Garmin StreetPilot i5 Portable GPS Navigator

November 2005: I already own several GPS units.

After getting into an argument with a novice who bought a Garmin "i3" and loves it, I bought a Garmin "i5" so that I could prove him wrong. A GPS unit this inexpensive just can't be that good. Boy was I wrong.

I picked the Garmin "i5" instead of the "i3" because my computer doesn't have a DVD drive for downloading maps.

The first area I was critical about was the thumbwheel with the two button (enter and back) solution. After a few hours I found I could enter data faster using the thumbwheel than using a touch screen.

The "i5" is small enough to hold in the palm of my hand, eliminating vehicle bounce, scroll the thumbwheel, and then press the thumbwheel to enter the desired letter or number.

Entering an address often requires only a few thumbwheel presses. First the state/province is entered, eliminating 98% of all the addresses in North America.

Garmin then guides you through a list of city and street names. Often the number of thumbwheel presses is shortened by selecting from a list of possible matches using the back button. Garmin did a great job in this area.

Next is the screen size. The advertising on Garmin's website shows screens with jagged lines. But the actual screen, although smaller is also clearer than most PNDs (personal navigation devices). I suppose this is because the pixels are closer together.

Next is signal strength. I put the "i5" inside my dashboard near the speedometer so that thieves wouldn't easily see it. It still worked great. It occasionally lost the signal but so did my more expensive PND which was windshield mounted.

Next is the instruction manual. You don't need it. Unlike the Magellan RoadMates, where the large buttons do nothing half the time and I don't know which to push the other half, the back button and the thumbwheel always do something and the screen always prompts you.

Next is routing. Don't expect the "i5" to find the best route to get from point A to point B. None of the PNDs do that and the less expensive ones usually chose the first successful route. But it will get you to point B and quickly recalculate a new route if you drive off route. Often the routes it chose were identical to my more expensive PND.

POIs (points of interest). Where POIs are useful is when you know there's a store nearby but you don't know the adddress. The "i5" will show you a list of stores and route you to one if desired. Once I drove around for 30 minutes looking for a small store without the use of the "i5". Finally out of frustration I used the "i5" to route me straight to the location and still couldn't see the store. After walking around for about a minute I found that the store was hidden behind a larger store.

My only suggestion is that I wish the "i5" had talking street names.

I bought this unit to see how well it worked and planned to return it. But I think I'll give it to my wife instead. She's always getting lost on long trips and the "i5" makes a nice low cost second PND.

----------
January 2006: I gave the "i5" to my wife and at first she was not impressed. I think she'd rather have jewelry.

But she liked the thumbwheel because it didn't interfer with her finger nails.

This morning she took a long trip and as usual called me. But instead of saying that she was lost, she said she got to her destination without any problems and stress free. Usually she's yapping away with her mother and misses a critical turn.

----------
December 2006: The original review claimed the "i5" used the SiRF receiver, but I cannot verify this. My apologies.

I continue to be amazed by the simplicity of the two button solution and the bright screen. In my opinion you won't find a better new PND for less money.

----------
May 2007: The "i5" has been discontinued. It is being replaced by the Nuvi 200, which has a bright touch screen and rechargeable battery.

Thanks everyone for reading this review and clicking on whether it was helpful, whether Yes or No.

I'm such a tech geek. Why do I need a golf ball-sized road assistant? Don't know, but I fell in love with it at the store. Initially, I walked into Circuit City to purchase a radar detector and nothing more, but after seeing Garmin's Street Pilot i5 ("i5"), I became curious. For years, I have always found ways to get lost on the road. I have an uncanny knack for making wrong turns, and often find myself a little confused when one road either changes names or does a 90 degree turn on me. With that being said, I hate being lost!! It's stressful, makes by blood boil, and turns me into a driving heart-attack waiting to happen. Thus, I bought the Garmin's i5 on sale at Circuit City for $399.99 (while still selling at other stores for about $499.00) and here's what I think about it:

Out of the box

Out of the box, the i5 comes with a colorful quick setup guide (with the full manual only available for download at Garmin's website), a disc and USB cable (for downloading updates) and two different mounts: One is a windshield mount, and the other is a permanent dashboard mount. I wish there was another way to mount the i5 to the dashboard without permanently affixing it to the dash. But since I'm driving a '96 Thunderbird and not a '05 Thunderbird, I didn't care about permanently changing the appearance of my dash. When I say "Permanent" I don't mean screws and bolts, but there is some really strong glue on the back of a black plastic disk that attaches to your dash; you then connect the windshield suction mount to the disk. I've removed the unit from the disk mount multiple times in the past week using its quick release, and the disk has not given. I didn't go for windshield mount option because that would place the i5 a little too far away from me. Since the fonts are small, I can see the maps better when mounted on my dash. For those of you who don't want to ruin your dashboard, you can still mount the unit to your windshield. But If your eyes were good enough to qualify you for a drivers license, then you should be able to see the screen when mounted on the windshield; I just like it on my dashboard better.

Operation

Operation was a breeze: I opened the box, plugged in the power cord and connected it to my device and viola! The unit asked me a few preliminary questions regarding my time zone and I was ready to go. It is very easy to navigate through the user interface: You use the thumb scroll to channel through your options, then press the wheel in to make a selection. If you make a mistake, you press the back button on the left which will back you out of your mistake(s) in incremental steps until you reach the main menu. The navigation voice is that of a woman's, is very loud and clear, and can be spoken in various languages. It's also very easy to spell street names and input street numbers using the thumb scroll.

Comparison / Reliability

I haven't tried any other navigational devices so I cannot compare this one to the more pricy brands, but I can tell you that the screen is just as bright and vivid as the other units on display at Circuit City. I am learning to trust the i5's sense of direction. The first day I purchased it, I turned it on in Circuit City's parking lot and clicked the link that searches for nearby "transportation" places. I received hits for all the nearby airports with turn-by-turn directions at a glance, and was incredibly impressed! Next, I told the i5 to find nearby food places, and it returned all the places of various cuisines in proximity to me, including small nondescript mom-and-pop restaurants that the unassuming motorist would never notice! Didn't know there was a Hip-Hop Museum a couple miles from my house until I searched for nearby museums (Who'd have thunk it?). Turned out to be a defunct building still listed as a Hip-Hop Museum (but still cool). For most of the destination spots stored on the i5's hard drive, the complete addresses and phone numbers are provided; I would highly recommend calling the destination spot before driving there, to minimize your chances of driving a few miles to a rib shack only to find that the business is defunct. The i5 has over 6 million preloaded points of interest and categorizes with headings such as nearby food, post offices, city halls, museums, department stores, shopping malls, gas stations, etc. You are also free to manually input an address and street name which is also easy to do.

Fun

Using the i5 for finding things to do on the weekend is like playing a game of catch the flag: I enjoy typing in the names of restaurants and amusement attractions to where I've never been, and watching the i5 locate the address and put my car on auto pilot, taking me to the uncharted destination. I must admit that I smile every time the i5 says "arriving at destination on right." It's just so 21st century.

Range / Sense of direction

Each time I turn the i5 on, I have to wait about 20 seconds while it finds the satellites, then I'm good to go (the unit locks onto 3 satellites when you have the "3-D map" setting on). The only time my i5 looses the satellites is when I enter my parking garage in Downtown Detroit. If you make a wrong turn, the i5 will notice after about 5 seconds then say "recalculating" which takes about another 5 seconds, then tells you what to do now. Depending on your preferences the i5 will either tell you to make a U-Turn, or have you make a series of turns around the block until you are back on course. I turned the "make a U-Turn" preference on. So now, if I pass my destination by mistake, the unit says, "When possible, make a U-Turn." Also, I used my i5 on a very wet and dark day this week and it never skipped a beat. I have noticed however, then when I ask the i5 to navigate me somewhere while I'm sitting in a parking lot with various ways to ingress and egress, the i5 doesn't know what direction my car is facing and may tell me to make a series of turns to get onto a particular road (when that road is actually right in my face). Also, if you exit a freeway too early and continue on the service drive, the i5 will not notice the change as long as the service drive runs parallel to the freeway, it only recalculates your course after the service drive and freeway diverge and the satellite realizes that you moving in a different direction of the freeway. However, once the i5 realizes that you are on a different path (probably a minute later depending on when the divergence occurs, you are put back on course in seconds) I rate the i5 4 out of 5 stars for this reason only.


External power usage

For the occasional days when my cell phone is plugged into my DC outlet, I wanted to test how the i5 long would it take before the i5 drains an alkaline battery; it took about 5 hours to drain my 2 AA Duracell alkaline batteries. Garmin's specifications says that the i5 should between 6 and 7 hours. I probably only got 5 hours because I had the volume turned all the way up, and the map settings on "most detail." There is a battery setting on this unit that ask you whether or not you are using Ni-Cad or alkaline batteries. I guess this helps the unit determine the most efficient way to use the batteries. First I thought it asked that question to determine whether or not to charge your rechargeable batteries, but after leaving the power cord plugged into my i5 overnight, I found that my rechargeable batteries' strength meter was neither weaker nor stronger by the morning. Garmin's next Street Pilot should have a built in battery charger.

All in all the i5 is a wonderful unit. I think it's a joy to use and a must have for those who like to explore different place without getting lost.


We've had the i5 for about two weeks and it's been a great help in finding addresses. My wife's job as an interpreter requires her to sometimes do home visits. With this gizmo the directions are clear and finding her way to a new destination is a snap.

Small, easy to use (it was up and running within minutes of opening the box) and exceedingly convenient - I highly recommend the Garmin i5.

A tennis ball. The Garmin StreetPilot i5. What do the two have in common? Size.

The i5 is without a doubt, one of the best purchases I've ever made. Everyone has the same reaction I first had when I saw it on display at a marine supply store. "That's a GPS? No way." Then they want a demonstration.

The main selling point for this unit is it's size. It can do everything that other competitor's GPS units can do, and more, at a third of the size. If you've ever wanted a GPS on your motorcycle, the i5 is the real deal.

The unit comes with a 12V power cord for automobile use. You can also pop in 2 AA's and leave the cord behind. The unit is rated for 3-4 hours use when using with AA's alone. If you are going to use the 12V cord, Garmin still recommends having fresh AA's in the unit, as the unit is able to update it's position upon powering up faster, that just going with the cord alone.

The i5 gets a perfect score from me when it comes to ergo. Navigating through menus is quick and painless.

It also has an auto-brightness setting that brightens or dims the unit's display depending on ambient lighting conditions. Even cooler, at night, the nav map changes it's color scheme to darker colors which is cool.

Voice prompts are right on cue. Very glad the voice has NO "computer-voice" and even happier it's a female voice. I call her "Garmina".

So why not 5 stars? There's no Mac support for this device. This is why I had to buy the i5 instead of the i3. Having North America pre-loaded however might be worth the extra $100 bucks for some. Garmin also offers a "POI" (points-of-interest) loader software FREE, again, only for Windows users. This nifty feature enables you to load user defined proximity notifications for all kinds of different variables. Approaching a school speed zone? Once programmed, the unit will warn you to reduce your speed.

