Navigation - Garmin Zumo 660 vs. TomTom Urban Rider?

[MortiisMachine]

Hi,

After my Garmin Zumo 550 packed up I have been given a partial credit towards my new sat nav, I can choose between the Garmin Zumo 660 or the TomTom urban rider.

Any one have any experaince of these, in terms of cost the TomTom will cost me £50 and the Garmin will cost me £150.

 

[Koinz]

I have a 660 and I'm still getting used to it. I still have my streetpilot 2110, but I can't update the maps any more.

The 660 took me away from a destination once and I couldn't figure out why. After I re-entered the address it put me back on the right track. If I remember I had couple of stops to make, so I created a route from home to the forst address, then to the next and it got confused. I was about 5 miles away from the destination. Could've been a fluke though. It only happened once.

I'm afraid I don't have any experience with the Tom Tom, but from what I understand it comes down to the interface and how fast it responds to changes. The 660 is a lot faster than my 2110.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

I sold my Zumo 550 for a Zumo 660. Overall I probably liked the 550 better. The 660 is 100% touch screen. No physical buttons to change screens. Unlike the 550 that allows you to hit one button to return to the map, if you find yourself 4 screens away from the map you will need to go back through all 4 to see the map again. The 660 rearranges the screens so you need to do less page to page changes, and more things are consolidated on a single page. Such as the compass being on the same page as all the details of the trip (max speed, distance, time, ...). This consolidation makes everything smaller which makes them harder to read when you're over 45 years old and needing reading glasses. My main motivation to purchase the 660 was to get Speed Limit data. Unfortunately I've found that most of the roads I ride do not have this data. The speed limit coverage is very spotty. Also the limitation on 20 routes has been a pain at time which has required me to unload a few routes to add another. The 550 allow more routes to be saved. Another shock was the missing trip meter. This may have been taken care of in a recent update, but I'm not positive. Until now all it's had is a mileage meter for since the unit was new, but not one that is resettable for a long multi leg trip. (again, I may be out of date on this fact).

The 660 will sense if it is in a car cradle and as you if you want to switch to car mode. That's all fine, but it will not sense that it's back in your bike cradle and offer to switch you to bike. So you need to navigate to the tools page to set it back.

The benefits are more memory in general, so downloaded map updates actually fit in the unit. The unit has a bigger screen but is thinner than the 550. Less expensive extra batteries. Plus it is the up to date unit and more likely to be supported by Garmin longer than the 550. Some say it is faster than the 550, but I don't really notice it.

Knowing what I know now I do not think I would make the same decision. I would have kept me 550 and waited for Garmin's next generation after the 660. Fortunately I was able to sell the 550 for more than expected so the change did not cost me that much. But I miss the buttons of the 550.

Don't know anything about the TomTom. Good luck.

 

[colorider]

I sold my Zumo 550 for a Zumo 660. Overall I probably liked the 550 better.

Thanks for the excellent review as I have wondered at times if I should upgrade (??) to a 660. I've had my 550 about 3 1/2 years and still pretty happy with it overall. It took me a while to accept some of the differences from my previous 2610 (which I loved), but now, pretty content with the 550.

 

[Venture]

I personally feel the Garmin units in general are due for a major redesign. They need to focus on improving screen resolution and speed. After using Google Nav on my Droid I cringe when I have to use my Nuvi 550 to view my overall route. It's just terrible.

 

[ptfjjj]

I personally feel the Garmin units in general are due for a major redesign. They need to focus on improving screen resolution and speed. After using Google Nav on my Droid I cringe when I have to use my Nuvi 550 to view my overall route. It's just terrible.

Totally agree. That is why I plan to attempt to just use my phone for nav. I have a tank bag with a small map window and will just put my Galaxy S android phone in there when I anticipate the need for navigation. I have had several editions of phones that offer the google nav, but these new ones are much better than the old ones. The only drawback is that they have to be receiving a cellular network signal in order to navigate because they do not store maps. If you spend much time riding in no or low signal areas, this option will not work.

