Customer Ratings & Reviews

I love this GPS. I'm going to buy two more for my kids. Everything I buy from Best buy is great. I love how it can stick to your window so it's right in front of your face.

I purchased for my husband and several of the features he pointed out to me are: Alerts for traffic ahead School zone approaching Over speed alert Split screen at freeway exits approaching National park listing/historical sites If you are Passing a historical site an H pops up on screen so it gives you time to get off and explore Bluetooth speaker

So fast, so streamlined, everything in its right place. Once you've used the DriveSmart on a long trip or just around town, Google maps just seems antiquated and clunky. The size of the 55 is just perfect and the screen has zero reflection, but for some reason the screen looks reflective when you try to take a pic of it with your phone.

Works awesome would recommend to anyone looking into getting a gps.

Not bad for a GPS if you don't have a phone to use. The software is a bit outdated though so it is not the easily to use.

There are many things to like about this GPS. If you plan to mount it on the windshield, the display size is great to prevent any obstruction of critical viewing area for driver. The interface is nice. Directions, turns, upcoming events are communicated in a very friendly and easy to understand manner - some units are just annoying. The traffic feature is very nice to alert driver to lane or road closures, road construction, estimated delay times and automatic reroute suggestions are provided to avoid delays. The automatic change to a split view showing both map and closeup of turning lanes for upcoming turns is really nice. It does keep the driver well informed of what to expect and proper lane position. The only concerns I have experienced so far are 1) as others have noted, the voice recognition often does not pick up on verbal commands and manual touch screen entry is required and 2) We ran into a situation returning from a trip to the shore where the GPS was actively rerouting us around some road closures and the unit seemed to get scrambled and shut down. We were on an exit ramp following it's display and commands and all at once it indicated to make a U turn while we were still on the ramp and promptly shut down. Obviously, that wasn't a pleasant experience. I had to find a place to pull over and set it back up for the rest of our trip home. It worked flawlessly the rest of the way and since. I am hoping that was a fluke and not something that will occur again - but it's also the reason for 4 stars and not 5. Overall, for me, the nice features far outweigh the negatives that I have experienced.

Very good GPS. Easy to use and very nice screen. Like the software updates and the details to make easy a trip. Just keep in mind that the battery doesn't last long so just connect it to your car and you are good to go.

I've had the Garmin - DriveSmart 55 & Traffic - 5.5" GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - now for several months. I replaced a 12 year old NUVI 260 which was dependable, but the maps were old. I did some research and Garmin made it easy to choose. The DriveSmart 55 was the right size and offered the update of maps and firmware over WIFI and Computer with app, making it very easy. The simplistic use paring with the Gamin Drive App, adds additional features and using the iPhone and the app you can easily enter the destination in the phone ad the GSP is calculating! The windshield mount is the standard, but I opted for a CupHolder option which works perfectly and gives no obstruction. The traffic feature is great as it uses local traffic to alert you of best options for navigating construction etc. The OK Garmin command is great too as you can be hands free and just tell Garmin what you want. IT does take a little while for the device to recognize your voice but the more you use it the better it gets and ... No matter where you are and want to head home, it's just OK Garmin, GO HOME and you're on your way! IT's Gamin, and it's all I've ever used and it uses GPS Satellites not cell towers so when you have ''no signal'' on your phone using a map application, Gamin's GPS capabilities are aways there It's fast to calculate, clear in speech, accurate to get you where you want to go, either shortest distance or Fastest Time and settings you can customize in an easy to use menu. Also there are Gamin Tutorials on the Gamin site and the videos answer all your questions and when you have one more, gamin support is great, and responsive and helpful!! You won't go wrong with Gamin's DriveSmart 55 with Traffic Happy Driving! BG

Compared to my old Nuvi, this one gets you right to where you want within feet. The split screen is great, especially in busy traffic areas. Super easy to use. Love the break reminders with options of where to stop. Only down side for me is screen is not matte finish - so it gets glare. Maybe not a problem for 100 % in car use, but if you are using in convertible or motorcycle it can be. Would love a screen cover to fix this. The Bluetooth to phone was excellent. Have gone over 2,500 miles with it.