Bluetooth support would have been nice too, since other new (but much larger) units have it. If you have a Bluetooth cell phone and a Bluetooth GPS, the cell can inform the GPS of delays, accidents, road closures etc. in real time. This is of course with a subscription. The unit does have a USB port and maybe Garmin might want to think about writing in support for the use of a USB Bluetooth adapter in future firmware updates (pretty please).

Garmin does not include a carrying case for the unit, which it should have. You will not want to leave this in full view when away from your vehicle, it will most certainly be stolen and the kid who stole it will use it on their BMX, since it's so small.

This unit uses NAVTEQ map data, (North America pre-loaded) which is known industry-wide as the benchmark for map database into.

The i5 rules.

It was working from the moment I switched it on. The best toy I bought in the last couple of years.

After 6 several month of using this product. I don't change my rating, since this product serves the purpose, helped me many times and i paid a very reasonable price for it. Beware, that it locks the sophistication the more expensive models have - ability to choose highway option only. It can bypass the major highway in favour of local streets or take you from NJ to Brooklyn through Manhattan. But it works perfectly 99% of the time.

First off, I'm very familiar with GPS navigation devices since I own a Roadmate 800, a Pocket-PC based iGuidance, and this Garmin i5. I was also a former owner of the very-disappointing TomTom 300.

The good:
1) This thing is small, but do not think you can't see the screen. It has high resolution, good layout, and enough brightness to drive even during winter where the sun is right at your eyes.

2) Spoken directions: The spoken direction is very clear and concise. It is loud enough even with road noise and music turned on.

3) The size and weight is such an advantage you can take this with you on business trips, or even when you're just walking around downtown finding your way.

4) AA battery. You can easily replace these without having to buy batteries from the manufacturer unlike Magellan Roadmate.

5) The directions are very clear, it tells you which exit to take. Exit 16A or 16B? I like knowing which specific exit on a highway, that way I know if it's coming up soon or on which lane I should be. On a 4 lane highway, that's all you need to know because "stay on the right" doesn't mean much when you're on a 4 lane highway.

6) Fast satellite pickup. As long as you have batteries inside, when you turn this thing on, it locks you very quickly so you can start navigating.

7) Using the scroll-wheel input takes a bit getting used to at first since I'm used to using touch-screen GPS. BUT, it's very effective and it's designed in a manner where it narrows down your search for a street name or city so you don't have to type in all the letters for the specific street or city.

8) Very concise and accurate maps. Unlike TomTom, this will actually get you from point A to point B without suggesting ridiculous routes that will have you go through 20 stop lights when the nearest highway is available. Also, the mapdata is very up-to-date

9) Very fast and accurate rerouting.

Cons:
For the price, I can barely think of any. BUT, If I have to nitpick, I think the ability to change the route while the car is moving would be nice. For safety purposes, this thing will prevent you from adding a new route but they should take into account the fact that someone else could be the one changing the route and not the driver.

Also, the total distance to the destination would be nice. But, the estimated time of arrival and the fact that you can scroll through the routes before you start driving is nice so you can see if it's taking you through streets you're ok to drive in. If you're afraid of driving through bad parts of town, just drive through another road and the i5 will reroute you automatically.

*********
Conclusion: While this may not have all the bells and whistles of more expensive GPS like the Tomtom and the Roadmates, I don't think you can get a better bang for the buck than this GPS. If I had to guess, I would have guessed this to be a $500 or more unit. This thing outperforms the TomTom 300 handsdown, it's not even funny.

I travel quite a bit, and this unit is great at getting you places, and swapping from car to car. It takes a bit to get used to using the wheel to select your destination, but once you understand how to use it, you can get anywhere. It seems to be accurate. It's also helped me find my way to various resteraunts, where I was not sure of their location.

It's great that you can replace the batteries as well as use an auto power cord. It also attaches well to the windshield.

It's also one of the lowest priced GPS' I've seen. Having the entire North America on the device is also great. There is no need to load any maps.

Although it's small, it's easy to read.


Received unit yesterday. My son and I tried for several hours to figure out why it keeps looking for a satellite signal and never advances further. We tried multiple regions. Unfortunately technical support of Garmin is only open on business days 8-8. No benefit from FAQS site at Garmin web site. After several frustrating hours, I have arranged for a refund. Sorry to burst any bubbles, but this one's a lemon! Only saving grace is that Amazon makes it fairly painless to return. Will look into another company instead.

I got a great deal on this i5, although not from Amazon. It has all the United States maps preloaded on it so you don't have to connect it to the computer to ever get new maps, I used the points of interest feature and it really works it found all the places near my house, and even took me to Tajmahal casino 3 hours away without having to know the address since it's preloaded as a point of interest. The unit acquires signal very fast for mek, and if i miss a turn it recalculates very fast as well, the voice is loud and clear and even though the screen is a little small I wouldn't want it any bigger, i think it's a perfect size and I love it

this device is exactly what the manufacturer advertises. dont be fooled by its small and modest looks. this device is smart, efficient and easy to use. i bought it for $399.00 at circuit city along with AA batteries. i opened the box in the circuit city parking lot and installed it on my winshield. it was up and running within seconds after asking me a few simple questions and started guiding me to my way home. most people who wrote reviews on CNET expressed concern about the small size of the screen. as a matter of fact, the small size is one of the best features of this device that i like. istalled it right next to my rear view mirror and the view is better than the factory installed GPS on the dashboard. conventional dashboard mount GPS devices require you to take your eyes of the road to view the map which can be unsafe while driving.

this unit is smart, looks for satellites instantly, calculates the arrival time to final destination and also calculates the miles of you next exit or turn with voice prompts. finding streets is as easy as peeling a banana. i used the jog wheel and punched in first three letters of my street name and it pulled all the street names starting with those letters in my city in a seperate window. i picked my street and saved it in my favorite destinations. pulling saved addresses or destinations from my favorites is also very easy. the moment you turn the power ON it asks you where you want to go. once you choose the destination, it takes you to your destination step by step. it also recalculates routes if you are going a different route to the same destination. i work in the hospital in the downtown area and it found the hospital in the POI database quickly and added it to one of my favorite destination.

the power cable fell a little short because i wanted to hide it under the sun visor and tuck it inside the rubber linings around the door, but i bought an extention cable from walmart for $3.00 and dont even need batteries anymore.

overall this is the best money i have spent on a toy in a long time and i would highly recommend this product. real value product at a real bargain price tag.

Bought at Circuit City, opened the box in the car and it was up and running in 5 minutes. Put in my home address and tried it out and it was perfect. Looked at the options and seemed easy to set. The setup is logical and getting used to the wheel is OK. Very few buttons to press which is nice feature. Nice unit. Does everything my $2200 built in unit in Volvo did at a fraction of the cost.

Update:

Have used a few times now, not a problem, gets me from pt A to pt. B with no problem.

I had been looking at other GPS units (TomTom 700 and Garmin C330) but they were out of my price range. The i5 for me was the perfect unit. It may not have all the bells and whistles of those other units but it gets the job done. It is so small that it allows for many placement options. Normally, I keep it in one of my cupholders since I can hear the voice prompts. On longer, unfamiliar drives, I attach it to the windshield. Also, I consider the fact that it uses ordinary AA batteries a real plus. I just pop in two NiMH batteries and don't have to run a cord when attaching it to the windshield.

I have found that its directions are sometimes off depending on the address (can get left and right confused), but at that point, it is usually obvious that the Garmin is wrong.

I bought a mid-sized camera case for travel use since it is much cheaper than the Garmin case.

Overall, this is a great product at a great price.

I bought this for my husband for Christmas and he/we love it! Used it on a trip to NH from NJ over the holidays and had great guidance from the unit. Super at finding places to eat or get gas on the way. Even had dirt roads in NH loaded! Accuracy, screen size, voice loudness/tone, ease of use--all superb! We call the unit, "Garmie" (female voice) and don't like to leave her behind when we go out. As a side benefit, I no longer have to read maps and give updates on how long to the next turn or when to turn. My military pilot spouse likes to know all the details as we travel--now Garmie gives him his answers--not me!

The Garmin StreetPilot i5 is a very impressive piece of equipment. After you get used to the limited input capabilities, (exhibited by all of the Garmin GPS equipment, and probably any other GPS equipment) the ease of use is quite acceptable. This comment is to alert any purchasers not experenced in the difficulties of entering data and or requesting data is not a simple process.

The data in the software is exceptional but not without some slight errors. Small communities have questionable maps on file and give some unusal responses when traveling in these locations. However, the problems are only a bit humorous and provide the user with only a few minutes delay in reaching the requested location.

While traveling on major highways the verbal advisories help in selecting the proper lanes to keep from becoming "trapped" in an exit lane, very nice. This can provide a very calming effect when traveling on high trafic arteries.

In all, the Garman StreetPilot i5 is a very exceptional unit and provides important help in traveling Interstate highways as well as Urban Locations with the excelent verbal advisories. I believe that this unit is a good value for the money as performance like this in most vehicles costs well over twice as much. However, It is understood that the display pannel is smaller than the installed units in current cars.



Bought this gizmo for my wife because she travels. I plugged it right in and bam... instanst GPS. I've programmed all my favorite address for my wife in a zip. I mounted it right above the mirror and works great. First GPS and am loving it.

Came with A/C adapter, suction mount.

Have been using it for awhile myself and tested it by changing from its recommended path. It adjusted well.

Trust me you'll love it.

First of all, I have to admit that I am terrible with directions. This GPS comes loaded with all of its maps. All you have to do is quickly scroll to the address you want. If you want the closest McDonald's, you can tell it that. Gas station, etc. It is so easy. The older ones (i2 and i3) did not have all of the maps pre-programmed. This is a must have and well worth the (small) extra cost.

I took this out the first time I used it and tried to confuse it by going the wrong direction. As soon as I took a wrong turn, it adjusted the route and told me where to go to get back on track.

This model even comes with free updates. If there is a map update, you can hook it up via the provided USB cable and upload new information.

I had purchased this for my girlfriend. Our first real test was when we took it with us on a trip to Phoenix. We only experienced one instance when it took us to the completely wrong address. We punched in an In N Out and it took us to a residential house, one built at least 20 years ago.

Other than that, it worked great. We brought a couple of maps, but never needed to bring them out. The screen is a bit small although I had no problems reading the text. On some turns, especially when traveling at speeds greater than 45 mph, it tells you to turn right a bit late. We could still make the turns, but with some extra caution to keep fore safe driving.

This was a great buy for the money.

I found the i5 to be a great buy for the money. It sure works for me.

I purchased this gps just prior to moving to Boston for a new job. It is worth its weight in gold. I am not familiar enough with the streets yet to say if there is a better route, but it gets you to where you need to go. I LOVE the feature that lets you pick a store and it gives you a choice of the closest ones. I would never make it back here without it!

This little dynamo does it all! I researched GPS's for several months before I decided on this little package. The Garmin i5 has everything and more. I must admit when I got the box, I thought there was no way I'd see this thing while I'm driving. I was wrong! I mounted the i5 just above my rear-view mirror, turned this puppy on, it asked me a few questions, aquired a signal, and off I went. I tried making wrong turns and the Garmin i5 quickly readjusted and re-routed me. POI's are the bomb! ATM's, Micky D's, Soldier field, it had it. No need to look any further, this is all you need!

