Features:

  • Easy-to-use 6. 95” GPS navigator
  • Simple menus and bright, easy-to-see maps
  • Garmin Traffic suggests alternate routes
  • Voice-activated and ability to pair with a compatible smartphone for hands-free calling
  • HISTORY network of notable historic sites and U. S. national parks directory
  • Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity for map and software updates without a computer
mostly great

The voice command is finicky

Great GPS loaded with useful features

This Garmin 65 is a great upgrade from my aging Garmin 1450. My old Garmin was hard to see in bright sun, search was difficult to useless and the "recalculating" voice was very annoying. My new Garmin has a bright, clear display in any light. I use a CD mount and the 7 inch display does not block my car info/camera display. Basic voice commands like change volume, go to a saved favorite, view upcoming turns, etc. work well as long as I turn down the radio volume. Voice search commands are a little hit or miss. However, I do appreciate that it includes Trip Advisor ratings in the search results. I also like having the ability to modify my route to avoid areas I know to be congested. And if I decide to take a different street than Garmin suggested, it just updates the route without the annoying "recalculating" voice. Turn instructions are much descriptive than before with "turn right at the traffic light" or "turn left at the stop sign". I highly recommend this model and am very glad I went with the larger screen.

One great item to buy plus Garmin back up camera

I had a 5” Nubia 3597 sold it and bought this one 6.9” and installed a backup camera from Garmin BC 30 wireless cam and it works great plus this Garmin is great I just love it . Read about it many other options . Very highly recommended. A must have .

GPS UNIT Garmin 55

Has lots of features - manual is built in to a program on the unit so if you even need to find "how to do some thing " it's e-z to find . have not used "voice command yet " but believe it will work well. ! so far great unit..

Great To Have A Stand-alone Navigator Again; This One Delivers!!!

I purchased the DriveSmart 65 after going from a Garmin Nuvi to using just a cellphone as my primary navigation tool. The cellphone navigation systems are great, but I found myself missing the convenience of standalone navigation units. Specifically, I didn’t like the following aspects of navigation with a cellphone: 1) Not being able to easily see the navigation apps when manually using the phone for a phone call. 2) Lack of navigation when without cellular coverage; such as when in the backcountry of the Rocky Mountains...unless you pre downloaded offline maps with Google Maps, or used a different app. 3) The offline maps for Google never seemed to work right for me, there seemed to always be a problem with resolution that I could not resolve despite multiple attempts. Additionally, I could not get offline mode to always work in general. I tried some of the other free offline navigation apps, but they seemed to be behind in updates, and did not seemed refined, leaving me with a slight but ever present apprehension in my mind. 4) I did not like the small screen size when in portrait mode, despite having an iPhone Plus. 5) Whenever I needed to do something with my cellphone, such as use an app, the navigation app had to run in the background and inherently not visible to view. 6) I missed all the readily visible trip info functions that the Garmin vehicle navigators offered; such as elevation, time remaining until destination, arrival time, and total miles until destination, etc. (The app navigators had similar trip info but was not easily visible like the Garmin). I chose the DriveSmart 65 because it was only incrementally more expensive than the 55, and the extras screen real estate was worth the few extra bucks for me. HARDWARE: The screen beautiful! Great resolution and bright. (I keep the brightness turned up all the way). The 6.9 inch is the perfect size for me since I like to have all of the trip data functions showing on the screen at all times while allowing for ample space for the map/navigation which is the most important part. The screen seems to be made of glass, and hopefully scratch resistant as glass should be, but I’m not sure. There is minimal bezel in the frame which adds to visual appeal but makes accidental touches easy when trying to adjust the postition/angle of the unit on the mount. The screen is responsive to touch and there is little lag navigating through the menus, as it should be for a device at this price point. Speaker is loud and clear, even with my poor hearing. I do not know what processor is in the unit, but hopefully it is an upgrade from last year’s model. I figure it is smart to get the best hardware within your means, especially if you plan on keeping the device for several years, to ensure it will be able to effectively run the software updates. I do not like how the power cord plugs into the back of the device, as all the Garmins do. It would be nice if it plugged into the side or bottom, because having a power cord sticking out the back is inhibitive to custom mounting the device flat up against something or laying it on its back when updating software or working with it on a desk. The mount is standard Garmin, which works OK for mounting on a window, but in my experience always seems to eventually lose it suction ability and falls off the windshield. For this reason I purchased one of Garmin’s friction dash mounts which seems to work ok for now. Battery is rated at 1 hour, but I have not had it disconnected from a power source for that long when using it so I cannot state my findings. SOFTWARE: Very effective and easy to use. It seems that Garmin’s years of production in this industry has allowed time for working out most bugs. The high detail map option provides a lot of detail as the name implies, and the topographic-like map is helpful in keeping the user oriented from a geographical perspective. There is a zoom in/out capability on the map like all Garmins have, but unfortunately when zooming out with the intention to use it that way indefinitely, the unit will automatically zoom you back in to the default setting, as if it does not really want you to have full reign on the feature. Tou can sync your phone to the unit with Bluetooth, allowing you to have phone notifications for email/text/etc to show on the Garmin. Additionally the device shows weather and allows the option to make and receive phone calls when synced to your phone, for those that may need such a feature. The unit has WiFi capability for updating software and maps without the need for a computer. However after attempting to update the maps 4 times through this manner, I got error an error code each time and the the device aborted the process. Perhaps it is because my internet connection is not super-high-speed but In not sure. It will be nice to see if many other people have the same issue. Regardless, the maps will have to be updated via syncing with a PC. CONCLUSION: The device delivers good performance as expected from Garmin. Accurate navigation and excellent native route planning. Screen is excellent, bright and high resolution for a navigator. Size is right in the sweet-spot. Price is a lot more than the lower end Garmins, and I am not convinced that the features this unit offers are practical enough to justify the higher cost. Considering the screen and great performance, if the processor is better than what is found in last year’s model, this is a good value. VERDICT: Nice to have a stand-alone navigator again and don’t have to use my phone as my main navigation. Happy with the purchase despite the matters I mentioned above. Would buy again, and recommend this to anyone looking for a great stand alone navigator.

