Review on 🚗 Garmin Drive 50 USA LM GPS Navigator System: Lifetime Maps, Turn-By-Turn Directions, Driver Alerts & More! by Charles Phillips

Garmin Drive 50 USA LM I bought this GPS unit to backup Google Maps on my Nexus 5 for an overland trip from Illinois to California. Surprisingly, by the end of the trip, I was using a Garmin about 99% of the time. I compare this device to Google Maps, which I use 99% of the time. Reasons I like it more than Google Maps: 1. The split screen was really informative, especially with large lane directions in unfamiliar areas and upcoming stops displayed alongside the map without having to navigate away from the live map. This may not be a problem on long stretches of road, but in the city, for example, the ability to display important stops such as gas stations, food and rest areas without the risk of getting off the map and losing a turn.2. The "next" information was probably the most useful feature for me as these are the three most important things during a long journey viz. Food, fuel and recreation areas are very conveniently displayed next to the map. This allowed me to fill up at the nearest gas station when the nearest one (the distance of which was also shown as part of the information below) was supposed to be 100 miles away. This has saved me from running out of fuel in the middle of the AZ/NM/NV.3 zone a few times. The current speed limit was very helpful and I found it was about 100 meters from the posted signs (i.e. it took the GPS about 100 meters to catch up with the posted speed limit signs). It's better than google maps which don't have that kind of information at all.4. Offline Navigation! This alone was the main reason I went with a dedicated GPS navigator and I was not disappointed! I shudder to think of the lack of navigation in downtown Arizona/Utah due to the lack of phone service. Use this GPS for all my long distance trips with my phone (and keep my phone plugged into the charger at all times). But for city navigation, I still prefer Google Maps/Waze for near-instant traffic-based navigation.