I researched this gps units thoroughly and made my decision to purchase the garmin streetpilot i5. You simply can't beat the price, and I can't imagine why anyone would need more. Perhaps the touchscreen is more efficient and easier to use, but for the price of this unit the push button does not bother me. Once you put in various addresses as your favorites it makes it easy. I am a healthcare travler and drive all over the country, ive only encounter one area so far where the unit had no details and that was in chandler arizona. I had to purchase the i5 because i have a mac and therefore can't upload maps as garmin is only windows compatible and I require the maps to be preloaded as they are on the i5. I think the AA battery system along with the car lighter plug in is a better option the the more expensive models with rechargable lithium batteries, as we know apple has had problems with ipods and there lithium batteries losing charge capacity over time, and i would hate to test that out with a pricey gps unit. The only flaw i see in this unit is the window suction cup which tends to fall off sometimes especially on bumpy roads, but that can easily be solved by buying the dashboard holder accessory. Bottom line if your looking for a good gps unit that is small, portable, reliable and affordable this is your unit.

I must disagree with several points made here. Many reviewers said the scroller/tap way of entering letters/numbers are faster than touchscreen. Well that's simply not true for me. I can type really fast so tapping the screen was way faster for me. If you are a slow typist, then scroller might help. There is no way I can out-type a touchscreen using this scroller. Second, the screen size is also a problem for me. Screen size makes a BIG difference when you are driving, no matter the speed. Try to focus your eyes on this thing is very distracting because of the small size. Because of the smaller screen, less information is displayed, so if you want to look up different information, you have to use the keys more often to switch view. Small screen is definitely a problem, otherwise, why would new car's in dash system always use a larger screen and big fonts?

Overall, this is an OK unit for the price, but to say it outshines the more expensive unit such as the Garmin 700 or 800, that's simply unfounded.

Overall, I like the Garmin i5 alot but there are some unexpected problems...
1. I live in MD and there are some areas which are not in the database and I have no idea why. It isn't like it is a recently built development.
2. It, for some reason, shut off when I tried to set the map view from 2D to 3D. For this reason, I am getting it exchanged.
3. The CD would not load on my computer so I downloaded the software from the garmin website instead.
4. Takes alot longer than expected to acquire satellites.

Still, I do recommend this GPS. And I don't find the screen to be too small. In fact, if it was any bigger, it would be a distraction.

You are reading this because you want to hear the Cons so I'll start with that:
Cons
1) Screen is smaller than MUCH HIGHER PRICED units...but I find the information easy to read and clear to follow while driving.
And small size makes it small enough to fit in your pocket so you can easliy carry car to car as needed.

2) The suction cup is a bit small relative to the weight of the unit (i.e. it falls off occationally when you are driving)...tech support said to use a dab of petrolium jelly as a moisture barrier to air (Larger MORE EXPENSIVE units have the same problem)
3) Does not have touch screen information entry (scroll wheel works much like a blackberry scroll and push entry...less likly that you'll get screen dirty and works just fine)...for $200 to 400 more you can get touch screen entry.
4) The biggest negative to me is the inability to recharge a battery within the unit when it is plugged in (i.e. battery needs changeing or recharging every few months)

now for the pros

1) PRICE well under $400 (I paid about $375)
2) Has entire US installed and can be used out of the box
3) VERY CLEAR and LOUD driving instructions (adjustable volume)
4) Crystal clear map screen
5) Did I mention the low price???

Heck if money is no object you can overcome some of the cons I've listed above... but I assure you tried the i5 you will be disappointed what you get for the extra $200 to $400....So DON'T TRY the i5, this way you'll never know how great the i5 is compared to the MORE BULKY and EXPENSIVE one that you'll buy anyway...

PS I traded my GARMIN for my friend's tom tom for a week...as it turns out he sold his tom tom on ebay the next day and bought the i5 (he loved the small size).,,,I still love my little i5

I love the portability. The screen size is big enough for general purposes. It always gets me where I want to go. Usually the Intersection way to find places is the best and takes the lease amount of time. It would be nice if it had a memory that would remember the last few cities in it instead of making you select from all cities in the US that start with S. I think the i3 might have been better because then It wouldnt always search through the entire USA to find things in a 50 mile radious of what i really need... But the portability is very nice. Annoying that I can't figure out how to delete or edit points of interest that I added by mistake. Also annoying how i can't see the total amount of miles in the trip. But all in all, it's nice for the size. I would probably go for the i3 though, but maybe i just didn't read all the directions yet... I like it. It's cute. It has a battery indicator of your battery power. Sometimes it takes like a few minutes to actually find satallites.

I researched several gps system before deciding which one to buy.I started my research by riding in my supervisors car to see how his magellen navigator system work. I will confirm by saying that It works just fine for my liking. But when I considered how much he spent buying it which was $1,000 according to him, I will not consider that as the best. Not only that,it is too big for my liking. My decision to purchase Garmin i5 is my best decision this year so far. I am amazed at the precision of the small unit. I regard the bigger navigator systems the dum terminals while this small garmin is the smartest unit of this age. Do not, please let the size desuade you from buying it. The size of this gps along with other qualities packed in it are what make it the best choice for me. It does not distract your view. You can just listen to the voice directions without looking. I hate big gpses. I am going to enjoy my summer vacation. I know my kids will be proud of me this time without ever missing my way. My trip will be short. My wife can finally take her eyes off those pages of map quest for good.

I bought this GPS before a 3 day road trip throughout NJ, NY, CT and Mass, and it was a life saver. Routing works very well, and is usually fairly quick. You will get to where you need to go, although there may be a route that is a minute or two faster. Re-routing is also quick, though not always quick enough in dense areas, such as Boston (when we missed a turn), through it did well in NY city for me. The scroll wheel is ok- some feel it is not the fastest. This is true, but that being said, it certainly is not hard to use, and quite frankly, you should't be operating any device when you are driving.
Favorites are stored easily. POI's are wonderful for when you are on the road, and, say, want to stop at a diner in a half an hour, all you have to do is look up a nearby town and pop what sounds good in as a via-point.

This was my first GPS, and I am throughly impressed by how pleasant driving with it is. The voice prompts sound like an ever-calm stewardess and keep you focused yet relaxed. The unit runs for a good deal of time on two double-A's and has detailed maps of North America in it, so I didn't need to download anything to the unit when I first tried it out.

Oh yeah, the learning curve for this device is awesome. I mastered it in less than 2 minutes, and if you can operate a computer, then you're fine, because it is sooooooo easy to just pick up and use, because everything is self-explanatory.

All that being said, I love this device, and think its one of the better purchases I have made.

I had this unit for a little over two months now and I can say nothing but good things about it. The Garmin I5 sells for a great price for a pre-loaded unit with all the states on it and I believe it still ships for free on Amazon.
I have used the Garmin I5 a lot in the time I have had it and it has always worked as it should. If you need to stray from your route, it will simply tell you it is recalculating and give you another way to get there..no problem...it even told me to make a u turn when I passed up my destination and we all got a good laugh out of that.
We have friends that paid nearly $4,000 for a GPS factory installed in their Infinity and they can't take it with them when traveling and having to rent a car or when using a different vehicle..the Garmin can be taken anywhere and it will get you to your destination just as good as the $4,000 unit will.
I would recommend this Garmin I5 or the I3 (which doesn't have the states preloaded)without hesitation.

I've just recently taken a new job & moved to a major metropolis where I don't know a soul. I was tired of always being lost in my new city & having to go on line to find directions for even the simplest of life's necessities: Where's a grocery store? Where's a bank? Where's a Starbucks? Where's a good steakhouse? Where's the library at? I've sat on the fence long enough about buying a GPS unit.

Prior to making this purchase I'd put in a lot of research time; looking over consumer reports & price comparisons, customer reviews and the likes for brand names like TomTom, Magellan, Navman, Lowrance and Garmin. Going on line countless hours to browse for GPS units knowing eventually I'd break down and buy one. But I kept putting off the purchase because I was always looking for the best product & a fantastic deal. But moving to a new city and not knowing where anything was forced my hand to act.

A couple of nights ago I went ahead and purchased the i5 by Garmin. Today I was about to make a trip downtown to get my taxes taken care of at a business location I'd never been to. The UPS guy knocked on my door and delivered my i5 about an hour before my appointment time. I opened up the box and set the i5 down telling myself, "You'll never have enough time to learn how to use this before your appointment." But I wanted to give it a try just to see how easy it really was. I powered it up and stepped out onto the patio deck and it already had my location on the display. In less than 3 minutes I had it updated with my home location, time zone and language selection and out the door I went.

"Where To?" To input your information you need to use their roller wheel, & after you entered the first digit of the address you're going to you've already mastered the wheel button. The i5 worked perfectly and the display always kept me abreast of the names of the cross roads two blocks ahead. It got me to the street I was looking for and turned in the right direction of the business I wanted to find.

Out of years of habit I immediately found myself looking at the buildings for a number, looking for a number, looking for a number. As I'm wondering where the heck this place is, the i5 announces, "Arrived at destination, on right." As it said this I'm looking out the passenger side window as the gold letting on the door leading into the company I was looking for announced this was indeed the place I was looking for. It worked perfectly!

So if you're like me and have been waiting and waiting and waiting to buy a GPS, don't wait any longer. The i5 is a neat little GPS at a very affordable price. I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Two thumbs up, 5-stars, a perfect 10. What ever grading scale you're using, put this one at the top.


What a neat little gadget! My first reaction was surprise at the small size of the unit. Don't know why, but I expected something a lot larger. Turns out that this little thing is the ideal size. I am still learning to use it, but so far, not one complaint. I don't know how it could be any easier to use. The easy to use scroll wheel dials in the address without a problem. The verbal commands are excellent. The colorful read-out screen is perfect. I have used it a few times with perfect results. When I tried to trick the unit by making a wrong turn, it immediately recalculated the route to get me back on track.
The unit works on battery power or auto accessory. The auto accessory power seems to be superior over the batteries in terms of operating the unit. I would recommend this model without hesitation!

I bought this about a month ago, and have been delighted with its ease of use and accuracy. Very intuitive user interface makes it easy to figure out how to load favorites, navigate, etc. Quickly re-calculates routes on the fly when you miss a turn or (as is the case around DC) you can't take the route because of HOV or other time of day access restrictions. Dead-on accuracy once it acquires the satellites, which is typically under a minute. Battery life with 2300mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries is as advertised and when running on the car's 12-volt via the cigarette lighter adapter, it senses ignition and turns itself off, a nice touch. Have only used the destinations listing to find Starbucks near my kids' games, but the lists of locations seems quite complete. Only minor complaint is that the jogwheel is a little touchy; would have liked a stiffer detent. But overall this is one of those handy little essentials that makes you wonder how you lived without it.

