New Garmin Zumo XT Review - Updated

[Pappy35]

Great video series. Thanks!

Having a good, clear how to that's not cluttered with either too much detail or too much 'other' stuff (like incessantly pitching your maintenance video series) makes all the difference in actually getting a grasp of what is generally a terrible program. Maybe not terrible but certainly out of date. Basecamp reminds me of the state of GUI development in the mid-90's and the horrors of Windows 98!

The most enlightening thing I learned? That the key to making Basecamp usable was installing the detailed maps from the XT into Basecamp (for free).

The guy in that video series must have worked in high school educational video production at some point. He's got 'the Voice." Soothing but not hypnotizing.

 

[Ledwardio]

I think I’m starting to regret upgrading to the XT, it’s just so frustrating and random

Anyone have any thoughts why it would add this bizarre loop between these 2 waypoints?

 

[Marc11]

I think I’m starting to regret upgrading to the XT, it’s just so frustrating and random

Anyone have any thoughts why it would add this bizarre loop between these 2 waypoints?

View attachment 7280

Did you build this route or just tell the XT to route from one point to the other? If this was an imported GPX, then I'd start with your source file.

 

[Pappy35]

I think I’m starting to regret upgrading to the XT, it’s just so frustrating and random

Anyone have any thoughts why it would add this bizarre loop between these 2 waypoints?

If you used the built in "route planner," that's your problem. I simply could not get that to work and, though I still gave it vey high marks, this is huge black eye and needs to be fixed. It's like the coders at Garmin never actually tried to use that feature and just called it a day the first time they compiled it.

 

[Auburn]

I think I’m starting to regret upgrading to the XT, it’s just so frustrating and random

Anyone have any thoughts why it would add this bizarre loop between these 2 waypoints?

Look at your avoidances and preference set ups for the XT.

 

[Ledwardio]

It's a route brought in from Basecamp, eventually - the XT will still only occasionally connect to Basecamp on my Mac even with Express closed. I tried exporting and uploading via Garmin Explore but some of the shaping points did not transfer, so I copied the exported gpx to the unit and this is what it previews through route planner, which is the only way to get it to follow a route as far as I can see.

The route is only small, about 120 miles so not exactly pushing it. You can view it (temporarily here:
https://www.gpsvisualizer.com/display/20210810025638-67156-map.html

There are no avoidances or preferences that I can see which will make it turn off a tarmac road and go down a single track, turn around and come back out?

This is a future trip so I have the luxury of reviewing it and now knowing that I don't make that turn, especially with 6 people following me In a Rally scenario you've got to trust it the unit bit more, something I'm finding hard to do

 

[Auburn]

It's a route brought in from Basecamp, eventually - the XT will still only occasionally connect to Basecamp on my Mac even with Express closed. I tried exporting and uploading via Garmin Explore but some of the shaping points did not transfer, so I copied the exported gpx to the unit and this is what it previews through route planner, which is the only way to get it to follow a route as far as I can see.

The route is only small, about 120 miles so not exactly pushing it. You can view it (temporarily here:
https://www.gpsvisualizer.com/display/20210810025638-67156-map.html

There are no avoidances or preferences that I can see which will make it turn off a tarmac road and go down a single track, turn around and come back out?

This is a future trip so I have the luxury of reviewing it and now knowing that I don't make that turn, especially with 6 people following me In a Rally scenario you've got to trust it the unit bit more, something I'm finding hard to do

maybe you have found a bug in the software and a call to Garmin support to report it is in order. So they can fix it in another update.

 

[Ledwardio]

maybe you have found a bug in the software and a call to Garmin support to report it is in order. So they can fix it in another update.

Does look that way doesn't it

 

[kerrizor]

Most likely to be some bobble in the data such that the GPS doesn't think you can ride _through_ that intersection, and instead have to do that silly loop. The algorithm is only as good as the data..

 

[Ledwardio]

It's a straight road...

Garmin Support said make a new route, so not very helpful. I'm thinking return it and get a Tom Tom

 

[EricV]

I've seen that type of route change when Garmin thinks a road is closed. Old construction work has done that to me, as well as real, current construction work and the road really was closed. I didn't know, and it was maddening to try and force it to take the route I wanted.

 

[kerrizor]

I've seen that type of route change when Garmin thinks a road is closed. Old construction work has done that to me, as well as real, current construction work and the road really was closed. I didn't know, and it was maddening to try and force it to take the route I wanted.

