You don't mention if the SD card slot is SD only (ie max capacity of around 2GB) or SDHC (4GB and beyond). When you have lots of music, podcasts and audiobooks the space soon fills up.

Fletch, what are your thoughts on the 7x5 series' less detailed (as in not as many roads, streets, etc. labeled) map screen compared to the 700 series? There's are threads about this floating around various GPS forums.

i have the 755 and prev had a 760. the features of the 755 are terrific. the only negs so far, i havent had a lane assist as of yet in the AZ area, also, when planning a route, if ou for whatever reason choose to "backtrack". the garmin will get to a via point, and isntead of listing the place name, it will say make a uturn. garmin says this is due to a software chg. hopefully fixed in an update

That feature should be improved via map updates, the firwst of which will be available this month. As a new owner, I'd seriously consider purchasing Garmin's Lifetime maps. Best way to keep improving the Lane Assist at a very cheap $120 to get all the quarterly updates you want.

Lane assist is part of the map package. Update maps and get updated lane assist views. The Lifetime Maps program is just that. $120 for the life of the device, all the quarterly updates you choose at no additional charge. . . ever.

Dang good deal IMO. Especially compared to the standard price of a single map for the TomTom 730 or 930. Each TT map update is currently $130 a pop.

Great review!

You said: "Garmin's version is the best implementation I've seen yet"

However with very few intersections actually covered, the average user may never see the pretty graphics.

From what I've seen/read Navigon products do a MUCH better job as far as completeness of this lane information. Which means that while it may not be as pretty, lane assistance still beats no lane assistance.

Is the POI database updatable? I have a Nuvi 350 and literally 50% of my destinations end up with the store or restaurant being closed. It's completely unacceptable I have refuse to buy another GPS until this is a feature.

There's lots of poi files available around the web. One of the best sources is poi-factory.com. The Garmin included poi's are updated with each map release. New map=updated poi's.

I am confused about bluetooth in this model, according to comparison earlier in the article it says no bluetooth but in the pictures there is a bluetooth icon, what gives?

FEATURE LACKING IN ALL GARMIN GPS units: None of them will list your favorites automatically in alphabetical order. Imagine that problem on your cell phone--you'd get a different brand. Unfortunately, Garmin is the only gps with the most user friendly features. The only way addresses can be in alphabetical order is by entering a list of them in ascending order. In other words, from Z to A.
I suggested to a Garmin Tech person that they should update the software downloads to make that available. Or, at least have it in new units. Response was they never thought of it before and why should they add that feature. I said the only one that would make sense to them: you can make money on that feature; although, some competitors offer it already.
My second suggestion was to include the choice of a loud bell sounding when to turn or speak name of street (present method). As I wrote in my comment to the review of the Garmin 205,
I'd rather have a loud bell sound when to turn. There is no confusion of names when you have the radio on. And, I'm not interested in the names of streets that I may never travel on again. Quite often there is no street sign where you are turning.

You are correct Fletch. I forgot to mention that the Nuvi gps sorts by distance from where you are. The Z to A method was suggested by the Garmin tech person. Goes to show that they don't know everything.
By the way, Big Lots sells an AC 110--220 Volt to 12 Volt converter/charger for $3.00. Works fine with any GPS or cell phone to charge it at home or when traveling, even overseas. Just plug your 12 volt car charger into it and plug unit into wall outlet. Even without a LED light, it is a great deal. It is sold under the Wireless Gear name and has a lifetime warranty. Model 3DC7003. U.P.C. 6-80988-22003-6. Mfg by ESI Cases & Accessories, 240 Madison Ave., NY NY 10016. Their tech support# 212-883-8838.

New firmware v3.00 is out.

What's up with the woodshed in the pics? I can hear banjos. Also, could you vacuum out the cookie crumbs in the nooks and crannies of your stick shift console before you take a picture of it? What kind of car is that? An Audi? Buy American! I love GPSmagazine.com!