I've used for about a month now and here's the observations
1) Small and easily portable. Don't let the small screen worry you. It's very easy to see and read. Sound quality is good so no worry about missing a turn. Easy to store in the glove box or console and move from car to car....it can even go in your pocket (of a coat) and travel where you go.
BUT....if you want something to tell you the street name ("Turn right on Smith St.) vs. "Turn right in 400 feet" with the street name shown on the top of the screen...this isn't your unit. Doesn't bother me, but it may you. Also it you want to program your own trip "by way of" this unit only allows one "interium" stop. For example you may want to go from City A to City B BUT you don't want to go the way that the GARMIN unit routes you. You want to go from City A to City B via Point C. That you can do. BUT it you want to go from City A to City B via Points C and Point D...etc, etc. You'll have to reporgrame it after you reach each mid point. I've found that the best way to a given location isn't always the way my Garmin i5 wants to take me. IT gets you there....but not always the most direct or logical way. (You have two choices...fastest way and shortest way) but that isn't always the BEST way. (Traffic, turn issues, directness of route, etc are not always factored in.) This is true of a lot of GPS units so having the ability to route yourself to a given location "VIA" other locations allows you to control that if you know it.
For the money I would buy the unit again and think it gives you most all the features of a much more expensive unit in a small portable unit. BUT it you want names of steets spoken or many "via" points progammable in a trip you won't get it here.

I've had the i5 for over 2 months now and I really like it and believe it was money well spent. I did a lot of research before I bought this unit and this one seemed like a pretty nice unit for the price...and it is. I purchased this unit mainly for my wife to use on a trip she is taking with our boys (2 1/2 & 12 years old) while I am working. My wife is gifted in many ways, but navigation is not one of those gifts, but I am fully confident she will have no trouble getting safely to my parents home in the middle of nowhere Ohio.

Not Pros (nothing is bad enough to be a con):
1. Garmin's web site used to say it was "fully routable" (It no longer says that). I thought this meant you could hook it up to your computer and preplan an entire route complete with "via" points for gas, food, lodging, fun, etc. I was wrong. The e-mail I received from Garmin customer service explained "fully routable" meant that it would calculate a complete route from point A to point B. They are correct, and it will do this very accurately and very quickly. The longest route I have had it calculate is about 900 miles and it did it in less than 10 seconds.

2. The unit seems to be up to date (within the last year) with all the new construction in my area as far as roads are concerned, but it seems to be years behind when it comes to the preprogrammed points of interest. We have had a Walmart store for about 9 years, but it doesn't show up on my i5. There are many other stores and restaurants in my area that don't show up as well, yet there are no updates available from Garmin as of when this review was written. It still has plenty of information to get you to the nearest shopping area, then you can just look for your favorite store or restaurant.

3. I was bummed out that I could not save my current location as a point of interest. Garmin told me that roughly 6 million POIs should be enough. It is not in the manual and Garmin told me they are un-aware of the feature, BUT If you want to save your current location, press and hold the scroll wheel for a few seconds. Your current location will be saved as a favorite with a default name of 001, 002, 003, etc. If you want to change the name you can.

4. The i5 will calculate your route for you quite nicely. You may notice if you are navigating through your home town that it may not route you the way you would normally go, but rest assured, the i5 will get you to where you want to go. Some more expensive GPS units will allow you to select from a list of possible routes, but I'm really not that much of a control freak. If I'm driving in unfamiliar areas, I am quite comfortable letting the i5 tell me where to go as I sit back and enjoy the ride.

Pros:

I love the small size and portability of the i5. The voice commands are timely and give plenty of warning that you will be turning in a certain distance (the faster you are going, the more notice you get). I like the 3-D map and the auto zoom feature that adjusts the size of the map as you go faster or slower. It may not seem like much, but simple me thinks it is really cool how the color scheme will change automatically at sunrise and sunset to allow better visibility (a feature that can be turned off).

There are many other features that make this a great little unit. Sure, it lacks some features and usability that some more expensive models have, but the i5 is an awesome little GPS unit for the price. I've done some checking around recently, and I still haven't found anything I'd rather have, that is not hundreds of dollars more expensive.


I work for the world's largest business auction company as a Field Rep. I travel all over the country (50-75,000 miles a year) cataloging the assets of major corporations, and managing the sale and removal of these assets. I have owned several other gps units, but this is the one on my dash today (actually, it is mounted to my steering column between the speedometer and tachometer).
Those of us who SURVIVE on the freeway, don't play with gadgets, or text message, or hold our cell phones to our head, or otherwise distract ourselves with cluttersome devices on our dash obstructing our views. It is a matter of survival (stastically speaking), that when driving on this great nations freeways, ones focus should be on the ever changing conditions of the road ahead of them. Those of us who forget we are in a car that is moving at lethal speeds, eventually DIE (and many times, kill others).
"IT'S A CRIME IN MOST STATES, TO PLAY WITH YOUR GPS WHILE DRIVING, FOR A REASON!". This being said, I am not bothered by the i5 not having touch screen (this removes the temptation to adjust the unit while travelling at 75 mph on the freeway).
I believe the size of this device to be its greatest strength. Because the i5 can be mounted virtually anywhere, it can easily blend in to existing driving instrumentation. If mounted within your existing instrument cluster, you need not be distracted by looking to the middle of your dash. If mounted next to the rear view mirror, it leaves the dashboard totally unobstructed. This device became a part of my car the first time I used it. I have mounted this device in several different vehicles and the results were the same; it found a discreet home on the dash or windshield of anything I put it in. It blended seamlessly in to the interiors, and was as much a part of the onboard instrumentation as the speedometer. The i5 is not an travel accessory, it is a vehicle upgrade.
Having made my speach about vehicle safety, lets move on to the functionality of the i5.
I am impressed with the detail of the software Garmin provides. This is a very intuitive little machine, that predicts possible endings for places and addresses as destinations are being entered. The voice prompts are right on time, almost every time. The 3D map view is great. I found only a few weaknesses in the software.
The weaknesses; My home street name is mispelled (it was also mispellled on EVERY other gps that I have used. "Map designers please be advised, there is no Chales St. in xxxxxx,MI". The POI menu had a few shortcomings, also. I found the POIs to be very usefull, but not entirely up to date. This could easily, and SHOULD be fixed by Garmin with a POI update.
This unit has, however, accurately guided me to hundreds of different destinations, over nearly 40,000 miles, without letting me down a single time. NOT ONCE!!! NOT EVEN ONCE!!!!!!!!
I can only speak for my own experience, and I tell you "Save yourself a couple thousand dollars of trial and error, buy this unit first." "BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

From one with no sense of direction whatsoever, I fell in love with this gadget the first time I plugged it in. Extrememly easy to operate, I didn't even need to read the manual to understand the 3 self-explanatory buttons. Out of the box, it was up in my car and working in a matter of minutes.

I decided on the i5 over the i3 because of the pre-programmed information it already has installed. A HUGE asset! I also chose this over any Magellan after much researching and comparing price and features. This Amazon price is also the best I found on the web, short of buying it used or refurbished, which I'm not a fan of doing.

So far, I've had no trouble at all with it ever recognizing which road I'm on; in fact, I've discovered several new roads around my own town that are much easier to navigate than the ones I've been using for 8+ years. It was smaller than I expected, but it turns out to be the perfect size. You really don't need anything bigger. The color screen is crisp and clear, and it's very easy to pop up on the windshield, which is where I keep mine. The suction is VERY powerful, so it's not coming off unless you want it to.

I also love that it can tell you the closest food (broken up by categories, or searchable by specific name), as well as shopping, gas, hospitals, and much more.

I can't recommend this highly enough - a definite must for anyone who travels even a little. It blows online directions like MapQuest out of the water, because the voice navigation never leaves you wondering where to go. And what you get for the price you pay - it pays for itself in the no time considering the security you feel of always knowing where you are and where you want to go. I don't think I would want any additonal features, so don't bother paying for a pricier system. This has all the bells and whistles you could want! You couldn't pay me to let it go!

This is my first GPS. The Garmin Streetpilot i5 is so very easy to use, it is instinctive. It works well, a great product.
The only problem I have had is that the suction cup mounting bracket does not always adhere to the windshield.

- got it from amazon this week... nothing new to say compared to all the other reviews already written....to substantiate:
1) it does not talk the "street name" - my wife was upset with that. I would like to have that but am not willing to fork over $200 extra for the next model.
2) it reroutes very fast.
3) its not smart enough to figure out the quickest routes in heavy traffic areas - that, i guess is obvious since it has no traffic input.
4) Looks like the preloaded map is more than 3-4 years old.
Despite all this, I give it 5 stars since it gives you all the basic and a LOT of extra features for a $350 GPS Unit!!!

Purchased the I5 from amazon after several months of research, looked at all the specs, read all reviews on all brands of gps units and finally setteled on the I5. concerns in selection were ease of use, dependability, screen size, accuracy. As you know, this is certainly not the largest screen. probably the smallest but as the reviews said, due to the clarity and sharpness, do not let this be a concern, They were accurate.
When received, I took it out of the box, spent about 15 minutes looking over the set up and go sheet, installed the batteries and the power cable, set it on the dash, ( also purchased the dash mount) turned it on and smiled.
The next day I took a short trip to my brothers home in another Twp. having to use several side roads along with a major route. You did not actually have to look at the screen although was so fascinated, could hardly take my eyes off it, you could just follow the voice commands which were clear and certainly precise. I was surprised to see how up to date the maps were, knowing that a few of the streets showing on the route were not more than a year or two old. Overall I am extremely happy with the I5, using the menue and thumb wheel was extremely easy to get use to and you certainly can,t complain about the price compaired to other units. Am looking foreward to some upcoming trips out of state.

I did a lot of research before ending up with garmin i5. The more I browsed the more I was getting confused, but I was sure to buy a garmin product as I had heard good things about garmin both online and offline.I did not want to pay for an added mp3 player and bluetooth as there are much better and specialized gagets for stuff other than navigation.

I did not find any technical issues with this unit, out of the box and had it up and running in 30 min.The suction mechanism is very sturdy but I had to buy "Garmin Automotive Friction Mounting Kit" as I am in CA. This friction mount is also great, quite heavy and very stable on my '01 Altima dash board.I was skeptical about the friction mount but really is very stable and has a small base.The human like she-voice prompts are excellent and sound volume is also amazingly loud and clear.Using the wheel would take a little extra time, Rerouting is quick.
Overall a best price-to-feature buy. Carrying case is a must for storing, also the friction mount for CA residents.






We are very pleased overall with this GPS unit. We've used it in both our car (VUE) and motorcycle, and it worked fine. However, the software on it doesn't have many of the new restaurants and housing subdivisions that have been built within the last two years. So it can be a challenge to find some locations. We still gave it a 4 star rating because it's a worthwhile purchase. You just need to know the physical address of the place you are going - don't rely on the option to find the restaurant by name.

The I5 is a miserable little device.

I bought it for a road trip from NH to western PA.

The first time I used it to find an econolodge in Wilkes Barre,
it insisted on leading me to an empty parking lot half a mile
away.

It didnt know half the streets in Franklin PA. I tried to get to
the Franklin airport. At the junction where one is supposed to
turn right to get to the airport, it insisted that I must turn
left and head into the city!

On the way back, it got me to the right exit for the Super 8 motel
in Danbury, but after the exit it had me turn left instead of
right, and eventually led me to someone's house instead of the
super 8.

Basically, in every instance where I really needed it to work,
it messed up. Im returning it for a better device.

Unfortunately, there's no simple way to clean up the list of
recent finds on it, so it must go in with a record of my travels.
In addition to better navigation, a little "delete all" option in
one of its menus would help.

