The Garmin nüvi 2595LMT
I’ll delve into new and returning features shortly, but first, let’s look at some…
Related models
- Drop down to the 2555LMT and you’ll lose Bluetooth and voice command
- Or keep those features but drop down to a 4.3″ screen with the nuvi 2495LMT
- To see how the nuvi 2595LMT stacks up against other models, check out my Garmin nuvi comparison chart
NOTE: Much of the following is based on my hands on reviews of the nuvi 2495LMT , which offers the same feature set, and the 5” 2555LT.
Garmin nuvi 2595LMT hardware notes
My biggest disappointment with the Advanced series is that these models do not have a powered mount. So you’ll have to plug the mini-USB connector into the back of the unit each time you use it. Nevertheless, the 2595LMT does sense when you remove it from the mount while powered on, and records that as your last parking spot. To be guided back to it, choose Apps > Last Spot. There is a magnet in the lower portion of the mount that allows it to accomplish this.
Powering on and off
The nuvi 2595LMT powers off and on automatically when connected to the charger in your car. When you press the power button to turn it off, it actually goes into sleep mode. According to the manual, “a battery charge lasts for weeks” in this mode. The advantage here is an almost instantaneous power on from sleep mode. To fully shut down the device, hold the power button down for three seconds.
NuFeatures
Much of this section was covered in my first looks post. One exception is at the end of the “Map changes” section, where I discuss browsing the map for POIs; the other is the final section, “Menu improvements.”
Dashboards
There are eight different dashboards available on the 2595LMT. Basically, these are data field layouts, and are accessed via Settings > Map & Vehicle > Dashboards. You can see one in the image below.
Map changes – Buttons, layers, and more, oh my
The icons on the right side of the map screen are termed map buttons. You can have up to three of the following: Traffic, Mute, Stop, Phone, Detour, Exit services, Where am I?, Trip computer, Map layers, Brightness, Where to? and Audible. This is a nice feature. BTW, see the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the lower right portion of the nuvi screen above? You can tap that to bring up all twelve of the items available for the map buttons, so it’s easy to reach the other nine.
Map Layers also offers three choices. You can choose to display any or all of the following on the map: Traffic, Trip log and Places along the road. Enabling the latter will display points of interest (POIs). In the screenshot below, you can see that more information appears on the screen if you tap a POI icon. Oh, and which POIs feature corporate logos seems to be solely related to which ones are available to Garmin; it has nothing to do with zoom levels.
While you cannot customize which POIs to display on the 3D moving map, it’s a different subject when you go into browse map mode. There you can drill down through many categories, as you can see below.
Selecting a destination
Tap Where To? and you’ll see the following screen…
There are a few things to note here:
- You can add a shortcut to a favorite search (e.g., Starbucks), a category or subcategory, a saved place, etc.; this is one of the more helpful new features, IMHO
- Note that you can remove any of the shortcuts shown above
- And you can have up to six screens, for a total of 36 shortcuts
- The Categories icon gives you access to the full range of POI choices, in addition to any shortcuts showing
- You can do a universal search, entering an address or a POI name
- Tap the Searching Near field in the upper right hand portion of the screen to access options such as My active route, My destination, etc.
- To move items around, simply press and hold them for a second until they start to jiggle; then move them to a new position
Exit services
First seen on the dezl trucker series, and similar to Magellan’s Exit POIs, this is another new feature that I think people will find very helpful indeed. So much so that it will undoubtedly end up as one of the buttons on my map screen. It shows you POIs for upcoming exits…
Menu improvements
Recent nuvis had deep menu options that were painful to access. Improved nesting and better use of check boxes have reduced many steps. For example, on 2xx0 series units, you had the following sequence to set avoidances: Tools > Settings > Navigation > nuRoute > Avoidances. On the 2xx5 series, it’s Settings > Navigation > Avoidances.
Returning features
Voice command
Voice command on the 2×95 series functioned very well in my testing, even in my noisy truck. I’m estimating that accuracy was at least 90%. In addition to the options shown below, there are also commands for Detour, Volume and Brightness.
As with other recent models, you can use a customizable wakeup phrase (“voice command” is the default).
You can do one shot address or POI entry on the 2595LMT. Just say Find Address and then rattle off the entire address. Another improvement is that Find Place seems to work with nearly any POI in the database now. The voice command on this latest nuvi is getting very good indeed.