* Added support for new MSN features - Weather Radar and Alerts, Send Routes to GPS, and Flight Delay Status.
* Added support for ecoRoute features.
* Corrected VIB support.
* Updated to support new Audible book format.
* Avoid Highway option now avoids limited access roads over long distances.
* Adjust FM transmitter performance for Europe.
* Corrected several issues with Language Guide support.
* Enhanced A2DP (Stereo Bluetooth) support.
* Added AVRCP (Bluetooth Audio Remote Control) support.
* Added 3 way calling support.
* Decrease traffic delay automatic recalculation threshold.

I live in the desert and it gets very, very hot here in the summer. If I leave my new 765t in the car during the summer, will the rubberized paint melt?

Well the 765t just came out. Mine hasn't experienced the desert summer yet since I got it in December.

We'll see how it does. I always leave my Nuvi 760 and StreetPilot c580 in my cars during the summer (covered up of course) and haven't had any problems with them.

One more thing I forgot to mention in my last comment. In the review you mentioned that lane assist knows what lane you are in and will direct you to the correct one. This is unfortunately not true, although with the interface I can see where it would appear that way.

The system will simply show the arrow going to the appropriate direction based on which lane you should go to.

Unfortunately the resolution of GPS devices currently isn't good enough to determine which of two parallel lanes you are currently in.

Hi!

Silly question, but is it possible to use portable mini speakers to be used though the headphone jack? What would the sound quality be like? I am interested in the nuvi 755 but it seems to much of a hassle to use the FM transmitter.

Hi!

Silly question, but is it possible to use portable mini speakers to be used though the headphone jack? What would the sound quality be like? I am interested in the nuvi 755 but it seems to much of a hassle to use the FM transmitter.

Fletch,

Please clarify something for me. Your Garmin nuvi 700 series comparison matrix (included in your nuvi 755t review)identifies that the nuvi 775t is the only one that "includes" or can "upload" European maps? My wife and I travel frequently between the USA and Spain, and we would like a version that we can use in both locations. Can the 755t upload European maps? If so, what are the associated costs? We don't need the Bluetooth feature on the 775t, and we'd hate to pay the extra money if it's not necessary. Thank you for your assistance.

Mike

I am reading both pro and con on the sound loudness and quality for the 755. I have some hearing loss but without my radio on I can hear pretty well. Can anyone clarify this issue? Is this something that can be addressed in a software update or other mean. One thing I do need is sufficient volume adjustment and excellent sound quality.

I have one of the really older Garmin GPS with a motorcycle mount that has worked well for a good long while. I want to upgrade. Any chance I can find an after market motorcycle mount for one of your 7x5 Garmin models? Please give me a steer if they are available.

I just purchased the Nuvi 755t. Is there a way to display the pre-loaded POIs on the map as you are driving? TomTom offers this and it's very nice to see POIs as you are driving.

hi, a silly question, do i need to turn on my raido in order to use the traffic alert feature? if yes, which channel i am supposed to use? can i listen AM radio channel while the 775 unit can still give me the traffic alert? thanks

hi 775 onwers, can POI icons be shown on the map? does the unit tell you your destination to be on your left or right side when you arrive? and does the unit give you a ding-dong sound when you are approaching to next turn? thanks

Stop leaving your GPS navigator in the car. If the thieves see any sign that you have one, then they break in and look for it. For example if they see a suction cup mark on the windsheild. A power cable etc. Not worth taking a chance. Thousands of them have been stolen when they have been hidden. I've written too many reports on the hidden ones being stolen.

Hello,
With my Nuvi 750 I did not have a problem with inputting addresses or searching for poi etc. With the 755T, I find if I type a letter or a number, it somtimes give me a different character which are not even close to what was typed. Sometimes strolling through the poi using the down arrow it automatically goes to the screen that says GO. I have read in your review that the on-screen keyboard is "typo-prone" Is there a fix? I have calibrated it several times and its the same problem. I have this unit for 2 weeks now.

Sounds as tho that one needs to be exchanged.

how hard is it to make your own custom route?

When in the car and hooked to the power cable, does the 755t use battery power until it's drained and then switch to the power provided by the car battery? My unit is brand new and the unit said that the battery was low, even though it was hooked to the power cord. Just a little curious about this. Any thoughts on this?