I bought the i5 after reading many reviews, on this site and others. Shipping from Amazon was very fast,arriving 2 days before the shipping date.
I travel the U.S. from coast to coast for my work and the i5 has made this a lot easier.When I get sent out to a new location,I enter the address of the work site,,drive to it,and then find a place to stay as close as possible. After I find a place,the first thing I do is enter the address of where I'm staying,,,that way I can always find my way back. Then, I look up my favorite stores,places to eat,etc . I enter those locations as well.
It makes driving in an unfamiliar location much better,,,,for myself,and the local folks who know where they are going !!! LOL !!

Note !
in the settings menu ,make sure your vehicle is selected properly,,,truck means big rig. this setting will keep you on truck routes. For cars,pickups,suv's,or motorcycles pick car-motorcycle.

I fabricated a bracket to mount it to the right of the radio in my Chevy pickup,rather than mounting it on the windshield. It's easier to enter information,and for those of us with less than perfect vision,easier to view.

The i5 is very easy to use,right out of the box !
I am very happy with this product,and recommend it for anyone wanting a reasonably priced,and user friendly GPS !



Everything are rathan good in navigation system except operation. I prefer choose touch screen to use csrool bar even if it will spend a little more money.

I've had my i5 for 6 months. It is fantastic! The database of businesses, schools, recreational areas, and other locations is impressive. Having all states located in the device is much better than uploading portions of data. The accuracy of the device is impressive, as well as the loud audio prompting. The data wheel is pretty slick, although it is not as quick as a touch screen unit. Trip rerouting is very quick.

Make sure you download the latest software update. It has some improvements in turn prompting, among other things.

This is perhaps the best investment one can make. I live in the Los Angeles area and attend school in Washington, DC, and will be graduating this year. I originally purchased this product because I plan on driving cross-country to school with my roommate, the two of us shifting turns at the wheel. I can't comment on the voice notifications since I'm deaf, but the text directions are perfect and easy to follow. I'll start with size. It's hard to believe that something so small can house so much information and be so accurate, it's no larger than the size of a baseball. In California it's illegal to have anything attached to the windshield that's blocking the line of vision but the i5 is so small and it's suction cup so strong that it can be affixed right above dash instrumentation and be completely out of the way (and out of sight from the police). All it takes is a simple glance above the board. The screen is the perfect size and easy to read, even in the glare of the sun. Next is accuracy. The i5 is amazing in this department. I did some research on numerous units and many customers lauded this unit and it has certainly lived up to its praise. It is extremely accurate with the pre-loaded maps and even chooses the fastest route from your current location. Case in point, driving around town it "knew" to avoid the shopping areas and the mall which are ridden with numerous traffic lights and directed to go around. If you miss your turn or take an alternate path the i5 automattically reroutes within seconds. I have a problem with second-guessing myself and sometimes am not sure if I shoud take the exit with the same name East or West, anyone familiar with LA freeways knows what I'm talking about-- the i5 directs you perfectly, whether or not you should veer left, right, straight, etc... The unit is incredibly easy to use with the roll bar and frequent trips can be saved in its memory. Regardless of where you are just punch in "home" or whatever your destination is and your route will be calculated depending on where you are. Thus far I've been taken on backrouts that I never even knew wxisted instead of the freeway and bypassed all of the LA traffic. Another "nifty" feature: if you enjoy taking mountain roads or what have you, the unit will show you how sharp the next turn is which comes in handy if you're driving a stick. What I really love is the i5 will tell you how long until your next turn is which comes in really handy-- if your turn on the freeway is 30 miles away you don't need to worry about which lane you're in and it will tell you as you approach your turn or the next freeway merge so you can start moving over. Thus far I absolutely love the Garmin i5 and am absolutely sure it will invaluable when I'm ready to take my trip to DC. This is by far the best 300 bucks I've ever spent. Get this unit, you will not be disappointed.

Lastly, kudos to Amazon for the very fast shipping!

This is a great GPS unit. I have been using it for about a month and I have been very happy. The one thing I wish the unit had would be a mute button. I do a number of conference calls on the road or in general I am on the phone a lot. It would be nice to have a mute button. This is a minor complaint. I love the fact you can add more POIs. This is a fantastic device and I would recommend it to any road warrior or even a mom. It works great and is really simple to use and navigate. Great product.

I decided to buy this small GPS for several reasons, and was not disappointed. I carefully read all customer reviews of all units available, and dollar for dollar, this unit was consistantly rated best of breed. Within minutes of putting in the batteries, this unit was up and running. This is my first GPS, but I could not imagine something so small and easy to use. It may not have a large screen, or it may not give you the name of the street to turn on, but so what. The voice directions are loud and clear, they are accurate and timely, and if you really need to look at the screen, it is sharp and clear. I immediately set up directions to friend's homes I always get lost trying to find, and added them to the favorites list. I set the type of vehicle to car/motorcycle, and set the mapping for speed, not shortness of distance. The clickwheel is superfast, and makes touchscreens unnecessary. The preloaded maps are great, and I suspect I won't have to update them for quite a while. And it's fun-my wife likes it so much that she has taken it and won't give it back. The other night, we wanted to eat at a restaurant we hadn't been to before, so we clicked where to?, then food/hotels, then picked the kind of food we wanted, chose a new restaurant, then clicked navigate...it took us there, we had a great time, and then it took us home. We tried to get lost to test it, but it kept getting us back on track towards home, no matter how hard we tried to fool it. This is one heck of a unit for the money!!
One more thing...Amazon consistantly has the best price and delivery service on this unit, so don't waste your time looking anywhere else.

This product works well and is easy to use. Compact design is a plus too.

My 18 year old son just got his first car and I thought this would be the perfect gift for him. To test it, I used it in my car to drive into Manhattan even though I know my way there and back. It was wonderful, I love it! I only lost signal twice, once between some tall buildings and once on the lower level of the 59th street bridge. It re-calculates very quickly. I occasionally took a street that the "lady in the box" didn't tell me to but she recovered quickly and was back on track.

On the way home she told me to turn right which was right into my driveway and then said that I had reached my destination! It is particularly good when driving in the dark since the colors in the screen are easy to see.

My next step? Buy one for me, why should my son have all the fun?

Pros:
1) very intuitive to use: I have used it successfully right out of the box. You will need 10min to master it.
2) practice for five minutes and address input is a breeze. It is a good idea to input your addresses at home before you sit in your car to avoid initial frustrations.
3) small enough to carry in your pocket (with a bulge). You may not want to leave it in the parked car.
4) great speaker, interface and display: It's small but easily readable and very understandable.
5) My unit is made in Taiwan and not (yet) China.
6) It adds to my general happiness while driving!

Cons:
1) The enclosed suction-cup-mount sometimes falls off the window so I suggest you mount it well on a very hot day.
2) It may move you through heavy traffic unless plan on using "via points" in order to circumvent trouble spots on the street.
3) sometimes loses satellite connection in long tunnels, in New York driving or inside a house -- however, readily re-acquires connection. Sometimes takes several minutes for initial connection.
4) We are looking fwd to Garmin offering MAC compatibility for this unit by years end.
5) On very, very rare occasions audible and visible directions do not match or are delayed. However, the i5 is a formidable driving aid but does not replace the necessity to pay attention to road signs and street directions.

I thinks the i5 is a fantastic first GPS for the weekend road warrior, the night out to the new restaurant and the occasional long trip. So far I used it sucessful between CT, NY and PA. I am considering buying a second one for my wife's car. Highly recommended!!! Enjoy!

I just bought this for my daughter who has been driving for about a year. Out of the box and on the road, with the "Get Started" instructions, in less than 30 minutes. Go to the Garmin website for the latest download, then you're really started! She can listen to the directions via the voice prompts and never take her eyes off the road. It gives you 0.2 mile warnings of when to turn, and then repeats at the intersection. Then tells you how far until the next turn. It evens tells you it's "recalculating" if you make a wrong turn to get you back on track. The maps are very local, so she (hopefully) is not staring at those for other than orientation. She loaded her school, practice locations, home, and friends' addresses into favorites so she can find her way to familiar places from any location. Very user friendly. You do not need to understand GPS coordinates, etc to use this product.

I bought the I5 yesterday; it was up and running in three minutes; acquired satellite link in 10 minutes. This is one awesome device. The directions are very simple. I am used to having my co-pilot (ie, my wife) navigate for me. Now when solo driving, I can relax more and let this baby do the work. And I don't even need to buy it dinner! Bottom line: GREAT product, easy to use. Welcome to the 21st century.

You can move the i5 easily from one vehicle to another, it's about the size of a tennis ball, it looks cool and you can run it off batteries or your cigar lighter. The performance is excellent, I have now used it many times and have experienced flawless direction, great accuracy and up to date maps (as things change updated maps can be downloaded from the Garmin website). The voice commands are in a pleasant voice, the screen has back lighting and can be easily seen in all lighting conditions and the thumbwheel data entry system is easy to use and very intuitive. Overall I am delighted with my little garmin and apart from not being able to download road condition reports it has all the functions of much more sophisticated and expensive models.

Before making a GPS purchase, I shopped around for a week or so reading reviews and talking to friends. In the end, I decided that the i5 would be my best bang for the buck. This thing rocks!!! I've only had it for a couple of days, and it's alreadying paying for itself in reduced stress. Yesterday I accidently hopped into a turn only lane and was stuck getting onto the highway. I started to get upset with myself when my i5 suddenly reassured me "Recalculating route." I probably got home faster with my little friend's help than I would have otherwise because I only got into the right lane to try to get past some gridlock. I don't have to worry about making wrong turns now since my i5 adjusts my route within seconds. I'm going to intentionally get myself lost this weekend just for fun. This unit just plain works, and it will change the way you drive.

Smile on my wife's face just after opening the box and turning it on. All price paid off!
It just works right out of the box and it does the great job.
Once snatched from my hands she picked an address from our trip to US consulate in Canada and added without reading any manuals or having any experience with GPS in her life. Just click-click and there you go!
It's sitting in my car and on better side it's hard to see its presence from outside easily. Now that rules out removing it on and off in parking. I shall update the review later...

I bought this product to use when on the road calling on accounts and jobbers. It has lead me to the majority of the locations I want to go. However, I have learned that if a road is 5 years old or newer, forget it, Garmin's maps are out of date. Beyond that inconvenience, and learning other companies have newer maps and renew them more often, the Garmin i5 is great and it will take me right to my customer's location. I would and have recommended this product to others with the above warning that the map programmed into the unit will be about 5 years too old with no newer maps available. Since I work with older, established industrial warehouses, this is not a great problem for me. However, when a customer moves to a new location, I have plenty of explicatives for Garmin. If you are trying to find a friend in a new housing tract, don't throw out his or her instructions because Garmin can only get you to the city. I work west of the Rocky Mountains and Canada and with the wests explosive growth, I suggest you do some shopping around. I have learned Lorance is excellent. After all, you are buying this for directions, not where your forefathers have gone. I have also discovered that Garmin continually wants me to turn where there is no road when in the mountains. It also has a hard time finding rural locations, start watching for your address about two miles before you get there with Garmin. Now that I think of it, I'm glad I don't use this for hiking, I might never find civilization.

