Customer Reviews

Garmin StreetPilot 7200 7-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

About time someone made a proper size screen that makes sense for use in cars. I have a really small vehicle, Toyota Prius, and this 7200 Streetfinder gps is perfect size for the car. There are many useful functions on the touch screen or you can use the remote control. The screen is big, beautiful and bright, if you want bright, if not you can adjust it. I mainly like to just keep the unit on "map" function so I can see what streets are coming up, especially at night when I an not in my neighborhood. The name of the next street is there is big bold letters, but if you press the "speak" button on the remote, it will announce the upcoming street. This thing is great and I highly recommend it. The cigarette power supply and bracket (one piece) makes it a snap to remove the unit for safe keeping. One easy motion and its off the bracket. Garmin really put a lot of thought into this one. There are so many ways this thing works but I don't want to write a book here. The only thing I can recommend is that if you are not going to mount it directly on top of your dashboard, purchase the Garmin "Ga 25MCX Low Profile Gps" antenna that snaps into the back of the unit. It will give you great reception results, instead of "searching for satellite" you will get "ready for navigation" in just a few moments. The wire that it comes attached to it is not too big and allows for easy squeezing into small places for easy concealment. I didn't have to mount it outside my car for great reception, as a matter of fact, just plugging it into the back of the unit made a great difference. For true mobile use I am sure Garmin will be coming out with a suction mount also in the near future. JUST ORDER IT, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!!! That is my opinion.

Just purchased, only used on a few trips, but want to give you my first impressions, which are very positive.

First, the ads say that this is designed for larger vehicles. Not agreed. The impression from the on-line descriptions is that the screen size is HUGE, for example, the same as your office PC. Not true, it is a 7 inch diameter screen, so it is still relatively small, the same size as most current built in expensive auto GPS screens. Compared to the 2730 model, the 7200 has perfect size touch screen inputs while on the go. For the extra money, recommend the 7200 with the larger screen over 2730 which has the same features. So, the touch screen size of the model 7200 is great for viewing and input of addresses on any size vehicle.

I was very impressed with connectivty during heavy weather and recommend the external antenna option (sticks to the inside windshield by suction cups).

The voice commands are excellent with advance warnings of upcoming turns and then the next anticipated turn.

Screen is bright and automatically adjusts to light.

No need to change anything in the initial settings, they are great. Just plug in and go. User friendly screens.

Easy to upgrade to the latest software as shown on the garmin web site from your PC to the unit. No need to insert update chips.

The on/off switch. Should press and hold down. Just a light press does not do anything.

I was disappointed that the software bundle included in the package did not include the NT navagation database software, and had to purchase it separately. The PC software allows you to pre-plan your route on your PC and download this to your 7200 so you do not have to load addresses on the go. I tested this and it works great.

If you are in a traffic jam, press "Detour" and you will taken around the jam to your destination. Be prepared however to go through back roads and areas that you may not know.

I did not test the special features of sat. nav. traffic, audio, nor books yet.

Update: I have used this now on a dozen trips and the navigation is very trustworthy. My wife is a Realtor and she loves it.

I researched it for months and knew exactly what I wanted in a GPS, before I purchased the Garmin StreetPilot 7200. It has all of the features I was looking for, a large screen, real time traffic, remote, etc. I'm not going to dwell on all the great features. Every review will tell you about these, and they are great, if entering an address to go to or finding a restaurant or gas station is all you're going to use it for.

What you won't see in the reviews, and what the manufacturers ads don't tell you is that this unit does not show street names on the map. If you program in an address and want it to guide you to a specific place, it shows the next street you are going to cross, and will tell you every turn to make and when to make it. And it does that very well, most of the time. I have had it take me on a circuitous route that never ends if you keep following the directions, but that is rare. A much more common problem is that on some freeways it does not know when I take the entrance ramp, and still thinks I'm on the service road. At a certain point before each new entrance it starts telling me to take the next entrance ramp, in spite of the fact that I'm already on the freeway. And as I pass the entrance and it thinks I have missed the ramp again, it says "recalculating route" in what seems to me a reproving tone of voice. Very annoying. Also, unless you're on a major Interstate Highway, it does not tell you the name of your exit. If I'm on Northwest Freeway a mile from my exit at 34th Street, it says "Take exit to Northwest Freeway in one mile", etc.

Looking back on it, it was the one feature that I didn't research. But then I guess I just assumed that it would have the street names on the map. After all, I wouldn't ask if a Rand McNally Road Atlas had street names. Every GPS I have ever seen shows the street names.

I have to admit, this unit works as well as a yellow pages if you're sitting in a strange place and need to find a gas station or restaurant. It lists every conceivable place you might want to go, along with address, phone number, and directions.

But if you are simply parked in a strange part of town and want to know what street you are on, forget it. It shows you the street layout, but you have no way of knowing the street names. What if I just want to use it as a regular map? If I'm simply driving down the street and want to know what street I'm on I have to look for a street sign or pull out the old Key Map Guide that I thought I'd never have to use again. If you need directions to get somewhere specific and know the address, this unit is great. But what if you're lost and need a map? Forget it. There's just no way to use this "map" as a map. You can zoom in on an area and see the way the streets run, but not the street names.