When in the car and hooked to the power cable, does the 755t use battery power until it's drained and then switch to the power provided by the car battery? My unit is brand new and the unit said that the battery was low, even though it was hooked to the power cord. Just a little curious about this. Any thoughts on this?

I bought a new Garmin 755T and was generally satisfied with it. Then five weeks later it died. Turns out there was a firmware problem wth the device. Garmin offered to fix it if I would ship it to them at my own expense, although it would take two weeks for them to do so, because athe whole line of Nuvi 7x5 models have this problem and they have been dying like flies.

Garmin should take responsibility for this defect in their GPS and ship new modles to their customers who have purchased this series of GPS with a free return lable so we can ship the defective units back!

I am very disappointed in the lax way in which Garmin has responded to this issue!

Can anyone clarify something about the traffic function on a Nuvi 755T . . . is this function always ON, or is it just always AVAILABLE if you select the Enable Traffic choice and the unit is plugged into the combined car power cord/traffic receiver? I won't often need traffic info, and when I don't need it I'd also like to avoid the advertising that supports the lifetime subscription.

Hi -
I am trying to see turn by turn directions as a preview without actually having satellite connection - is there any way to get those? I can custom-map the itinerary but so far have onlu managed to get a map preview - not any turn by turn preview.
Thanks!
Sven

Is there any difference between the 755T and the 765T other than the Bluetooth? Is the 755T a better unit? Seems that the 755T is rated higher than the 765T but that could be because the Bluetooth is not as good as it can be.

Robby

I have a 755T. The original map was a 2009 North America. The Lane Assist feature displayed on certain highways as advertised by Garmin. When I upgraded to the new 2010 map the same intersections that displayed the Lane assist are no longer displayed. Fortunetly I managed to save my 2009 Map program and reinstalled it back in my GPS and the Lane assist was back on the same intersections.

My question is did Garmin release the 2010 mapping and forgot about the Lane Assist feature or is there another or different mapping for the 755T unit? My GPS does show the lane assist on the main screen but it will not display the junction view. I hate to pay money for mapping and then not get what I am suppose to have.

I got mine for Fathers Day 2009 and it works great! It names the street you need to turn on, not just "take next right". I connected it to an external antenna and it finds satellites very quickly. It took me a little time to learn how to save music on it but once I learned how, I gave my old MP3 player to my wife and now I use the Garmin! If you're only going to use the MP3 player (with FM transmitter) you may want to figure out how to keep the unit from interrupting with directions.

My first trip was from NW Arkansas to Myrtle Beach. It was invaluable there because the streets are kind of confusing to a new-comer.

The biggest weakness is that it calculates the fastest route by figuring that you will drive the speed limit. Not so hot when you're in traffic. You can always figure alternate routes, though. Once it had trouble finding satellites and didn't know where I was. I was on the freeway and it thought I was on a cul-de-sac somewhere.

2 questions. I just had a Nuvi 360 stolen and want to replace. Is the 755T a reasonable replacement. Priced very similar to what I paid for the 360.

Has anyone used the 755T USB adapter with a Synch system on a Ford? My 360 worked great and eliminated the need for FM transmitter. Will the 755T work the same?

thanks a lot.

2 questions. I just had a Nuvi 360 stolen and want to replace. Is the 755T a reasonable replacement. Priced very similar to what I paid for the 360.

Has anyone used the 755T USB adapter with a Synch system on a Ford? My 360 worked great and eliminated the need for FM transmitter. Will the 755T work the same?

thanks a lot.

Aside from the price and the Bluetooth on the Nuvi 765T, is there any other differences between the 755T and the 765T? Why? I have a 755T and it’s VERY TYPO-PRONE and I am getting really tired of it. I have no use for Bluetooth (yet) but to get rid of this annoyance, I think that will be the way to go. I have re-calibrated this unit several times but to no avail. This is my second 755T. I have read your reviews on this unit but I have not seen anything about a fix. Is there a fix?

I have read a few different reviews on this unit and am curious why no one has mentioned the routing feature on it yet. It does have it doesn't it? Where you can program a route with up to ten stops? I am just curios if this is just not interesting enough to write about or if Garmin's site is wrong and the unit doesn't actually have this feature?