This is my second Garmin GPS. My wife took my first one to use at work. The things I like about it include the GPS knows when there is road work going on that requires a re-route and has traffic updates. I am still learning the use the voice commands but I like it so far. The screen is easy to see more so than the GPS on my phone. It has some features the older Garmin does not. It will tell me to "take the second right" or "turn right at the light". I don't have to take my eyes off the road in traffic to know where I have to turn. It may seem petty, but I really like when I don't follow the recommended route due to my local knowledge, it just recalculates the route. No more annoying "Recalculating"! I would have given it 5 stars except for two things. It places my house on the wrong side of the street even though I have contacted Garmin about the issues. Second, it allows me the option to avoid freeways, but it does not allow me option to select freeways. As a result, it will take me off the freeways and put me on secondary roads when it thinks it is the best route. It makes no difference if I use fastest route or shortest route option. Overall, I can rely on it to get me to places I have never been before. I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for a reliable inexpensive (NOT CHEEP) GPS.

1st GPS I owned and have only had the unit for approximately two months, so cannot compare to others units. I checked the reviews on many different units and this one had very god reviews and has not disappointed. I do not blue tooth my phone to the unit. I looked at the larger unit but glad I chose this unit as it fits nicely on the dash using the Garmin Friction Mount in a Honda Civic and Accord. The traffic info has helped when available. Just recently we were in a traffic jam because of an accident and the unit displayed the length of the delay in miles and was fairly accurate. It clearly shows and tells you the lanes you should be in at junctions. The alerts are nice, I am sure some would find annoying, but has the option to shut them off. I wish it would provided more routes to chose from. I like how multiple turns ahead can be displayed. There are many options and would take awhile to test all, but I find easy to use and easy to read/view while driving. The voice commands works pretty well. I really like this unit and have no complaints other than more routes to select from. Rated a five based on my use so far, but will update review after I have tested features in more driving conditions.

The Garmin, Drive Smart 55 Traffic 5.5" GPS with Built -in Bluetooth, Black is a very good GPS. I purchased this GPS about a month ago. This is the 3rd GPS that I've had and by far the best. I had one older model Garmin and one Magellan. The touch screen works very well. The colors are nice and the navigation route is easy to follow. I usually turn off/down the sound and just follow the screen. It gives you good notice for turns that are coming up. It even shows crosswalks. The information on the screen, mph, speed limit, etc. is easy to read. It has a lot of features that I haven't used. I basically use the the Navigation. At some point I'll explore some of the other features. I find that it pairs well with the Garmin - Vehicle Mount for GPS - Black Model :0101090800. While a few reviews found the shape a little irregular and hard to position on the dashboard I find that it works well. I had a similar Vehicle Mount for years with my previous GPS which was a Magellan and it worked well on the dashboard.

It has a great display and some interesting options such as using your cellphone to enable traffic updates and the History channel "interesting things" option. •I didn't like having to connect my cellphone in order to get traffic updates. My older model Garmin had a data cable that came with it (the cord you plug into the lighter port to charge it) for traffic for the life of the device. •This GPS has an absolutely HORRIBLE battery life compared to older models. It made it extremely difficult to do the initial update of maps, etc before the first use. •Very useful features on the older models are NOT on the newer model. There is no more "breadcrumb trail" feature to track and show you which rides you've been on before. That was my favorite feature of the older models, as it came in very handy. •Another feature that has been removed is the ability to add/delete personalized Avatars from the Garmin site (icons to representyour vehicle). For example, I downloaded an X-Wing fighter, a truck with a xmas tree on the roof & the Black Pearl to my older Garmin. You can only choose from the defaults on the new Garmin. •You can no longer download different "fun" voices to use on the device. I used to have Dr Nightmare as the voice on my older Garmins & the are now no choices available other than what comes on it. (There used to be a yeti and a crazy squirrel to name a few other options from the Garmin site that you could download to your device). Overall the GPS worked as expected, but I wouldn't buy it again. The poor battery life alone was annoying. I'm disappointed with Garmin on this because it seems to offer less than the older models but since it looks nicer you just assume all of the old features are included and improved and that is not the case.