Bravo!!! Simple to use and uncanny in its accuracy....You can't beat this unit especially for the price!!


To Garmin:
Hey guys....you need to come up with a better suction cup!!

I purchased my Garmin in March and have given it enough time to write a reliable review.

I think it's a fabulous item to have. I'm a wedding photographer and it's put my mind at ease.

The minor problems that I have encountered are:
On cloudy days, or if I haven't used in about a week, I have to go out to my vehicle and program the address about 30 minutes before I leave to make sure the satellites have been acquired.

Suction cup doesn't like to hold.

Other than those little things, I absolutely love it.

I just got mine today. It came with the 2.7 Software. As soon as I took it out of the box and installed the new updated software version - 3.10 (which I downloaded from Garmin's website) I took it for a test run. Mind you - from the time I opened the box, installed the drivers on my PC and downloaded the updated 3.10 software I would say only 10 minutes had transpired. The entire process was fast and simple - not one problem. After taking it for a test run about town (The Los Angeles, valley area), I'm happy to say that this little thing performed flawlessly. It took about 2 minutes or so for the unit to acquire satellite signals and once it did ---- WOW - Simply a great product and well worth the price tag.

Recently i purchased this Garmin streetpilot i5 and i was amazed how easy and accurate this litte unit was. Recalculating time was between 1 to 3 seconds. Great GPS for the money. I am no longer afraid to drive anywhere now that i have this Garmin i5 in my car. I will definitely take this with me when i am travelling to unknown territories. Thanks Garmin.....:)

This took me from Philadelphia to Charlotte, Busch Gardens(VA), and the Bronx with no problems. It helped me find local restaurants and gas stations whenever I needed a rest stop. It also automatically adjusts contrast at night so it doesn't blind you. The maps directions are straight forward and the controls are surprisingly easy to use. The suction cup and power cord are also easy to set up and use. Updating the software online only took 5 mins and had no issues connecting to my computer. The detour option is also helpful when traffic jams occur.

The reason this got an A- instead of an A+ was because instead of saying the street name it simply says "Turn right in 500 feet" but it lists the street name on the display so a quick glance tells you everything you need to know. Also it doesn't have updated maps for new developments (1-3 years) but I still highly recommmend it.

The navigation was fine, but I had a hard time inputting destinations while on the road (and yes, I did pull over). The screen is tiny as well, and it doesn't scroll, so you can't just point to where you want to go on the map the way you can on some GPS units. Overall it's the interface I found cumbersome. I sent the unit back after a couple of days of trying to read the screen and scrolling past my destinations again and again. Give me a touch screen.

I've driven rental cars with Neverlost and this is just as good apart from the fact it does not announce the name of the road but it is written on the top line. I have had it for about a week and I used it straight out of the box, put batteries in it plugged it in, put my home address in and away I went.
It is easy to program, but you have to download all instructions from the internet.
I have taken it to Raleigh and it worked well, with roads closed it recalculates quickly.
It is easy to detach and put in the center console.

I paid $335 including shipping, well worth it.

I disagree with one of the previous posts about it not having new housing subdivisions, it has never missed one for me in the week.

WOW!!!

The darn thing looked so small when it arrived, that I thought that it couldn't possibly work as well as everyone says in the rest of the reviews. Boy was I wrong!!!

It is amazingly simple to use, and I can even hear it over the side pipe exhausts on my Cobra (and they are LOUD), if I turn the volume all the way up.

This is a GREAT product and a very good bang-for-the-buck!!! I cannot recommend it enough. Compared to the built-in GPS's in my other cars, it is superior.

Like it a lot ... small size is cool ... Does a great job mapping directions ... wish that it showed more street names, but given how small it is I understand the tradeoff ...

I will stick to what hasn't been said by many others already. I normally tend to research a long time and then go for full-featured value. In this case I deviated and bought the basic model that does one thing and does it well. So I give it 5 stars in that context; there are things I wish it did but I knew that I was trading them off for the low price and small size.

So the pros first. Once you get a satellite signal (took me about 30 minutes the first time, 1 - 3 minutes thereafter) you are ready to go. Entering addresses is very easy. I have the navigation set to "Fastest Route" and have been very pleasantly surprised with the routes the unit comes up with. It takes me ways I would never have gone before and predicts the arrival time with uncanny accuracy. It is easy to read, easy to travel with, and speaks in a clear pleasant voice. After a few days of constantly falling off, the suction cup and I have reached an understanding and it now stays affixed to the windshield.

What it doesn't do is also well reported. It doesn't allow you to set multiple waypoints. If for example you are going from Point A to Point B and want to take a different interstate than the unit calculates, you have to cheat and redirect it to a destination on the other highway then enter your true destination once you get to the first. Not a huge deal but it does require you have a map to find the interim point.

The biggest negative, and what may push me to upgrade someday, is the inability to move the map up, down, left or right from where you are. You can only move in and out. This means that if you are in a new area it is hard to get a good sense of what is around you without actually driving there. In the same vein, when you are driving the map only indicates street and highway names and numbers but not the town or the state. It would be nice to see that too. And finally, it does not tell you the distance to your destination, only the time of arrival. Given that it has been calculated in coming up with the route it shouldn't be hard to provide but it doesn't.

All in all, it is a great, basic portable GPS for the price.



Received box at work
Took box to lunch
Opened box in car
Plugged in cigarette adapter
Turned on
Waited 3 minutes for satellite location
Done

When I opened it I couldn't believe how small it was, BUT, once it was working I realized it didn't need to be any larger because you can adjust the view easily. Search functions were easy. What I really like about it is that it's so small you can easily detach it from one car and put it in the other one. And, the fact that it is small doesn't cloud the fact that the voice on the unit is very LOUD, but has 5 settings for those sensitive ears. I recommend attaching it to the windshield, which works nicely with the suction cup and, being small, doesn't get in the way of your line of sight. I've read where attaching it to the dashboard and then trying to remove it will rip your dashboard. The window mount is great because you can move the mount from car to car as well.

I'm thinking about giving them out as gifts...well maybe one.

This is a great little gadget. I have owned it for a month now and have taken a couple of long trips. I was never lost. I did a bit of thinking before buying this i5 against i3. I chose i5 because It had more memory and could accomodate entire US map. This is an amazing GPS devices for its price in the category. Its great for begineers and amateur travellers. It takes you wherever you want to go without getting lost. Its voice instructions's quality is very good even with my sound system on, i can hear it clearly. Couple of suggestions If may suggest to Garmin.

1. It would be great to have Audio/Video output from the GPS device so that it can be integrated with the Car Audio/Video system easily, so that it can be connected to bigger display and better sound system.

2. Provide a stronger mounting device. The current one provided with it did not stick firmly to my windshield near my rear view mirror. I had to mount it in the center of the windshield so that it will get less jerks while driving and it can hold.

Other than that, its a great device for anybody who is buying their first GPS device and not sure where to look for.




I find this device to be wonderful. It has in a very short time expanded my options to travel in my car. Instead of relying on mapquest or other printed instructions, the device has given me a great sense for freedom to travel to places I've never been. I love my Garmin auto GPS. My car this summer will be used 5x more, because I Plan on doing exploring, beaches, stores & other recreational areas. The fact that it talks is a great bonus, because you don't have to keep looking at the map images. I use my car to get to clients too; so Garmin i5 will help plot effective routes to those sites. { which will save you gas money because of getting loss in unfamilar areas }, some minor points: the device uses batteries like a fiend; but you can plug it into the car power source and its fine. If your traveling to a location the takes up a lot of land space; like large building complex or maybe some malls. It will get you to the area but may say "arriving at destination" when you actually have to drive another block or two if building is part of large complex, it cannot distinguish that particular site; but of course that's why we still have to us our brains hahahahaha. I already updated the units software from the Garmin website; Very user friendly. Its good to know Garmin is behind the product and investing in keeping it current; It has all the maps of USA & Canada pre-loaded out of the box! Sweet.
I give the device High praise, and anyone that gets loss on a regular basis -- this is for you! the next model up $$ has a touch screen, this has two buttons and a wheel; honestly, beyond entering the address at the start of the trip; there is little need to pay extra money for touch screen access. ---end review.

I am so pleased with this little GPS device. It works great, The screen size works fine for me. The voice volume is more than ample. The unit has been able to work around my changes in course, and get me back on track to where I told it to go.
I have been able to add my own customized entries, which is a great feature. My favorite feature is the Go Home choice; at the end of a day of exploring it is so nice not to worry about how to get there! The suction cup device doesn't work well in my VW Beetle so I bought the little friction mounting kit, which is just right, and I can use the device in other vehicles.
I would highly recommend this product.

Overall, I'm pleased with the product for local commuting and daily use. Its a great product for the price. Strengths: portability, size, color, 3-D view, clarity, easy to use, scroll bar for data entry is quick. Weaknesses: at times takes several minutes to acquire satellite and position, occasionally will lose signal, carrying case not included, battery life poor (basically you need to have it plugged into your lighter at all times).

I just ordered an garmin i5 from tigerdirect.com. I don't have time to test it yet, but the package doesn't have a suction mount as claimed in the description!

---------------------------------
//add on
I've used this product for half a month. I works very well. It can position you precisely and swiftly. One tiny problem is it may need some time to acquire satellite signals. One time I drove about 2 mins and it still didn't get signals so I reseted and got signals in 15 seconds.
Overall, this is a great purchase, although the package doesn't have the suction cup mount, which should be blamed on the shipper, TigerDirect.com!

I purchased the Garmin i5 from Amazon about a month ago. I had just completed an interstate move, had been considering a vehicle GPS for some time, and thought that learning a new city would be a good excuse to take the plunge.

First, the i5 is small. Really small. When I unboxed it, I thought there was no way I would be able to see the map displayed on the screen. It is surprisingly easy to see the map and directions on this display (I have it suction-cupped to the windshield just below the rear view mirror). The unit can be set to automatically change from a daylight-readable (white streets on a cream-colored background a la yahoo maps) to dark-readable (yellow streets on a black background) color scheme.

I was a little leery of the input/system navigation method - one scroll wheel and two buttons. It is very easy to use, both to look up an address and to find Points of Interest (POIs). Speaking of POIs, the i5's POI database is excellent - I'm in Nashville, where it lists dozens of restaurants (filtered by name as I start to enter it - e.g. as I type "d" it shows only those beginning with "d" and then "de" only those beginnings with "de" etc. - and sorted by distance to the current location) but I've used it in very sparsely populated areas of Tennessee and Alabama and it still finds quite a few POIs (they are just a little further apart). The user interface is a little difficult to use while the device is mounted on the windshield and driving (of course, you're not supposed to do this anyway).

Navigating with the i5 is easy and intuitive. The unit takes about 1 minute to get its initial satellite lock when starting up - by the time I'm ready to turn out of the neighborhood, it is ready with directions. The voice prompts arrive about when they should (this varies based on your speed - at 60 mph, you get a prompt 1/2 mile out, at 30 mph, it's more like 500 feet) and then immediately after completing the turn you get the next instruction (e.g. "turn right in .2 miles," "in 10 miles, turn left."). Note that the voice prompts are "left" and "right"; the name of the street is displayed on the screen. The distance to and direction of the next turn are displayed on the screen as well. Re-routing (on those rare occasions where I've missed a turn) is quick and efficient.

