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Garmin nuvi 1370T

February 1, 2010 by Rich Owings

Garmin-nuvi-1370T-review The Garmin nüvi 1370T is Garmin’s latest transatlantic navigator, with pre-loaded maps of the US, Canada and Europe. All of the new units in the 1200, 1300 and 1400 series come with customizable data fields and the ability to utilize the pedestrian and mass transit features of Garmin’s CityXplorer maps (more on the latter below).

The 1370T also has text-to-speech, so you’ll hear “drive one-half mile, then turn left on Elm Street,” instead of just “drive one-half mile, then turn left.” In addition to all that goodness, this 4.3” wide touch-screen unit offers lane assist, lifetime traffic and Bluetooth for hands free mobile phone use.

Compare prices on the Garmin nuvi 1370T

A couple of other current nuvis also come with transatlantic maps:

nuvi 775T – This unit has a powered mount, so you don’t need to plug in the mini-USB cable each time you use it; it also adds improved Bluetooth and multi-destination routing, but unlike the 1370T, cannot make full use of CityXplorer maps
nuvi 275T – This unit drops down to a 3.5” screen and, as with the 775T cannot make full use of CityXplorer maps

To see how the 1370T compares to other models, check out my Garmin nuvi comparison chart.

European map coverage

The image below shows the extent of Garmin’s European map coverage. More information is available on Garmin’s City Navigator Europe web page, where you can zoom in to explore all the details of the map.

CityNavigator-Europe-maps

Portions of the following were adapted from my hands on reviews of the nuvi 1200 and nuvi 1490T.

Here is a brief look at new features found on the 12xx, 13xx and 14xx series, but not on previous models.

CityXplorer maps

The nuvi 1370T can utilize the pedestrian / mass transit navigation features of these maps, as shown below. CityXplorer maps are priced at $9.99 to $14.99 per city; you can read more about them in my CityXplorer review.

Garmin-nuvi-1300

POI feedback

This feature, added with the recent version 2.70 firmware upgrade, allows you to give feedback on points of interest (POIs). You can follow that link for more details, but basically, POIs can be rated and you can also report errors, removing them from your searches.

Custom data fields

The nuvi 12xx, 13xx and 14xx models allow you to customize the map screen’s lower left data field, a feature we first saw on the nuvi 7×5 series. Press this field to bring up the options listed below. When not navigating, the options are:

Direction of travel (default)
Elevation
Time of day

When navigating, the options are as follows:

Estimated time of arrival (default)
Estimated time to destination
Distance to destination
Direction of travel
Elevation
Time of day

Furthermore, in the nuvi 13xx and 14xx series, you have the option to shift data fields to the right side of the map screen, as shown below. The top three fields can then be customized with the options discussed previously. This gives you the ability to display two more fields than can be shown in the traditional display mode.

nuvi-1370-custom-fields

Speeding warning

Also new, your speed changes to red if you are exceeding the speed limit (assuming the unit has the speed limit for the road you are on). This is a nice feature, but I wish Garmin would allow you to customize this to changes colors at 5 or 10 MPH over the limit, so it’s not constantly switching back and forth if you drive right at the limit.

More nuvi 1370T features

The following features were first introduced on other recent nuvi models.

Trip log display

Trip log display, or as I prefer to call it , tracklog display, shows where you’ve been and can be downloaded to your computer. Tracklogs can be cleared and the feature disabled for those of you with something to hide! The tracklog is the thin blue line trailing behind the car / current position icon, as shown in the screen shot above.

ecoRoute

This feature adds a “less fuel” option to your routing choices and gives you fuel and mileage reports, estimated fuel cost for trips, and even a “driving challenge” to improve your fuel efficiency.

nuvi-1370-ecoRoute

Here is a PDF version of the ecoRoute manual. ecoRoute is available for the nuvi 2×5, 7×5, 12xx and 13xx series.

NAVTEQ Lifetime Traffic

The nuvi 1370T comes equipped with NAVTEQ lifetime traffic, which is ad-supported. You can read all about that in my nuvi 755T review, but don’t despair, the ads are very low-key.

Lane Assist

While the nuvi 1370T includes Lane Assist, as shown below, be aware that it does not include Junction View, a photo-realistic image of freeway interchanges.

nuvi-1370-lane-assist

Recent cities and streets

This feature was first seen on the nuvi 700 series. A folder icon appears in the upper left corner of city and street search screens. Tap it for a list of recent entries. This is so much better than having to re-enter your hometown all the time!

Where am I?

This emergency location feature provides your current latitude and longitude, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and fuel stations. nuvi-1370-where-am-i