Junction View and Lane Assist
There has been a huge increase in the number of exits showing Junction View imagery (pictured below on the right side of the screen). It seems to pop up at almost every exit in cities where I’ve never even seen it before. I’ll also note that this series includes what Garmin terms photoReal Junction View, where the background scenery should generally match reality.
Lane Assist is displayed in the upper left portion of the screen above, letting you know which lane you need to be in for an upcoming turn. This feature shows up not only on freeways, but on some urban surface streets as well.
Lifetime traffic
Traffic is ad-supported, just like on previous T models. I’ve included some screenshots below.
Unfortunately, the coupon icons are starting to show up a bit more frequently, as you can see in the image below. In the past, it seems like I wouldn’t see these unless I was stopped or on the traffic screen, but note my speed in the screenshot below.
One new option is to purchase the GTM 60 traffic receiver, giving you access to Garmin’s new HD traffic service and eliminating the ads as well.
Trip Planner
Trip Planner, used for planning multi-destination routes, is now found under Apps. It seems that Garmin is continuing to make improvements here. While I didn’t do extensive testing of this feature, I did note a couple of things. For one, Time to Via and final destination arrival times seem to be accurately reflected on the dashboard (although it still doesn’t take into account duration of stop, if you’ve entered that info). Also, I successfully transferred a multi-destination route from BaseCamp, using City Navigator POIs converted to waypoints.
Despite the improvements to this feature, some users prefer the old system where you could add Via points without using the Trip Planner. With the Trip Planner, you need to interact with it briefly after each stop, selecting the next destination.
Your choice of routes
This feature was buried so deeply on the 2xx0 series that I missed it entirely. Now, when you enter a search and tap a result, you’ll see a drop down box labeled Routes. Tap it and you’ll get your choice of faster time, shorter distance and less fuel routes (according to the manual; they aren’t labeled, but you can see them below).
Other returning features
Some other important features introduced on previous generation nuvis, which are also found on the 2595LMT:
- Orientation (portrait style shown below) can be set by by going to Settings > Display > Orientation, but this must be done manually; the 25×5 series does not appear to have an accelerometer built in
- Custom avoidances – Allows you to exclude a road or area from routing
- Advanced detours – Lets you exclude roads from the active route on the fly
- Trip log – Now part of “Where I’ve Been,” you can clear it from within the app and enable/disable and clear it from Settings > Device
Bluetooth
In testing the 2×95 series, the nuvi paired with my Motorola Droid on the first try. The next couple of times it tried to connect though, it would not stay connected. After a shutdown and restart of the nuvi, it worked fine, but I will admit to limited testing of this feature. When I called my wife, she said it was “damn good,” almost like talking to me directly on my phone.
Garmin nuvi 2595LMT performance
These notes are from my hands on tests of the nuvi 2495LMT and 2555LT:
POI searches seem significantly faster than on other recent models. And routing speed is somewhat faster than on my 2360LT with the trafficTrends historical road speed database enabled on both units. While I’ll admit it’s a bit subjective, routing does seem to be a little smarter on these second generation trafficTrends units. I definitely see differences and they generally seem to be better choices.
Names of nearby roads appear on the map – sometimes there are more of them and sometimes less than on the 2360. Occasionally I’ve noticed a slight lag in menu responsiveness of the 25×5 series. It’s not always there, and it’s short enough when it does occur (less than a second) that many users wouldn’t even notice it.
Garmin nuvi 2595LMT pros
- 5” screen
- Strong customization options
- Exit services
- Lifetime map updates included
- Lifetime traffic
- Excellent Bluetooth sound quality
- POIs can be displayed on the map
- Offers several choices of routes
- Extensive junction view and lane assist coverage
- Excellent voice command functionality
- Advanced detours allow you to exclude roads from active route
- Custom avoidances allow you to exclude roads or areas from all routes
Garmin nuvi 2595LMT cons
- Traffic is ad-supported and is beginning to get more intrusive with coupon icons appearing on the map screen when moving
- No powered mount
Conclusion and recommendation
Highly recommended. Even with my love of powered mounts (missing here), the nuvi Advanced series rocks. New (and very useful) customization options, exit services and other strong features will tempt many nuvi owners to upgrade. It looks like Garmin has another winner.