The Garmin 55 plus Live Traffic is exactly what we needed for both US and Canada route maps. Be careful when you choose a Garmin. Only select Garmin’s have Canada available (entire North America). Garmin 55 does have this feature. In addition, it has live traffic. It was nice to see weather updates available, and it can be voice controlled. I don’t think we will use all the features, but you never know. The big plus is that when you travel to Canada, you won’t incur international charges, unlike a phone plane when searching for locations in Canada. This feature will pay for itself, especially when traveling between countries in North America. I haven’t had this Garmin for very long, but this is replacing our Garmin Nuvi, which about ten years now.

I purchased the "Garmin - DriveSmart 55 & Traffic - 5.5" GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Black" to replace my old 20 year old GPS. I love this new Garmin. I have entered several addresses into my "saved" list, including my home address. Then, with voice activation, all I have to say is 'Hey Garmin...Go Home' (or another saved location) and it routes me there from what ever location I'm at. No fiddling around with pushing buttons while driving. If I decide to take a different route, it will automatically synch to another route option as I'm driving. I have found the directions to be very accurate. It also reminds me with audible 'dings' when the speed limit changes. It also shows on the screen the estimated time of arrival. The 5.5" screen is just the right size, as it is big enough to see all of my info without obstructing my view in my front windshield. I highly recommend this GPS.

I purchased this GPS to reduce reliance on phone based map apps. I've had Garmin GPS products in the past so the interface is quite familiar. Although I prefer the interface on my previous Tom Tom GPS over that provided by Garmin. Good sized responsive screen. Only complaint which is relatively minor is that the battery does not seem to hold a charge well. Yes, it is constantly plugged in when in use, but sometimes when I pull it out for a software update the charge is gone. Other than that it is a reliable and handy device.

The Garmin DriveSmart 55 has everything I would like to have in a GPS: Free map updates for life, map and software updates via wifi, voice command and Garmin Traffic. My 13-year old Garmin nuvi has none of these, therefore this new device is a MAJOR upgrade and is worth every penny. So far it is a delight to use. My only criticism is that once you installed and paired the Drive App, the device sets it as the default "current traffic provider" with no other option (ie, Garmin Traffic). If you want to use Garmin Traffic, you must remove the Drive App completely, by resetting to factory settings (turning off bluetooth won't cut it). The whole point of buying a new Garmin is to unchain myself from my phone which has been serving as a GPS, so I removed the Drive App and will use the device entirely as a stand-alone.

bought this as an upgrade to an ancient nuvi and the advancements are staggering. much faster resolution of maps. crisp, clear picture and voice. The bluetooth feature easily connected to my phone and it can be used as a hands free. it alerts when you exceed the speed limit and when there are red light cameras in play. it has voice command which is nice but be sure to keep the ambient noise down or it seems to not hear well. all in all a great upgrade.

I purchased this to replace an older Garmin nuvi 3490, which unfortunately was stolen from my vehicle. Primarily I rely on Google Maps navigation on my phone, but use this for longer trips, as a backup for phone navigation (in case the phone battery has run out), and for storing & navigating to saved points of interest. This has a bright, clear display, larger than the older device. It seems to be snappier than the older Garmin and there are a number of nice improvements to the user interface. The quality of navigation itself does not seem to be significantly better than the older Garmin; it has all of the same quirks... generally Google Maps has much more intelligent navigation. This update includes a phone app and Bluetooth which if configured, allows you to get traffic information via your phone's data connection. It also comes with a cigarette power cable which doubles as a traffic data receiver. I have not yet tried either the phone app/bluetooth connection, nor the dedicated power cable (my cigarette lighter is being used to keep my phone charged, so I can't comment on either of these. The older nuvi used a USB micro B connector for charging, while this one uses USB mini B. I'm not sure why they went with a larger connector on the newer rev. The windshield mount works well but I still haven't quite mastered fixing the device to the mount (it is easy to detach). One feature which is quite nice is that the device will update maps and other software over wi-fi, so it is no longer necessary to use Garmin Express to keep it up-to-date. If you don't have auto navigation and don't plan to use your phone, I would say this is a good value; if you do use your phone for navigation, this might not be a worthwhile purchase unless you need/like the benefits of a dedicated navigation device, and the extra features this one in particular offers (not all of which I have detailed here).

Nice little gps. Screen size is perfect. Overall easy to use. Definetly recommend it