 

[jajpko]

I personally feel the Garmin units in general are due for a major redesign. They need to focus on improving screen resolution and speed. After using Google Nav on my Droid I cringe when I have to use my Nuvi 550 to view my overall route. It's just terrible.
[/quote?


What do you think of the possibility of Google coming to market with their own, full fledged gps?

 

[switchback]

Tom Tom Rider isn't even on the USA product page. No help over here.

 

[Venture]

What do you think of the possibility of Google coming to market with their own, full fledged gps?

I don't see that happening. I believe Google's niche is providing the platform (Android) and the service (Google Maps/Nav), and they are leaving it up to the hardware guys to leverage it in their devices.

I don't think we'll ever see a completely disconnected (no internet required) GPS with the Google maps on it. We may see devices that are better oriented for use as a GPS unit (waterproof, sunlight readable screen, etc) in the future, but I imagine they will require a wi-fi or 3g connection to operate.

 

[jajpko]

That's kinda what I was thinking, but it would be nice. To be a real usable gps, it needs to have sat. service. I have looked at many of the Garmins and cannot find one with all the things I want, and none of the things I don't. It seems like they think the more bells and whistles, the better it is.
I could go on, but it would just be a rant. ;D

 

[switchback]

I don't see that happening. I believe Google's niche is providing the platform (Android) and the service (Google Maps/Nav), and they are leaving it up to the hardware guys to leverage it in their devices.

I don't think we'll ever see a completely disconnected (no internet required) GPS with the Google maps on it. We may see devices that are better oriented for use as a GPS unit (waterproof, sunlight readable screen, etc) in the future, but I imagine they will require a wi-fi or 3g connection to operate.

While we may not see Google Maps on a GPS (really they use the same data sources, there is no authoritative Google data-set) we will see a better interface for routing eventually. The GPS standards have to know that sites like Google set the benchmark and the first company to provide that ease of use level will have the market. That said, GPS chips in mobile devises pretty much suck and wouldn't be very helpful in a tree canopy .

 

[tomatocity]

This is an old topic but there is good information.

I have had the zumo 550 for 5 years and decided to upgrade for the larger display. In the beginning I was was happy though the more I used it the less happy I became. The 660 is a zumo based on a nuvi and like Dirt Dad I miss the nuvi hardware. More than zumo vs nuvi or 550 vs 660 I am disappointed with Garmin software.

Garmin software... feel free to add
...is inaccurate
...difficult to download
...very long download times
...ho hum support
...based on right turns
...uses the name of the highway before the the number of the highway. ex: CA-1 / PCH has many names like Cabrillo Highway and many others. The software will display the name. I-5 is the same. This can be very disturbing if you are not familiar with the area or highway. This is just a small example.

Send your corrections or concerns to cartography@garmin.com .

Things I would like to see on a new zumo GPS is...
...5" display with better pixelation
...voice screen commands
...more map storage
...faster processor and refresh rate
...hardware buttons
...USB connection that is available without having to remove the battery plate
...USB slot that is easily accessible
...easy on and off mount that is lockable
...GPS tether included
...use of highway numbers and names
...directions based on left and right turns
...
...
...

 

[JHKolb]

This is an old topic but there is good information.

I have had the zumo 550 for 5 years and decided to upgrade for the larger display. In the beginning I was was happy though the more I used it the less happy I became. The 660 is a zumo based on a nuvi and like Dirt Dad I miss the nuvi hardware. More than zumo vs nuvi or 550 vs 660 I am disappointed with Garmin software.

Garmin software... feel free to add
...is inaccurate
...difficult to download
...very long download times
...ho hum support
...based on right turns
...uses the name of the highway before the the number of the highway. ex: CA-1 / PCH has many names like Cabrillo Highway and many others. The software will display the name. I-5 is the same. This can be very disturbing if you are not familiar with the area or highway. This is just a small example.