I've contacted Garmin twice... surely there must be a way to see the street names... to turn this feature on? I was told that the system was not designed to show street names, there is nothing I can do to make it show street names, and the reason for that is that it would be too cluttered, and might distract me while driving.

Maybe that's true, but I think I should have the option to see the names of the streets just like a regular map, and be able to make my own decision whether to turn it off if I feel distracted, instead of Garmin making that decision for me. The reason I BOUGHT the big screen was so that I could see the street names better. Every other unit I've seen, even other Garmins, show street names, and most have smaller screens than the 7200.

A friend just bought a 2008 GMC Sierra 2500 with a factory installed in-dash Kenwood GPS, with a swing out screen about the same size as the 7200. When I first saw it, I was amazed to see the same basic layout and graphics as my Garmin, and that it in fact uses Garmin software. I was helping him set it up, and I have to admit that deep down I was kind of glad that he too would no longer have the street names on his GPS, like his old one did. Maybe the old adage "misery loves company" has some truth to it. Just as I was having to bite my tongue to keep the glee out of my voice as I commiserated with him over the fact that now he, too, was going to have to do without street names... well, I could hardly believe my eyes. On this screen that looked just like mine, using the Garmin software I have gotten so familiar with and with Garmin actually written on the screen, just as it was on mine... all the street names within a two-mile radius popped up! I'm actually very happy for him. It's just that he never researches anything. He just goes out and buys the most expensive one of whatever it is, and everything always seems to work out great. And I research it and compare models for months and buy a top of the line GPS and... OK... I'm not really happy for him at all. I wish I had his unit and he had mine.

And before you ask, no, this software will not work on my 7200. I tried to purchase it on the Garmin website the same day I saw his Kenwood and they acted like I was crazy for even thinking it might work.

Well, I've had my 7200 for almost a year now, and it stays stored in my center console most of the time, unless I have a specific address to go to, or need to know where the closest What-A-Burger is (like I don't already know the exact location of every What-A-Burger in the Greater Houston Area!)

I'm very envious when I'm in a friends car, and even though I may have to put on my glasses because their screen is one third the size of mine, I can see every street name. I thought I had done all the research, but I was wrong and would have looked further if I had known this unit lacked the basic ability to display the names of the streets on the map. I just wish I had it all to do over again. Even if I had to spend more to get what I want, it would be worth it. And needless to say, I would NOT buy a Garmin... even one that shows the streets.

I loooooooooooove my 7200 st pilot. I am 74 years old and my wife and I love to travel in our 38' holiday rambler navigator and before I purchased the 7200 st pilot I was always nervous about directions and finding specific locations. If you miss the turn your in trouble. This navigation system is uncanny. I just program in the address and it takes us there without fail. I don't even look at maps anymore. Some folks have nit picked this unit about it's mounting system, but I put it on a piece of 1/4" thick plastic and velcroed it to the dash. I hot glued a 5/8s himp rope around the plastic and it looks fantastic. Bata bing-bata boom. Thanks Garmin. I'm not afraid to go anywhere anymore. We live in Missouri and our next trip is Niagara Falls.

I have used the 7200 on two trips now, one being a 1300 mile around trip from California to Oregon. My impressions are very positive. I have previously owned a Street Pilot III and have used the 2730 model. The 7200 is basically the same as the 2730, but with a bigger 7" screen. I found the user interface and the voice prompts to be very useful when trying to find specific waypoints. I am not going to go into all the different options; others have done that. I use my 7200 in a GMC pickup (Diesel 2500), and have mounted it back near the window under the rear view mirror. This gives me the best view of the road. By slightly leaning forward I can easily use the touch screen. I also use the remote while driving to change views.

I was also concerned that the (CD) maps did not come with the unit. I called Garmin Tech Support and asked for the software for my PC. They sent it to me at no charge.

Two issues that I think should be addressed.
1) Mounting brackets: Using the bracket supplied with the unit caused too much vibration from the dash when on rough roads. I wish there were alternative mounting systems to give you more options where you can place the unit (on or in front of the dash, possibly a floor pedestal mounted bracket). Maybe an alternative would be something like the sand bag mount used with the 2730 (a little bigger to give the unit stability).
2) Software - Back Button: There are times when you need to go back to a main screen or transition to another area on your GPS. You must hit the back button sometimes 4 to 6 times just to get back to the main screen. Unlike the 2730 that has an external button, this unit will need to make a software change to include this option.

Other than these two personal issues I have with the 7200, it is everything that I expected it to be and much more. With all the option available for the 7200, it will give any user a very effective and enjoyable unit.

I'm a truck driver, I drive all day, every day. So I needed a GPS that had an option for truck routing. I found this, and it offered just that and so much more..

First: it's so easy to tell it where I'm going - I just type in the address, city, state ~ BAM! I'm already routed and ready to head down the road. I just listen to where it tells me to turn. Also the big display makes it easy to see exactly which road to take, which is real nice for those big cities like New York and Chicago..

