, this little GPS is terriffic, and the comments from other reviewers are true. The screen is sharp and readable in all lighting conditions. The unit is so simple to use that you really don't need the instructions. The maps are good and the positioning is dead on. The thumbwheel input method is quick and easy with a well organized and efficient menu structure.

Does it always choose the best route? No, but if you know a better way to go or there are traffic bottlenecks or construction you want to avoid, then bail off the i5's chosen route and it will recalculate a new course for you in seconds.

Other reviewers commented that they would have liked talking street names for turns, frankly, I don't think it is a big deal (except that it may be good for a laugh or two when the computer voice tries to pronounce an unusual street name). The system typically gives you two verbal warnings of an impending turn. They seem to be based on predicted time of arrival at the turn, as they occur a different distances from the turn based on vehicle speed. The first warning always arrived in plenty of time for lane changes, etc. and the second warning is well timed, just before you need to commit to the turn, so there is no confusion when streets are closely spaced.

I'm sure some of the higher end units have some cool bells and whistles that this one doesn't, but if you are looking for a great value in a simple to use GPS, look no further. The Garmin StreetPilot i5 is a keeper.

I've had the i5 for over 2 months now and I really like it and believe it was money well spent. I did a lot of research before I bought this unit and this one seemed like a pretty nice unit for the price...and it is. I purchased this unit mainly for my wife to use on a trip she is taking with our boys (2 1/2 & 12 years old) while I am working. My wife is gifted in many ways, but navigation is not one of those gifts, but I am fully confident she will have no trouble getting safely to my parents home in the middle of nowhere Ohio.

Not Pros (nothing is bad enough to be a con):
1. Garmin's web site used to say it was "fully routable" (It no longer says that). I thought this meant you could hook it up to your computer and preplan an entire route complete with "via" points for gas, food, lodging, fun, etc. I was wrong. The e-mail I received from Garmin customer service explained "fully routable" meant that it would calculate a complete route from point A to point B. They are correct, and it will do this very accurately and very quickly. The longest route I have had it calculate is about 900 miles and it did it in less than 10 seconds.

2. The unit seems to be up to date (within the last year) with all the new construction in my area as far as roads are concerned, but it seems to be years behind when it comes to the preprogrammed points of interest. We have had a Walmart store for about 9 years, but it doesn't show up on my i5. There are many other stores and restaurants in my area that don't show up as well, yet there are no updates available from Garmin as of when this review was written. It still has plenty of information to get you to the nearest shopping area, then you can just look for your favorite store or restaurant.

3. I was bummed out that I could not save my current location as a point of interest. Garmin told me that roughly 6 million POIs should be enough. It is not in the manual and Garmin told me they are un-aware of the feature, BUT If you want to save your current location, press and hold the scroll wheel for a few seconds. Your current location will be saved as a favorite with a default name of 001, 002, 003, etc. If you want to change the name you can.

4. The i5 will calculate your route for you quite nicely. You may notice if you are navigating through your home town that it may not route you the way you would normally go, but rest assured, the i5 will get you to where you want to go. Some more expensive GPS units will allow you to select from a list of possible routes, but I'm really not that much of a control freak. If I'm driving in unfamiliar areas, I am quite comfortable letting the i5 tell me where to go as I sit back and enjoy the ride.

Pros:

I love the small size and portability of the i5. The voice commands are timely and give plenty of warning that you will be turning in a certain distance (the faster you are going, the more notice you get). I like the 3-D map and the auto zoom feature that adjusts the size of the map as you go faster or slower. It may not seem like much, but simple me thinks it is really cool how the color scheme will change automatically at sunrise and sunset to allow better visibility (a feature that can be turned off).

There are many other features that make this a great little unit. Sure, it lacks some features and usability that some more expensive models have, but the i5 is an awesome little GPS unit for the price. I've done some checking around recently, and I still haven't found anything I'd rather have, that is not hundreds of dollars more expensive.

I work for the world's largest business auction company as a Field Rep. I travel all over the country (50-75,000 miles a year) cataloging the assets of major corporations, and managing the sale and removal of these assets. I have owned several other gps units, but this is the one on my dash today (actually, it is mounted to my steering column between the speedometer and tachometer).
Those of us who SURVIVE on the freeway, don't play with gadgets, or text message, or hold our cell phones to our head, or otherwise distract ourselves with cluttersome devices on our dash obstructing our views. It is a matter of survival (stastically speaking), that when driving on this great nations freeways, ones focus should be on the ever changing conditions of the road ahead of them. Those of us who forget we are in a car that is moving at lethal speeds, eventually DIE (and many times, kill others).
"IT'S A CRIME IN MOST STATES, TO PLAY WITH YOUR GPS WHILE DRIVING, FOR A REASON!". This being said, I am not bothered by the i5 not having touch screen (this removes the temptation to adjust the unit while travelling at 75 mph on the freeway).
I believe the size of this device to be its greatest strength. Because the i5 can be mounted virtually anywhere, it can easily blend in to existing driving instrumentation. If mounted within your existing instrument cluster, you need not be distracted by looking to the middle of your dash. If mounted next to the rear view mirror, it leaves the dashboard totally unobstructed. This device became a part of my car the first time I used it. I have mounted this device in several different vehicles and the results were the same; it found a discreet home on the dash or windshield of anything I put it in. It blended seamlessly in to the interiors, and was as much a part of the onboard instrumentation as the speedometer. The i5 is not an travel accessory, it is a vehicle upgrade.
Having made my speach about vehicle safety, lets move on to the functionality of the i5.
I am impressed with the detail of the software Garmin provides. This is a very intuitive little machine, that predicts possible endings for places and addresses as destinations are being entered. The voice prompts are right on time, almost every time. The 3D map view is great. I found only a few weaknesses in the software.
The weaknesses; My home street name is mispelled (it was also mispellled on EVERY other gps that I have used. "Map designers please be advised, there is no Chales St. in xxxxxx,MI". The POI menu had a few shortcomings, also. I found the POIs to be very usefull, but not entirely up to date. This could easily, and SHOULD be fixed by Garmin with a POI update.
This unit has, however, accurately guided me to hundreds of different destinations, over nearly 40,000 miles, without letting me down a single time. NOT ONCE!!! NOT EVEN ONCE!!!!!!!!
I can only speak for my own experience, and I tell you "Save yourself a couple thousand dollars of trial and error, buy this unit first." "BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"