Also I would like to know if there is a way to turn off the 3D buildings? I think they would be more of an annoyance then they would be of use.

Thanks,

Petaris

I am considering this 755T and the Magellan Roadmate 1470. Based on both of the reviews, it is becoming a difficult decision. I like the features of the Magellan better, especially being able to select No Interstates; but the Garmin would seem to be the better over-all GPS -- especially the Map Screen.

My main question that would help in this buying decision is this: Is there any way to have the Garmin select a route that is Not Interstates -- in other words, using back road highways? If so, how can this feature be implemented.

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Jim

Fletch,

You say: "the nüvi 755T's fatally underpowered FM transmitter remains totally inadequate." Since my new van does not have a cassette player, I can not use a cassette adapter to transmit the GPS sound through my audio system.

Can I use a cable plugged into the GPS audio jack and the other end of the cable into the car's audio system's AUX for an MP3 player to have GPS sound through my audio system?

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

My 3 year old Mio GPS burned out in July 2009, so after doing homework which included this comments section, I bought a Garmin 755t. I'm not only very happy with it, but after 3 months of use, I still think it's heads and tails above anything Garmin has introduced since.

I do have some minor nits to pick. Here's one: Often, after pressing "Go," my unit often will not start navigating. I go back and re-select the destination, and it runs fine. Is this a characteristic of this model, or is mine an anomaly that should be returned to Garmin?

I have one complaint about an interface downgrade.

On my nuvi 360, when I choose "3D map view", there's a north arrow on the left column of the map display. Your screenshots show no such thing. I can't imagine it takes much compute time to figure out which direction you're going or rendering that arrow.

Is there any way I can get a north arrow on the map page?

-dk

After about 9 mos. and 6K miles I find the 755T a neat gadget but just above the toy level. Traffic info has never been accurate except for the 99% of time when the roads are open. Lane assist is very rare and unpredictable. Uses street names rather than route names so that now I am wondering is this some back street short cut or the highway I and trying to stay on. When twoing a travel trailer this if very important. The data base has many omissions for every category.

With that said it is cute, but keep your maps and use them. Also be willing to follow your common sense.

I have owned the Nuvi 755 for about one month now, used extensively over 3 states. It is a good GPS - very quick to refresh, bright screen, very quick to find a new route if you take a wrong turn, pan & zooming are easy. I have not used the traffic info. Not so good - the 755 FREQUENTLY returns the wrong button despite what you actually hit, after arriving in a new location far from the previous time the unit was turned on it can be 5 minutes + before it finds itself, and finding a POI when you do not know the name of the business nor its address can be difficult and impossible if more than about 5-6 miles from your current location. However, the suction cup for attaching to your windshield is the best darn suction cup anywhere!

Three questions:

1. Can the 755t export and import gpx track files? I use these regularly to upload to gpsvisualizer.com. I also want to import gpx files so that I can follow routes published by others. Also can it export personal waypoints to the computer?

2. What exactly does Garmin WebUpdater do? It says that it updates the software on the unit but does it also give map corrections, POI changes, new lane guidance information, etc?

3. Can you buy the Garmin European map set and load it onto the 755t?

I am am looking for an auto GPS that can also be used passively to identify location, local streets and POIs. I am planning a canal trip and would like access to that information as I travel along the waterway. Will the 755T work for me?

This is my first GPS purchase and only GPS I have ever used. After doing research, especially with GPSMagazine.com, and talking with friends who own a Garmin, I decided on buying the 755T. I didn’t need Bluetooth of the 765. My first trip with this GPS was almost 2000 miles on interstates, then state highways and rural roads to give it a good run-through. I will give my Pros and Cons and then a final summary.