Send your corrections or concerns to cartography@garmin.com .

Things I would like to see on a new zumo GPS is...
...5" display with better pixelation
...voice screen commands
...more map storage
...faster processor and refresh rate
...hardware buttons
...USB connection that is available without having to remove the battery plate
...USB slot that is easily accessible
...easy on and off mount that is lockable
...GPS tether included
...use of highway numbers and names
...directions based on left and right turns
...
...
...

Interesting to know.

I have had my Zumo 550 for almost 5 years now and have been very happy with it. I have been thinking of 'upgrading' to the newer Zumo 660 but the more I hear from people using it the more I want to stay put with the 550! I may even update my maps on my 550 instead (which i have never done so far, still run the OE maps)

 

[Blue_eyes]

Before I bought the S10 Explorer Edition that comes with a Zumo 660, I used the TomTom....

In short: The TomTom is much more intuitive to use, better user interface, faster calculations, great product, but relatively small display and was not pre-designed to use planned routes. (The new Rider now is).

The Zumo 660 has buggy software, updating firmware and maps is risky and requires preparations and take a lot of time. Loading routes is cumbersome. The Zumo has a bigger display and has many features and a less intuitive interface that together with the sometimes buggy software give it a steep learning curve.

If you want ease of use the TomTom is the way to go. If you are computer savvy and like to tweak and experiment, the Zumo is a grateful victim.

 

[newventurer]

My comments refer to the Garmin 665, if this is not available in your market, please disregard.

One of the main reasons I bought this unit was the XM Radio, Nav Weather and Nav Traffic. Having real time weather radar is really nice on long rides. The nav traffic has given me a heads up a number of times about upcoming road delays and contruction before I could see them. I love having the XM radio and the ability to download books to the hard drive on the unit. Also the ability to synch the BlueTooth to my iPhone.

I guess it's obvious that all of the electronic features were just as important to me as the GPS functions, which I find to be better than adequate.

It is hard making a unit that can be all things in all circumstances but this comes the closest for me. I did recently order a SPOT so I have the ability to have the tracking feature while on the ride to Whitehorse this summer. It would be nice if the Garmin unit would incorporate this feature. BTW if anyone wants a SPOT (in the US) you can find the silver colored model at Best Buy for half the price of the orange one, go figure.

I also bought the unlimited map updates and have found it has paid for itself already with the recent update to the north american map.

I have used Mapquest to create my routes and download them to the Garmin which I found easier than working through the unit itself.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[spasm]

i have the zumo 550, i luv it but it has had repairs done twice because rain got inside it ::007:: the 1st one took 2 years, and the second ( replacement by garmin) broke down in 8 months. but it was repaired again free of charge. next time it packs up i might try something different ::008::

 

[big dave]

try the 220, it uses a waterproof mini usb power supply which overcomes the fragility of the older style power contacts.

BD

 

[Dirt_Dad]

try the 220, it uses a waterproof mini usb power supply which overcomes the fragility of the older style power contacts.

BD

I owned the Zumo 220 for 15 minutes before boxing it back up and sending it back. I actually bought it between the 550 and 660. I failed to understand that when it said bluetooth was "headset only" that it was saying it would not connect to a phone. I thought it meant you had to have a headset to hear the audio. As soon as I realized no phone I sent it back. I don't like using the phone when riding, and don't do it for more than a few seconds at a time, but the thought of not being able to use it when wearing my helmet is a non-starter.

 

[big dave]

each to their own

personally I have a huge no-no wrt to the use of a phone whilst either driving or riding even hands free

bd

 

[Tremor38]

each to their own

personally I have a huge no-no wrt to the use of a phone whilst either driving or riding even hands free

bd

I have a Japanese model that does everything but make coffee, but would you know it, it's also headset only. I have to problem with that though. All I wan't is to know when the phone is ring, so I'll make sure whatever headset I get can pair with more than one device...or get a BT hub.