Second: I bought the GXM 30 XM antenna - through that I get weather for where I'm at, where I'm going and anywhere else. It also tells me before I run into heavy traffic and safely detours me around it. The XM radio isn't bad either, in-fact it's pretty much priceless compared to the days when I'd have to try and find a good station, only to have it go out a couple miles down the road - the sound quality is quite impressive too.

I gave this a 5 out of 5 because it deserves it. This is a very well made, VERY easy to use product, that I wouldn't work a day without.

I'm just glad I could finally say goodbye to the big atlas and map reading/routing, as it was very time-consuming.

My only complaint is that the software that came with it wasn't Mac compatble. No biggie tho', because I can run Windows XP on my Mac too..

Final thoughts: Buy this little bugger, it's worth every penny!

I have had this unit for about 2 weeks now and it has performed flawlessly so far.
It does have a couple of quirks though:
1. Some POI's you would expect to find are not in there (for example Walmart), but I did download some from the internet and installing was a breeze.
2. The mounting of the unit, Garmin needs to come up with some other solutions. I made a custom mount for mine from a PANAVISE pedistal bracket.

Besides those 2 things the unit is great.

trek5460

`Have used the 7200 Garmin in a motorhome for the past month - with the external antenna (mounted inside near windshield). The GPS reception has been good - lost it momentarily a few times but never crucial or for long.

The only major `misdirection' was when traveling Interstate 210 (E) it recommended that I follow the local route Ca Rt. 134 where the two merged and to exit onto Rt. 134 only to have me do a U-turn and return [Garmin said] to Rt. 134 which was actually Interstate 210 (E).

Be careful to select the 'fastest route' rather than the 'shortest route' unless you have all day.

I'm disappointed that the only format to enter additional POI's is `.csv' files and that on the selection screen it only identifies the title not location (For example: requesting Flying J's gives a list of stations with direction arrows and miles to go but not location - If traveling Rt 5, Bakersfield Flying J might be close but on Route 99.). It limits the POI's available for download but available for other GPS products. There appears to be no way with the POI download software to convert Excel or text coordinates to `.csv' format.

One other annoyance: The mounting bracket appears to have two positions to tilt the 7200; however, the second set of holes is positioned too low to be able to use them without breaking the mounting bracket. Therefore, the screen is tilt obliquely away from the dash (about 100-110o).

Adding Bluetooth technology to all of the other accessory products (XM, Traffic, MP3) would have been most useful.

Charlie Humphrey

This screen is just huge, the graphics are simply great, and the voice is an order of magnitude improvement over older models (plus you can turn the darn thing down - it used to scare the life out of me if I went off course). I will list my complaints below, but for the most part, this is a terrific unit. It also has a great remote.

but..
The side buttons are gone that were present on the smaller units. They seem proud of this, but now you get buried deep in menus and have to press "back" a dozen times. VERY annoying (remote to the rescue, if you happen to be holding it).

The default for finding things is now "near here", instead of "near current route", which it used to be (if a route was active). This makes me want to scream, since I use this feature at least a hundred times a day on a long trip. Wish I could have the choice of defaults.

On the smaller screens, when a list of restaurants (or anything else) came up, there were about 6 or 8 showing. Now there are about 3 on this HUGE screen, and you have to scroll and scroll and scroll..... What's that about??

They have a nice section for "favorites". But the only thing that can be a favorite is a place. Well, you KNOW how to get to your favorite places most of the time!! I need favorites to be "gas on current route", or "McDonalds on current route" (have to have their coffee..) or whatever. When traveling, you have to go through looking for gas, food, hotels and rest stops over and over, and it isn't quick. Especially rest stops, which have been buried deep in the menu system on every Garmin I have had. Please Garmin, let us set up favorite searches, not just places.

I got the bean bag holder, since the other one makes it too hard to take the unit on and off. You will want to take it off, because there is no hiding this monster!! I have had no trouble with it, but I did add some velcro just to make sure. I wish the design of the unit was more bottom heavy. When you press the keys, it feels unstable. Haven't ever had it move around corners or anything, though. Also, it doesn't tilt backwards and forwards like the smaller units, and I miss that.

Regardless of complaints, I really like it, and would buy another.

Oh yeah, it has all kinds of media stuff, but all I want is an iPod connection. Sigh.

I have the streetpilot 7200 and I like it very much. Talked my girl friend into getting one and found a glich when connecting the 12 vdc power plug. She has a 94' Ford Tarus with the conventional cigarette lighter socket. When inserting the gps 12 vdc plug into her cigarette socket the fuse blows. This was also the case when I used my unit to verify problem. It also will blow the fuse without the gps unit attached. Using a multimeter I found that if the tip of the plug is recessed flush with the plug body it shorts out the fuse. My Honda civic 06' model has a accessory plug and this does not occur. The design of this power plug for older cars is faulty. I temporary corrected the problem by inserting a rubber washer to fit inside the socket to prevent the plug from being inserted to the depth that would allow the tip and the body to be flush resulting in a short circuit! Washer size: 7/8"od x 3/8"id x 1/8"h. UPDATE: Garmin shipped us 2 new cables via overnight delivery. They worked great. It's refreshing to see a company that backs up their products. They were very professional and polite.