More Garmin nuvi 2595LMT reviews
- Consumer-authored Garmin nuvi 2595LMT reviews
have been posted at Amazon
- More Garmin 2595LMT reviews written by owners have been posted at GPS City
- Owner reviews of the Garmin nuvi 2595LMT
have also been posted at BestBuy.com
- A nuvi 2595LMT owner review post on the GPSReview.net forums
- William Hay reviews the Garmin 2595LMT
- Digital Versus has also posted a nuvi 2595LMT review
I’ll be posting more links to hands on GPS reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some…
Other Garmin nuvi 2595LMT resources
- The Garmin nuvi 2595LMT owners manual
- Want to see how the 2595LMT stacks up against other models? Check out this Garmin auto GPS comparison tool or my own Garmin nuvi comparison chart
- There is a dedicated Garmin nuvi message forum at GpsPasSion
- And another nuvi forum at GPS Review
- Our auto GPS FAQs, which includes quite a few nuvi tips and tricks
- The official Garmin nuvi 2595LMT web page
Compare prices on the Garmin nuvi 2595LMT at these merchants:
- Check the current Garmin nüvi 2595LMT 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
- Get a great deal on the Garmin nuvi 2595LMT at GPS City
- Find the Garmin nuvi 2595LMT 5.0 GPS Navigation System with Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates
for a great price at BuyDig.com
- Buy the Nuvi 2595LMT with 5″ Touchscreen, FREE Lifetime Traffic & Map Updates, and Voice Activation
direct from Garmin
About Rich Owings
Question, can I plug in my Garmin 2595 GPS into a 24 volt outlet, my bus has only 24 volts and I am worried I may burn the unit.
Thanks
I think you would need a converter.
Thanks Rich,
I called Germin and they told me the plug in is made for 12 and 24 volt and he sad it will not damage my unit.
Thanks
Good to hear. I’d love to find out if you have any issues with it.
Does the 2595LMT have MyTrends? I was looking at the specs of the Garmin 2300 series and that series has MyTrends. Is the 2300 series a lower end unit to the 2595 and if they did remove MyTrends out of the 2595 why?
I believe that in the 2012 and 2013 nuvis, it is only present on the 3xxx models. It has not been a very popular feature but I don’t really know why they made this decision.
I don’t have a good report. My bluetooth worked well for 2 weeks and went away. I called Garmin technical and they said the 2595 has only been approve for one Garmin unit, the Zumo for bikes. It only worked by chance and until Garmin works my IPOD 4 S to their 2595 I am out of luck.
Do any of you know when the next map update is due for the 2595LMT? Also, what else is Garmin improving on the 2595LMT for software updates?
Map update: http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=17527
Firmware: Unknown
Hello, I want to know is it possible to connect Garmin nuvi 2595LMT with Backup Camera? And if no, which model of Garmin has this function?
No, the only current models suporting backup cameras are the trucker-friendly dezl series. There are other choices for older models but they were very difficult to install. More info here.
Is Garmin Lifetime Updater now obsolete? Because Garmin automatically sent me and downloaded Garmin Express onto my computer. Any differences between downloading future maps with Lifetime Updater versus Express?
Yes and yes. Garmin Express is problematic. See the second post in this thread: http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=27457
Ok, so what should I do when a new map is available and where should I go to download it?
“PC Version
http://download.garmin.com/lmu/GarminMapUpdater.exe
MAC version
http://download.garmin.com/lmu/GarminMapUpdater.dmg“
Buying new GPS and will go Garmin but what model? Work finding residences all day, metro and rural, want voice activate and Bluetooth. How can I find the best model and best price for my area? Recommendations????
Just read your 2595 comments … What do you mean by not power mounted? It has to be charged while not using????!!!!
No, GPS is like any electronic device…when it’s shut off it doesn’t use any power. When you turn it on and it’s not plugged in it uses the battery. I always plug my GPS into the car outlet when I’m using it in the car to keep it fully charged so it’s not running on the battery. GPS is like a cellphone.
I get that, but what did your CON of Not Power Mounted mean then????
http://gpstracklog.com/2013/02/what-is-a-powered-gps-mount.html
PERFECT!!!! Thanks much!!! Got it!!! So last question before I go buy… Any dates of issue I should seek to avoid the marketing on screen issue???
http://gpstracklog.com/2012/03/how-to-get-ad-free-traffic-on-your-garmin-nuvi.html
Be aware though that (so far) I’ve found the Bluetooth sound quality to be poor on the 2013′s.
Will I still be able to download the latest maps when they’re available for the 2595LMT from Garmin Lifetime Updater? So far I still prefer using the Lifetime Updater.
