Technological difference between a Garmin 396 and a Zumo XT

[Shawn K]

I'm looking for answers from anyone who has firsthand experience with both, or a clear technical understanding of both.

For the purposes of rallying, what are the technological benefits/differences of a Zumo XT over a Garmin 396?

I don't mean "The XT has a higher-resolution screen", I mean software/firmware side. Are there rally-applicable things that the XT can do that the 396 can't (or vice-versa)? Are there any route planning benefits to be gained by purchasing an XT?

I'm talking really granular stuff, like the ability to display notes inside waypoints, or having all of your custom icons transfer over from Basecamp... that kind of stuff.

Does anyone here have experience with both units?

 

[Greg Rice]

Shawn, are you talking about this GPS?

 

[paulcb]

Hey Shawn, good to meet you at the the HoT 2022 rally. I ran both the XT and the 396 in this rally, both had the same routes imported from Basecamp, and both performed very similar. I like the XT better because...

• it's faster... recalculating, moving between screens, radar, up-ahead, etc. Not significantly faster, but noticeable.
• The screen is way better... larger, brighter and better resolution. Some buttons are bigger. I really like the larger screen.
• Phone connection seemed to work better, smoother, fewer problems.
• They were similar in relation to Basecamp... both accepted and calculated routes and bonuses easily.

I've run a couple rally's with just the 396 and don't see a huge advantage of the XT over the 396 specifically for routing. I use custom icons in Basecamp, but don't use them or notes on either GPS, so no info there.

 

[Shawn K]

Shawn, are you talking about this GPS?
View attachment 8392

No sir, I'm talking about the Zumo 396 LMT-S vs. the Zumo XT.

I didn't even know about the GPSMAP 396 until you showed me that. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Shawn K]

Hey Shawn, good to meet you at the the HoT 2022 rally. I ran both the XT and the 396 in this rally, both had the same routes imported from Basecamp, and both performed very similar. I like the XT better because...

• it's faster... recalculating, moving between screens, radar, up-ahead, etc. Not significantly faster, but noticeable.
• The screen is way better... larger, brighter and better resolution. Some buttons are bigger. I really like the larger screen.
• Phone connection seemed to work better, smoother, fewer problems.
• They were similar in relation to Basecamp... both accepted and calculated routes and bonuses easily.

I've run a couple rally's with just the 396 and don't see a huge advantage of the XT over the 396 specifically for routing. I use custom icons in Basecamp, but don't use them or notes on either GPS, so no info there.

Hey Paul! I enjoyed meeting you as well! It's nice to put faces with names.

Don't know if you caught it, but that failure to put my rider number on those two receipts (like we talked about over drinks) bumped me from what would've been an 18th-place place finish all the way to 39th. Ouch!

I wish I had riding friends in these parts with various kit. It'd be nice to be able to play around with some different things from time to time, without having to spend the money to buy something on wishful thinking.

I appreciate your feedback on the XT!

 

[paulcb]

Yeah, I knew you lost a boat load of points for a simple mistake. Still, quite well done for your first rally! This was the first rally where I actually ran and finished my planned route, with no changes or deviations, and got every bonus with no penalties. I came in 16th, so not too bad, but need to ride a little harder/longer to place better.

 

[Stephen!]

No sir, I'm talking about the Zumo 396 LMT-S vs. the Zumo XT.

I didn't even know about the GPSMAP 396 until you showed me that. Sorry for the confusion.

Did they really recycle a model number from the Aviation side of the house?

 

[Shawn K]

Did they really recycle a model number from the Aviation side of the house?

Wouldn't be the first time I've seen that happen.

The "V-Max" was a Yamaha snowmobile before it was a motorcycle.

The "Big Red" was a Honda 3-wheeler before it was a side-by-side.

I'm sure there are others.

 

[TomMcD]

Honda Odyssey '77 to '85 vs Honda Odyssey of '95 onward... Fun became not fun.

Wouldn't be the first time I've seen that happen.

The "V-Max" was a Yamaha snowmobile before it was a motorcycle.

The "Big Red" was a Honda 3-wheeler before it was a side-by-side.

I'm sure there are others.

 

[keithu]

Honda Odyssey '77 to '85 vs Honda Odyssey of '95 onward... Fun became not fun.

I believe the '95+ Odyssey is what you end up with when you've had a little too much fun.

But back on topic... I currently have an XT and 396 LMT-S mounted, and agree with paulcb's comments. I haven't run the XT in a rally yet, but I've used them to co-navigate the same route a few times now and they seem to perform very similarly. In terms of what I do in Basecamp, there is no difference. I create my route, load it onto both devices, and I'm on the road.

The main advantage of the XT is the larger screen, which is a huge benefit for me as I really ought to be wearing bifocals but I don't. The 396 LMT-S is just a tad small and harder to read when I'm wearing my distance glasses.