My only real gripe about the i5 is the volume control. The maximum volume is quite loud (it can easily be heard above the car stereo) but the only way to change it, while navigating, is to back out of the map screen, enter the "settings" menu, and adjust the volume via a software control. This is a real hassle if, for example, you get a phone call and need to turn the volume down on the GPS. A simple volume adjust knob on the side would be a huge improvement. My other "product suggestion" involves the batteries. The unit can be powered via three AA batteries or the 12-volt Cigarette lighter adapter. The battery life seems to be fairly good (my adapter stays in one vehicle, from time to time, the GPS gets used in the other, I have not run through the first set of batteries yet); however, if the unit was capable of charging rechargeable AA batteries while plugged in to the adapter, it would make life just a little easier. Additional adapters are available for about $50 from Garmin or $15 from a third-party Chinese manufacturer (probably the exact same hardware, minus the Garmin label).

Overall, I'm very happy with my i5 and would recommend it to anyone looking for a vehicle GPS. It is not capable of real-time traffic updates, Bluetooth phone integration, or any of the high-end features, but it works very well for a $350 GPS.

Review: One of the best toys and tools I ever purchased.
by: Stephen G. Fischer on date: July 16, 2006

I'm a limousine chauffeur and frequently drive into suburban areas to pick up new customers. I drive a different car every day and the portability of the i5 is perfect for my needs. The routes are accurate, although not necessarily the best but I always get where I'm going reasonably quick. I like the voice prompts and although it does not give you the street names to turn on, you can glance at the display and see it in the text. I particularly like the fact that I can scroll through the turn by turn directions before I start so that I have a good Idea of the area I'm heading into. Sometimes, for convenience or traffic situations, if I have a rough idea where I'm headed, I will start my trip using a different road than the one the i5 gave me and the unit quickly recalculates the route. This is so much better than trying to read a map or even Mapquest directions while you're driving in the dark. When I have to park the car and leave it (to go into the airport terminal, a restaurant, or a gas station, I can just slip it into my pants pocket and not worry about someone taking it. I recommend the i5 to anyone who needs or wants a GPS Navigation system for more than one vehicle.

Review: Works as planned
by: Paul on date: July 14, 2006

I'm planning on using the GPS for a long trip this weekend. I have tested the unit in town and I have no complaints. I would suggest that garmin supply a carrying case with purchase; because the i5 is small enough to travel with.

Review: Great product for the price!
by: A. Gresser on date: July 14, 2006

I wanted to buy my husband a GPS for Father's Day. All the producta I looked at were so expensive that I was about to find something else. Then I found the Garmin and was so excited about the good reviews and lower price. So far it has been great. It has gotten us everywhere we have needed to go. I already recommended it to other people to buy. There are a few things that are a little strange. For example they are still showing FLEET banks instead of Bank Of America....I think the switch was a few years ago already. But as for directions, it has not gotten us lost.

Review: good little unit
by: Scott L. on date: July 16, 2006

It is too bad that stores are not stocking this unit anymore. In the race to be bigger and better (and more expensive) this little guy got left behind and it is too bad. It is easy to operate (wife can do it) and does everything I need it to do. A lot of the other units I looked at cost more for stuff I did not need. If you can still find one of these and you don't need a touch screen it is a good one to pick up.

Review: Great product!
by: Linda Frank on date: July 21, 2006

This product has worked great right out of the box! We took it to Cape Cod and were able to find our place much more easily with the directions from it compared to directions from the internet! The house was very remote and the i5 brought us right to the door. I don't know how we managed before!

Review: Small and Wonderful
by: Girish Rao on date: July 21, 2006

This is the first GPS I have seen thats so small and believe me, it works. It does everything necessary and perfect for the price. There is nothing not required and nothing missing. The wheel/button to input is not at all complicated, but could have been better. I am giving only 4 start coz I also bought a Nuvi350 to use on my motorcycle and Iam gonna give that 5. But for the price.. and for your car.. you aint gonna get lost no more. For its size, its gonna surprise you. Its a 100times better than Magellan. Buy IT TODAY!.

Review: Garmin i5
by: N. Rifkin on date: July 19, 2006

The Garmin i5 is reasonably precise but the size of the screen is very small.
The voice feature on my i5 failed. Garmin has a limited technical service staff and the telephone waits often exceed 1/2 hour.

Review: Luxury Item or Must Have? BOTH!
by: S. Beausoleil on date: July 17, 2006

I bought this originally as a gift, but then decided against it figuring it was too technologically advanced for my father-in-law. I got the item ready to return, but it sat in our house for a week waiting to be returned when my husband and I decided to take it out and give it a try.

We figured it would be useful, but never expected to be so impressed with it!! It took less than three miles of driving to convince us that it was worth the money. We quickly realized the in-laws would have no problem working it, but no longer wanted to give it up!

I read somewhere that it would take 10 minutes to be comfortable with it, but it took no more than 2-3 minutes. We simply plugged it into the car for power. Once it came on, we used the wheel to scroll and select, with just one other button.

I was thrilled that it was so compact, but I figured that the small size of it would make the screen too small to really be effective. But the display is crystal clear and you can easily follow what is on the screen, even when it is on the other side of the vehicle. To add to that, the female voice that gives the instructions is just as easy to follow and understand.

Some of my favorite features is that their is a voice command warning you of your next turn as you get nearer to it, but then gives another command for you to turn exactly when it is time. If you tire of the voice, you can turn up, down, or off.

If you miss your turn, it recalculates a new route in seconds. On two rare occasions it was about 20 feet off with it's turning commands - once in the northwoods, once in downtown Chicago.

You can easily request nearby ATM's, restaurants, gas stations, etc - and it will quickly tell you how to get there.

Finally, we love that it lists right on the screen the time when you will arrive at your destination. This adjusts all the time, for instance if you get into heavy traffic, so that it is always accurate.

I can't imagine a more useful tool for anyone who does a good deal of traveling, but this has been great for our personal use, as well!

Review: Excellent Device
by: Vinni Juneja on date: July 17, 2006

If you're in the market for a small cost effective GPS, look no further.

Cons
-in my area, this device does not get a signal very easily. However, I assume that this is a satellite problem rather than a problem with the unit itself

Pros
-very small unit
-Don't let its small screen size fool you. This device is usually posted closely enough to your eyes to be easily visible.
-It has a loud easily audible voice
-extremely accurate once it catches satellite signal
-bright screen visible in direct sunlight
-pre-downloaded maps included of whole US
-suction cup mount is very sturdy
-saves locations, and has recent searches you did
-finds food, gas, hotels, etc, near a prespecified location u typed in
-easy text entry with minimal buttons (hard to believe, but true)
-very easy to learn how to use

Review: Good value in this GPS unit
by: Allen Lew on date: July 22, 2006

I already have a Garmin GPS (StreetPilot 2620) unit but purchased this because I wanted one that can be brought onboard a plane in carry on baggage. The 2620 I have is too big to carry with me on a plane since I generally bring my laptop, and I do not want to risk having it stolen from checked baggage.

The i5 is a very impressive unit given the size (imagine if a baseball was a cube rather than a ball) and the price. I do find that it takes quite some time to locate satellites after you do not use it for a while, but it works. The directions are good and the screen, though small, is very clear.

If you are looking for a basic GPS unit (really no "bells or whistles" on this one) that is easy to use, very portable, and affordable, this is the unit for you.

Review: It will make you happy
by: Kandanala Rajnish Rao on date: July 22, 2006

This is my first GPS system but spent a lot of time researching about the GPS. This GPS system is unbeatable for the price. Period!! There may be a few better GPS systems but they will cost you at least 40-50% more than the i5.
If you want to know about the good points about this GPS, then look at other reviews. Trust me they are saying the truth. More than 60 guys gave it 5 stars and they cannot go wrong at the same time. But i assume you are on this page to know if there are any potential negative points about this unit so I'll try to mention them.
(1) This unit doesn't have an external volume control. Although it is only a few very easy clicks through the software interface.
(2) When the unit is "cold", for example when you start the unit in the morning, it sometimes takes about 2-3 minutes to acquire the satellites. When the unit does have the satellite reception it calculates the route in about 4-5 seconds. Recalculating the route when you make the wrong turn takes just about 1-2 seconds.
(3) Navigation in WAAS mode appears to be somewhat slower than Normal mode. But your position in WAAS mode is more accurate.
(4)Sometimes when you are in the service road it still thinks you are on the interstate. May be it is a common accuracy problem among GPS'.
(5)I wish it showed on the inbuilt map itself, some points of interest in the form of icons. Probably because of the very small screen size this functionality is limited.
(6) The two AA battries it takes, cannot be charged when you hook it to the 12V power supply. Garmin should incorporate this battery charging feature in next realeases.

Mounting suggestion: I found it easier to mount it on your dashboard in front of the tachometer (RPM meter) using the included sticky disk. You don't need to see your car's RPM anyway and you can hide the power cord. That way you can look at it through your steering wheel.
Tip: Saving Your current location - Press the wheel for a second or two and it will assign that place a name like "001" , "002" etc. and will save it in your list of favourites. You can go and change the name of that point of interest from 001 to say for example "Mary's house". This is very useful feature. Think of the situation when you drive past a point of interest(POI) and want to save that location on your Garmin i5.You can delete that POI whenever you want.
I had to wait for about 3 weeks for the delivery of this unit from Amazon. The wait was worth it. I can understand that they are finding it hard to keep up with the demand of this awesome unit. Buy it and it will make you happy with the purchase. Trust me.

Review: Very good buy for the money
by: Jatin Majmudar on date: July 24, 2006

This is my first GPS and I already bought second one to give as a gift to my Wife.

+ ponts:
0) PRICE
1) Locks on satellite quickly
2) Never looses signal, even during heavy rain.
3) Route selection is A+
4) Finds popular places easily.
5) Re-calculates route in seconds,

- Points:
1) Suction cup does not hold the unit tightly, it fallen off the windshld twice in 1 week. If you apply little water at the base then it remains. Garmin must fix this proble in their next version

2)Does not speak street name as well as Exit name/Number.

3)Design is not slick.

Review: Great for the Price
by: James S. Thacker on date: July 31, 2006

The StreetPilot i5 is very easy to use and accurate. The windshield mount is very sturdy. I have no problems at all with this unit and I'm not sure how I traveled without one. My work takes me numerous places in the U.S. and Canada. Directions have been right on and it recalculates a different route very fast if you do miss a turn from the original route. Very nice unit.

Review: Garmin Strret Pilot I5-WORTH IT
by: J. Depalma on date: July 25, 2006

For a new customer to the GPS world, this is the unit to buy. It's maps are pre-loaded,so just take it out of the box, put the batteries in, get a signal,and follow some basic intrsuctions and your good. The screen is small, but most of the time, I go by the voice command feature.

