Garming nüvi® 2797LMT

[Chako]

Some of you may know, I just bought a used Jeep Patriot. I thought I would upgrade my old Garmin Nuvi that I bought 4 years ago with something newer. The old GPS has a 4.3" screen. As I did some research, I found out that Garmin produced larger units. I decided to get the nüvi® 2797LMT after reading a few reviews. This is a bit funny in that when it arrived at my door, I was shocked at the size of it. It is a 7" display, and it seemed larger in real life then it did off of eBay where I got it. With that added real estate, you do get a wider view. I couldn't be happier with it, as it does quite a lot compared to my older Garmin Nuvi. I also just ordered the Garmin Mechanic and ecoRoute HD module. This is a device that plugs into your vehicles diagnostic port and sends information to the GPS unit. .

Here is a review of the GPS unit.

http://gpstracklog.com/2013/04/garmin-nuvi-2797lmt-review.html

And information on the Garmin Mechanic and ecoRoute HD module.

http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/ecoroute-hd.html

[Jailbird]

Wow, that looks like a damn nice nav unit. The garmin my wife and I have is about 6 years old now so I've been looking to replace it. Please keep us posted on how this one is working for you.

[Chako]

So far loving it. It has voice command so I don't even have to touch the screen most of the times to make a selection. The big screen shows a lot more of your neighbourhood as you drive along. A neat feature, it tells you the next street before you get to it on the top in map mode. Lots of features I haven't seen yet, as it was my first day with it. I think I made the right decision in getting this monster. 

[Chako]

A little update.

The best thing I love about this unit so far is:
It turns on and off with your vehicle provided you leave it plugged into your 12V power adapter. It is basically plug and forget in this regard.

The worst thing I hate about this unit so far is:
Voice command is a bit wonky.You have to yell "VOICE COMMAND" for it to activate. I can usually get this command understood provided the radio is not on with any volume. It has difficulty differentiating my voice with that of the radio...no matter how loud I scream at it. Telling the unit to go into find address mode is an exercise in frustration. I can't get it to figure out my street no matter how I pronounce it. Faster just to type it in.

[Chako]

Another update.

I found out with some usage that I didn't have to switch the unit to map mode when I got into the vehicle. It automatically does this after a few seconds...about as long as it takes me to use my seatbelt. This is great, as I was certain I looked daft raising my voice to do so with voice activation mode. Now I don't have to tell it to switch to map mode.

So far, I like this GPS more as time goes on.

[Chako]

Well, I received and installed the Garmin Mechanic and ecoRoutee HD module. I installed it and after around a half minute to do the first handshake with the Garmin Nuvi, all is well.

The info is only a few taps away on the menu. So far, it seems very interesting. Not sure why I would want to know engine manifold pressure at the moment, but the info is nice to be sure. There are 5 gauges that you can customize with various different information readouts. After using this for a few days, it just hammers home that there are so many different sensors on a modern vehicle these days...it is nice to access the info whilst driving. So far, I am liking that I can monitor battery voltage in real time.

On the plus size, it will also tell you problem information on the GPS via diagnostics. Something I hope to not try out anytime soon. I bought a stand alone code reader for my Van that showed a check engine light for a few weeks. I couldn't figure it out. The unit told me that I had a faulty gas cap that was not properly sealing. Replaced the gas cap, and saved a bundle by not bringing it into the garage. It is nice to now have a built in dedicated unit mated to the GPS for these instances.

As for the ecoRoute HD part, well, that is a bit interesting and disheartening. You tell the unit your gas milage, gas price, and other parameters, and it will calculate how much it costs you to get there in real time. For instance, it cost me 23 cents to drive to work each day. The unit will also tell you when your saving on fuel by doing good driving habits. The unit also has an eco-game mode which I  haven't tried yet.

Personally, I like having all that info at your finger tips. Not so concerned about the eco info. One thing I did notice, when I have the info gauges up, when the unit auto powers down, it will splash your fuel cost info for a few seconds before shutting off.

all in all, not bad. An interesting toy to play around with. This will only work on Garmin units with built in Bluetooth.

Here is a video review to give you a better idea of the add-on.