I just wrapped up a 17k mile summer, and 2 or 3 times had my XT reroute me onto so really questionable detours.. twice it clearly it wasn't, but I _did_ see construction equipment/evidence of recent roadwork. I suspect stale data there - it thinks the road is closed, or sufficiently slower to force a recalculation to get me around the "backup".. I've also seen phantom "traffic" warnings, such that I don't actually trust it when they pop up on my display. I also have had it send me to weird back alleys _behind_ businesses, or direct me onto _very_ questionably "paved" roads to save a minute of time.. Again, I think it comes down to bad data rather than a "bug" in the device (my day job involves "Big Data" so I'm painfully aware of just how many mistakes even the most well-groomed data set can contain..)

Frustrating, yes.. and has also opened my eyes to how people drive into lakes or onto airfields -- "Officer, I was just following the GPS!" Ultimately, we're the ones in command of the bike, not the GPS, and its up to us to choose whether to trust the tools. I love my first 40k miles with the XT, but I _have_ learned to always confirm its routing suggestions.

 

[EricV]

One of Garmin's biggest failures is the inability to bias main roads over tiny shortcuts. Faster or Shorter doesn't matter, it still will try to cut a corner on little roads instead of staying on the bigger road to a main intersection. Interestingly enough, my dezl 760 trucking unit did this much, much less than the dedicated moto units I've used. My wife currently uses a zumo 550 since it supports XM and she likes her tunes. I'm running a 2797 auto unit and it is much better at avoiding silly corner cuts than the zumo 550. I keep having to explain to my wife why her GPS wants to turn .5 miles before mine, and why that's almost always a bad idea.

Got to love when the GPS tells you to turn and it's a field or muddy two track, to "save time" over the 2 lane paved hwy you're on that intersects with another two lane paved Hwy a mile up the road.

 

[RyanR]

I’m on my second XT, Garmin let me exchange my first one for another unit. Both units have had the same traits, weird, and longer, routes when set for fastest time. I trust my 390, I use the XT to find gas and food.

 

[Greg Rice]

I just returned home from a 8,200 mile ride door to door in 7 days and had no issues with my Zumo XT. I had 3 routes and the longest being 3,200 miles. The route had 14 waypoints. The other 2 routes where over 2,000 miles and one had 21 waypoints.

With the Zumo XT I was able to complete the 48 state ride in 6 days and 11 hours.

 

[Shawn K]

Interestingly enough, my dezl 760 trucking unit did this much, much less than the dedicated moto units I've used.

Because Garmin's DEZL units are programed with STAA-legal truck routes and restrictions.

 

[Shawn K]

I don't know if I can make this observation without anyone getting twisted up, but...

Every GPS problem thread I've read (this forum and others) seems to center around people being upset because their GPS routed them through some area they didn't want to go.

It leaves me with the impression that there are a *lot* of people who have lost the ability to get from one place to another without a computer telling them exactly where to go.

Serious question - Are people genuinely losing the ability to navigate without electronic aides?

 

[Factor]

Serious question - Are people genuinely losing the ability to navigate without electronic aides?

That's a topic for a whole other thread, but the short answer is "yes". Those of us that came up on paper maps take for granted the basic skill of reading all the information provided by a map, distance between points, road type designation, not to mention the habit of seeing your surroundings and getting oriented both on the map and in reality. I recently crossed WV on two lane roads and had my 17 year old daughter do ALL the navigation without any electronics. We went off course quite a bit starting out but she got the hang of it by the return trip. The proudest moment came when I announced that we weren't on the road we thought we were anymore and she pulled out the map on her own and told me to take the next left. Priceless.

 

[SteveAikens]

Damn kids!
They make you proud of them at the most unexpected times...

 

[Marc11]

I don't know if I can make this observation without anyone getting twisted up, but...

Every GPS problem thread I've read (this forum and others) seems to center around people being upset because their GPS routed them through some area they didn't want to go.

It leaves me with the impression that there are a *lot* of people who have lost the ability to get from one place to another without a computer telling them exactly where to go.

Serious question - Are people genuinely losing the ability to navigate without electronic aides?

The answer is yes but it is not so much people losing the ability, but rather GPS has replaced the need to use paper maps (note not the value of paper maps) for the current generation.

It's no different from how email has replaced writing letters or cell phones replaced pay phones, throw Way parts replaced people fixing things, etc. One thing replaces another and it becomes the new standard.

It is what it is, I can read and use a map, but my kids cannot and show zero interest.