PROS
1) A 4.3” screen is just right and when leaving the car it is small enough to put in my shirt pocket. I found no wash-out and the switch to night screen it great -- especially since all screens have that feature. As for wash-out, when I first turned on the unit outside my house to acquire a signal for my Home location, I could not see anything. I discovered that by going to Tools - Settings - Display and then press Restore I then had no wash-out. I bought this GPS new from Amazon so I assume this may be something that must be done first. The speaker’s volume is plenty loud and I am hard-of-hearing -- mostly in my left ear.
2) Menu system is easy and intuitive. Sometimes when entering information on the keyboard the wrong letter displays. I like that it allows a QWERTY keyboard layout.
3) Avoidances must be done for the entire route. If planning a long trip, this may not be very helpful as a Magellan GPS apparently can do. However, my wife and I enjoy getting off of the interstates as much as possible and we plan our trips in general destinations. We may change our route nightly, depending on what may be available to see; so routing nightly with this GPS is fine -- as I did on this trip.
4) POI using the spelling feature is very accurate. I used it to find the name of a restaurant that wasn’t listed under the Food category.
5) The cable connect to the holder is the best design for a GPS.
5) Garmin has wonderful on-line tech support. I e-mailed them twice before buying and received answers within 24 hours with the correct information. Then after I bought the unit I did the map updates, the download went perfect to my computer, but the installation didn’t work. I e-mailed tech support on the weekend (they don’t answer on weekends but they did reply on Sunday) and their procedure was correct. I sent them a thank you reply to that e-mail with a follow-up question and that was answered within 12 hours.

CONS
1) On a road that dead-ends and then continues later, such as in a subdivision, the unit wants to route to that road even though there is nowhere to go and it doesn’t re-route to get to the desired section of that road. This happens in my subdivision and also happened on my trip. Take along a paper road map as a back-up. This could be frustrating if traveling at night.
2) TMC Traffic Information is a hit-and-miss. On my trip, two occurrences were incorrect. While traveling on I-75 through Lexington, KY, it displayed Red but the traffic was normal speed in both directions. Then on I-75 in Cincinnati, OH when the traffic was bumper-to-bumper, it displayed Green. Maybe this technology will improve. The free ads are unobtrusive and only appear when stopped. I didn’t use the coupons, but maybe someday I will.
3) Lane Assist isn’t really needed but a neat visual. When it did display, it only lasted 10 seconds -- not too helpful. The Next Turn icon is very accurate along with the Turn List at the top of the screen.
4) The GPS mph icon doesn’t always match with the posted road mph sign. This is especially important where a city may have a speed trap. How many times have you traveled a state highway at 55 mph, then in 20 yards it drops to 45 mph, and then in another 20 yards or less down to 35 mph? The GPS just doesn’t catch up and if you rely on the icon instead of the posted sign -- be careful! Also, I have experienced times when traveling at 70 mph on the interstate, it drops to a lower speed for about five miles or more, and then goes back to 70 -- and the GPS icon never changed from the original 70 mph.
5) The GPS speed you are suppose to be traveling icon is actually 2 mph slower than my odometer reading. My tires are properly inflated.
6) When routing from one point to another on rural and state roads and I know the quicker route, the GPS routed me 20 miles longer on rural and state roads. I couldn’t figure that one out since I selected the Avoidances to match my desired roads.

FINAL THOUGHTS
The main question is: Would I purchase this same unit again? Yes! I do hope that the Traffic Information feature improves, but I bought this unit for the long term. However, I probably would have been just as pleased with my second choice which was the Garmin Nuvi 255W. It is more of a basic unit and costs less and would have served my routing needs for the trip I took and for future trips. If you don’t need Bluetooth, Traffic Information to avoid slow traffic, and Lane Assist; get the 255W. However, if you think that Traffic Information will improve in the future and you travel in cities that possibly can detect Lane Assist often and for longer display times -- this is the GPS for you. If you need all the 755T’s features and desire Bluetooth, get the 765.
I don’t use the windshield mount but bought a bean-bag unit for the dash and it works great. I bought an almost hard shell case with cable storage and this is something worth considering.

I'm new to GPS units and am interested in purchasing the 755T. I didn't see any mention of the voices available to tell you when to turn, etc. Would that be under tools? I've got a friend who chose an Australian accent and has fun with that. But the main thing is there a voice that gives you upcoming directions?

Thanks.

Jeff