Not sure. I expect it will prompt you to update the Garmin Express.
Does Garmin allow you to download new maps at their official website at the ‘MyDashboard’ section with the gps plugged in with the USB chord? I would assume that’s the best place to download new maps since it’s directly from them.
I would try Garmin MapUpdater… http://download.garmin.com/lmu/GarminMapUpdater.exe
There is a newer program, Garmin Express, but a lot of folks find it buggy.
I have a nuvi 2595LM with a traffic receiver cable. Does this mean I have access to current traffic conditions of must I purchase Lifetime Traffic from Garmin? Cost is about $50.
Which traffic cable? There should be a GTM model number on it.
GTM 26; Ser #2FQ954654
It should work as long as you are in an area with traffic coverage.
Why my Garmin when updated to a new map, all my personal POI got change numbers and coordinates no names…. and when it’s pluged in my car it works like as when connected in my pc…
Thank you
Do you have a backup of your POIs? If so, I would try a hard reset.
My thoughts on Garmin Express. Works well for me (so far) as long as I use Windows 7. Many problems on an XP computer.
Has the 2nd map update been released for the 2595LMT in 2013 yet?
I don’t think so, and its overdue… http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=17527
Sent the following e-mail to the CEO of Garmin today:
Dear Mr. Pemble -
I have been an avid Garmin user since the days of the first black and white unit.
My most recent unit is a Nuvi 2595 which I have had for about a year and have taken it on several extended trips. I also still use my StreetPilot 2720.
The Nuvi has many great improvements and some significant disappointments when compared with the 2720. The reason that I am writing to you is that when I have asked customer service about the reasons why some useful features found on the 2720 were deleted from the Nuvi, I found the non-responses disappointing, at best.
My biggest frustration — brought to a head on two trips totaling approximately 8,000 miles, mostly in the rural West and Midwest — is the absence of map detail for the area surrounding one’s route. Cities and towns, street and highway names, rivers, lakes and other useful and interesting information available on my 2720 has been replaced by a useless and unattractive gray expanse. I know the map detail is still being furnished by Navteq since the same maps display this information on my StreetPilot. Why not at least provide an option for the user to access this information?
Two other issues are bit less significant:
1. Why not provide an option to choose between displaying the current road and the next cross street instead of only the cross street? There are times when the current road information is very useful.
2. Why does the information on the bottom of the screen (direction, time, speed or whatever one has chosen) disappear when the scale of the map is changed? Another use feature gone.
Sincerely,
Ralph Stern
E-mail to Clifton Pemble at Clifton.Pemble@garmin.com just bounced. anybody have a better e-mail address? Thanks.
Agreed very much on points 1 and 2. It’s especially annoying in a new city where you know none of the streets. And strange to have TTS–which makes it much harder to miss turns–but no ability to display current street. Ditto for the zooming issue. Two small issues that would make a world of difference.
I agree with the detail issue.
Re: the other two:
1. The 2013 nuvis show both
2. Why does it go away? Not sure I understand
Do any of you know why Garmin hasn’t released it’s 2nd map update yet? Garmin is suppose to release 4 new maps a year around every 3 months. At this rate and pace Garmin will only be able to release 1 to 2 more maps for 2013 or they’ll have to lump them in a month apart soon.
ALERT: MAP UPDATE RELEASED! Map update 2014.10 available! I downloaded it from Garmin Express with no problems.
A couple of questions, please.
The nuvi 2595LMT – can it take an extra memory card? If so, is it a micro SD card?
Downloading map updates – reading information about updating I have read “….. In some instances, your Garmin product might not have sufficient memory remaining for you to load an update to the map data, in which case you will need to either (a) select reduced map data coverage for your updates, or (b) purchase separately a microSD™/SD™ card (if and as applicable to your Garmin product) and load all or a portion of the map data coverage for your updates to the card and insert the card into the microSD/SD card slot contained in your Garmin product. If neither of the measures in (a) or (b) can be used to address your product’s lack of sufficient remaining memory, then Garmin may conclude that the “useful life” of your product has expired. ………”
How much large of a memory card should I plan on getting in order to not worry about only loading “a portion” of the updated map data?
Thanks for any help.
Really like how you say a quick bit about the models just above and below the one you are reviewing.
Thanks! Yes, microSD. City Navigator North America is less than 1.62 GB.