A good navigation system enables you to travel safely, avoid traffic and en route a better driving. Navigation systems for your car are a-guide-to-safe-journey, apparently because it isn’t fascinating to get lost like Alice in Wonderland! A GPS navigation device consists of global positioning system (or GPS) receiver that picks up satellite signals to determine your exact position. That concludes GPS is your Jeanie that helps you get from point A to B without draining a lot of gas. You don’t have to keep looking at the system and dash into another car-the device speaks! In simple words, a loudspeaker for verbal instructions.
But the point arises, do you need a dedicated GPS screen on your car dashboard, or is a Smartphone app smart enough to guide you?
Let’s see a few options to buy the best navigation systems or either download them on your smart phones.
Garmin Drive 51 LMT-S
While car navigation systems could cost you a fortune, Garmin Drive 51 LMT-S is slightly affordable with key skills of being user-friendly. It costs about 170$ with a bit discount if bought from the company. The Bluetooth device when connected to its smartphone app gives daily weather and traffic updates, parking prices and availability in the cities and a lot more. The device has a guide to driver alerts that include alerts in traffic, red signals, school zones, upcoming speed changes and speed cameras. With this tool in the car, you sure can never drive wrong way as it alerts you of the same! This is the best pick with all essential features with extra skills. Another device following the series is Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S with a more beautiful display and voice control yet a runner-up to the previous one. Garmin Nuvi 55LM GPS Navigation System with Lifetime Maps (Black) is the latest best model.
TomTom Go 50 S
If you’re looking for a primary GPS device to get from a place to another, shedding bare minimum from your pocket, TomTom Go 50 S is just the right device. It is way cheaper than the Garmin models but isn’t driver-friendly either. It comes with free lifetime map and traffic updates if connected to its smartphone app. The Go 50 S also provides twice the battery life of the Garmin Drive 51 LMT-S, but the features are not as efficient as Garmin models. The voice directions do not specify identifiable landmarks like the Garmin models, but you can make it out by the 3D display on the screen.
Magellan RoadMate 9612T-LM
The Magellan RoadMate 9612T-LM is one of the most extensive GPS systems for cars. GPs systems could have tiny texts giving a hard time to the weak eye-sight. This model has come to your rescue now with a seven-inch screen. The device provides you speed limit warnings, parking advice, notifications of traffic cams and red lights with PhantomALERT and lifetime free map updates. The benefit that the model doesn’t give you is that it comes with no voice recognition and has poor battery life. So, you ought to have a free charging point always and keep a reader in the passenger seat!
Along with these tech-savvy navigation systems, you can also look forward to using few Smartphone apps that won’t cost you at all yet provide the primary guide to a safe journey.
Waze
This app gives you full features like an expensive navigation system. It has an extra affinity towards the traffic alerts department. It displays a 3D design of any accidents, hazards or road closure in the vicinity. Red lines indicate how long has the traffic extended and the app gives you an alternate traffic-free route to your destination. You can also report any traffic for other Waze users. This app is by far the best in use for the daily office commute, free for Android and IOS users. The app, however, does not have any offline map feature and is strictly limited to driving routes, not for cycles.
Komoot
Komoot is a German startup navigation app that covers an exhaustive range of North American bike paths and mountain trails with offline topographic maps. You can check for any short-distance hiking and biking routes near you. It’s great to be out of radio contact yet not lost since you have Komoot’s offline maps and direction handy! The app features various factors of a trip like the elevation, surface, difficulty of climbing, etc. and keeps you informed of the distance covered and the length remaining. The first map with voice directions is free while the rest cost you about 30$ for All-Regions package with free updates. The amount is bearable if compared to that of the terrible car navigation systems.
Apart from these apps, google maps are always helpful when it comes to the basic tour guide. You can save maps for offline use, complete with voice directions. Maps expire after 30 days, though, so you’ll need to make sure you’ve refreshed your maps if you’re going to be without cell service. The turn-by-turn directions are well-timed, while the search function is top-notch, with auto-suggestions and predictions based on past searches. It assists you with everything – an all-rounder navigation system.
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