Wifi up date as needed,

like the go fish, finds what I'm looking for , also have the RV GPS,

Garmin rules!

Haven't used voice recog yet (and prob won't) but so far it works fine.

Great device

Used several different Garmin GPS. This one has a very clean look. Slim and not heavy. The device graphics are sharp and very clear. The font size is slightly larger than the older ones which for this senior is very appreciated. Really like it.

Excellent, bright screen. A bit large. Great options. Very nice

I've owned Garmin GPSs for years and years. Sure I use the built in car system, Waze, other options on a phone. But there really is nothing like a stand-a-lone unit. This is in some ways not a lot more than the previous generation, but in other ways there is. This one, the 6.95" screen is easy to read. It may actually be a bit too big. But it does not feel heavy or bulky like other similar ones I had bought over the years. I thought it was lighter than the Garmin DriveLuxe 51 it is replacing. So I put them both on the scale and it weighs a few ounces MORE than the 51. You could have fooled me. It doesn't feel heavy at all. It was easy to set up and transfer my favorites/saved destinations, register it and get going. I did notice that it is capturing some Galileo satellites. They are a new GPS satellite system sent up by the European Union a few years ago. Nice to have more coverage. The maps are easy to follow and the directions are as usual great....turn right at the traffic light, for instance. You can choose from multiple routes. Though you really don't know which might be better from a map line if you are not familiar with the area. Looking up places like Costco, CVS, other brand names/non-brand names is great and easy. They have improved the search options. One of the things I have never liked is that when they upgrade the user interface on a new unit it doesn't go backwards so you can't benefit from the new changes. I am using the DriveSmart app that is only available for this unit and the 55 unit. It ties into your phone and gives you traffic, live photos, weather, etc. The unit comes with free traffic but the phone app is updated more often and more reliable. I've used traffic on the Garmins and if you are out of range in reception, it's not helping. With the phone you have more reliability. The one thing I don't particularly like is that the power cable goes into the back of the GPS. Garmin had gotten away from that and had the power going into the mount. It was so much more convenient. The mount is also a bit different too. I am using a dash mount that I can position on my dashboard. I tried the window mount but it was a bit large and took up valuable window space. While bigger (you can get the smaller version) I do like how much detail you get and how easy it is to follow. And it is not bulky at all. Very nice and crisp. The 3D images do help you navigate and know where you are at. If you want a very nice, reliable and self-contained unit this is a great choice. The phone ones are fine, but these add a layer of certainty when you are traveling in unfamiliar areas.

Great Garmin

Pros: Garmin Drivesmart 65 is a great unit, nice large screen, easy to use, voice controls, what's not to like. I have my Garmin camera also hooked to unit and works great. Con's: Would love the option to have a speech button on map screen while driving.

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