Review: Small yet packs a punch!
by: Gautham V. Pallapa on date: August 2, 2006

The Garmin Street Pilot i5 might look to be too small but it sure does perform well. The accuracy is upto 20 feet and that is quite a lot considering commercial GPS navigators. The built in scroll button is a little difficult at first but soon you will get the hang of it. There are loads of Points of Interest(PoI) preloaded and they are just a couple of clicks away. The 3D map is pretty good and the recalculation of route is surprisingly quick. On an average, route recalculation is performed within 4 seconds and that is impressive. The voice is pleasing to the ear and the change from daytime to nighttime mode is good. You can download more PoI and install them on the i5. My peeve against this is that the navigator hangs abruptly (happened 2 times for me within 3 months) but rebooting the unit seems to make it work fine. Also, one can;t lock the GPS coordinates of a place and store it as a favorite. On the whole, a pretty good deal for the money you shell out. Worth every single bit of it and some!

Review: critique
by: Edward J. Soehnel on date: July 31, 2006

first unit was defective, Garmin is almost worthless when you call them as they place you on hold for 30 min and then tell you to call them back. Email worked better. Amazon was the best! Shipped me a new unit the next day. Tried it in Oregon and Calif and it worked like a charm.. Saved us hours of map reading.. found the smallest of out of the way streets, In Portland, recognized one way streets and guided us to our destination without any trouble. ONly downgrade is for customer service on Garmin's part.

Review: This GPS is a lifesaver!
by: A. Hernandez on date: August 10, 2006

Fabulous item for the directionally challenged, such as myself. User friendly - so small, yet so clear and easy to read. You cannot screw it up because it gives you the street name you're looking for, the exact distance in feet/miles you are from it, and the audio tells you to turn before and right at the point where you should be turning. The only problem I have is when it can't find the satellite - I have to drive around a bit until it locates it. It's also great because it can find ATMs, stores, etc. from whereever you are. It's well worth the money, in my opinion.

Review: Nice size
by: Urmas Veri on date: August 9, 2006

Works well . I like the small size fits in my glove box

Review: i5 Street Pilot
by: W. ODonnell on date: August 9, 2006

Could not be happier with this model- only GPS I have had experience with so my opinion is biased. Would purchase it again and highly recommend it. I have had a slight delay in connecting to a satellite, takes up to 1 minute at times. Somewhat of an inconvenience when you want to start driving and are not sure the direction needed, and have to wait for the connection. One of my vehicles has OnStar, and I suspect that may cause some interference. Although the display appears small, it is quite adequate in size, I place my unit on the windshield next to the rear view mirror. One area that I have not investigated is a setting that allows me to stay on the interstate, if memory serves, the settings allow you to pick quickest and staightest, but in upstate NY, the Garmin took me on a 2 lane road through small towns, which might have been the most direct as the crow flies, but not the easiest. Otherwise, I give it a BUY rating.

Review: Great Product
by: Timothy Geran on date: August 9, 2006

I had some misgivings ordering this item because of the size. I'm very impressed with the i5, it is easy to use - the scroll wheel ins't a negative as you can quickly enter data using it. The voice is very clear and plenty loud. While I would like a bigger screen, this unit is a steal at the price.

Review: This is the best
by: Wendy on date: August 9, 2006

I am so happy with this product; it has worked beautifully whether I am near my home in the NE or traveling to another part of the country. Small enough to carry easily, very accurate and has made navigating in a new location very simple. Good price too.

Review: Garmin GPS Street Pilot
by: Patricia Jamison on date: August 6, 2006

The GPS unit works extremely well. I recommend it to everyone.

Review: A bit more than I expected
by: Spencer Black on date: August 5, 2006

This is an extremely quality unit from Garmin. Aquiring satellite signal sometimes took a minute or two. Aside from that, I was more than please with this unit. My job requires me to go to many DC and Balitmore area hospitals and residences, being new to the area, I put a lot of faith into this unit. It has yet to dissapoint. Small, portable and extremely accurate, I'd reccomend this to anyone looking for an effective, yet inexpensive, GPS unit.

Review: Excellent - Yeah, you need one
by: Sam on date: August 11, 2006

I was planning on getting a much more expensive GPS but thought for my first one, I'd get a budget one. Obviously $300 isn't considered a budget item if you've never owned one of these before.

My review is for a newbie as I can guarantee you that you will not use this as you expect; it will work different than you want; and you will think you got a bargain at $300+.

I've shown this to 3 different people and so far had to loan it out to 3 different people for their vacations. That is the first tip... don't show it unless you intend to loan it. Out of the three, two have bought one for themselves.

You really won't use it to type in addresses and then follow the route. You can and do at times, but most likely will use the other features for looking up such things as gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, car washes, motels, banks, ATMs, and everything you can imagine, including cemeteries... yeah, it has those too.

The "small screen" is the hardest concept to overcome before you buy. You don't need a larger screen. I'll say it again... you don't need a larger screen. Since it has voice, you seldom look at the screen and on those few occasions that you need the screen, it is large enough and has what you "need."

Before the voice feature I am certain the larger the screen the better. I'm not one for portability. I have a couple of cars and I will normally duplicate what I like in each car. This is small enough to swap around and bring inside to keep it from possibly being stolen. I'm usually one to permanently mount things in my car but haven't done so with this and don't foresee that I will.

I find that I will type in my `home' link when I perfectly know how to get home. I can take a shortcut in a strange neighborhood to avoid traffic and know full well that it will recalculate (automatically hands free continiously) the best and fastest path out of the neighborhood to my home. I've taken it to three different states and it works great.

Depending on what states you are in, I find that most Wal-Mart Supercenter stores have gas stations. And the fuel is almost always cheaper than the rest. I push the button to locate the "nearest" Supercenter, it takes me there, I get fuel and am set to buy anything else at one of the least expensive stores nearby.

Still, all is not perfect in paradise. One Wal-Mart turned out to be a church and a few other places abandoned businesses that clearly had been closed for a long time. It has to do with the information fed to it from the factory and some of it is old information or "proposed" locations that never came to fruition. Sometimes it gets confused if you are on a highway or the access road to the side. It won't switch back and forth. If it keeps telling you to "enter ramp on left" for twenty miles and you are still on the freeway, then you'll know it thinks you are on the service road. Keep in mind that if this is the case, you will miss your exit as it won't tell you of the exit "ramp" off the highway.

There are a few tricks with this. For one, if you are entering an address that includes a highway... try entering US Hwy... even if it is a state highway. Otherwise it may not recognize the highway and be looking for a street number.

Also use some common sense since typing in an address is longer than finding a business. If you remember the place you are going is near a 7-11, just search for 7-11's and you'll see the address to verify it's the one you want. Navigate to it instead.

One of the great benefits, is that I can be driving and call up a customer 150 miles away and tell him exactly when I will be there as the "arrival time" is on the screen. It is almost always perfect... add a few minutes for bathroom breaks and gas fills. This is especially useful for long distance and deciding if you need to guarantee a hotel room.

Here is a simple example that is practical in your own larger city. Scroll the wheel a little and with a few pushes find the your favorite pizza place. Pull it up with the phone number on the screen and order your pizza by cell. It will be ready in 20 minutes and give you time to go to the grocery store for the extras. Enter the grocery store as a waypoint, if you wish. Once you arrive at the grocery store take a look at the arrival time to the pizza place and you know how much time you have to kill in the grocery store.

IOW, what I am saying is that you don't just use it to travel out of town and you don't just use it to go places where you have never been. You can just as easily enter an address 200 miles away, locate a restaurant nearby that location (which retrieves the phone number) and make reservations for a few minutes after arrival.

While it is possible to do this while you are driving (by setting up the configuration differently; not advised by the manufacturer), I can tell you from experience you really should pull off the road while fiddling with this thing. It is much more distracting (only when entering the places that you are going) than a cell phone.

In the real world here is how you use it: One, don't use it on batteries as it eats them like crazy. Use the cigarette plug-in that comes with it. However that power cord also serves as a useful feature... you wrap it around your rearview mirror a few times. Why? It keeps it from falling on the floor when the suction cup fails on the windshield. My experience has been that once it is suctioned to the windshield it will hold about ten minutes, then fall. Suction it in the same spot again and it will stay for 6 hours. Why? I don't know... probably a scientific reason, but just plan on it falling. The cord will hold it from dropping in your cup of pop. Also if it loses suction more than once, then all you have to do is clean your windshield as it makes a major difference.

I know some states don't allow clutter in the viewable area, but I find mine is more perfect mounted next to the rearview mirror. I've tried "low" and high works better for me. Also keep in mind this antenna built in (also has an external jack) is looking for satellites just like XM and Sirius. So it needs line-of-sight up to the sky. If you can't do that, then you need an external antenna that does even if the antenna just sits on the dash inside the car.

It also comes with a plastic plate. One that has adhesive to attach to your vinyl dash, whereupon you place your suction cup. IOW, it just acts as a smooth surface so the suction cup will hold.

You can add addresses and points to your memory and can download locations from the internet to be placed in memory, later to be retrieve as needed. If you are good with Excel and can find longitude and latitude of addresses then you can create your own places. You can not change what comes with it or add your points in the same menu. The stuff you add will be placed in a different menu area.

Finally all I can say is that I really like it and don't see any reason to upgrade to something bigger and better. My only consideration is if there was one with more accurate data of businesses. But I think that will always be the case with all of these GPSs.

Review: Great small Garmin i5 GPS!
by: D. Anzai on date: August 14, 2006

This is a great powerful small GPS device. Never got lost, never need a map. Sound and vision activation. Most of the time I hear the voice rather looking at it. Easy to program and keep in your Favorites. Used in Hawaii & will use it in Las Vegas & California soon. Will only lose signal in your home and under long overpass so far. Small to carry and take around. Thumb wheel to enter characters and Numbers and save it in favorites (Don't need to enter address again) The touch screen for the other models maybe a little faster to enter, but its not a problem for a price wise shopper.

Review: Great little GPS for a good price!
by: M. Berthelot on date: August 12, 2006

I wasn't sure about how happy I would be with this new "mini" GPS, but it did not take long before all fears were resolved. This thing works great, it is easy to use and has all of the features that you need.

The only feature that I sort of miss is the "speak" button. There is no way to get the GPS to repeat the command (i.e. "in 500 feet keep right") if you were not listening.

The screen is small, but easy to read and see, if you have above average to good vision. There is a roller wheel on the front that allows you to scroll through the alphabet or name list, I like that too. It is quick and simple. Well worth the money.

Review: AMAZING LITTLE GADGET
by: C. Aquino on date: August 14, 2006

This is the most AMAZING thing. Everytime I travelled I had to go online and plan places I might want to visit and print out driving directions. Well not anymore! I just pack my GPS with me and I always go exactly where i want to go. No more getting lost or asking for directions.

Everyone should have a GPS.

I purchased the StreetPilot I5, because i did not feel comfortable paying over $400 for a device that might not work well or a device that I might only use once or twice and then put away. If I Knew how AMAZING this was going to be I think I would have preferred a bigger one. Not too big because I would want to be able to travel with it. But I thing one of the Touch screen Garmin models would be even better. Maybe the C300 Series or C500.

But everybody should run out and get one NOW!!

Review: Great GPS for every driver
by: Jonathan G. Kim on date: August 18, 2006

I bought this for my wife, who gets lost often. This navigator is inexpensive, compact and efficient. It is so accurate to amaze me all the time I drive with my wife, as I am a very savvy driver and do not need GPS unless I hit a road block in an unfamiliar area. Yes, it has raised a yellow flag a few times, as it routed us to driv