Navman MY660LMT – just keeps getting better (review)

First, you can place the unit closer to your line of sight for less distraction – ever noticed how most in-car systems are in the centre, mid-part of the dash?

Second, the instructions are generally vastly superior – far greater levels of information, far better turn-by-turn instructions, landmarks, graphics, and descriptions. It is easier to get from A-B.

Third, do not underestimate the value of up-to-date maps. Something like 20% of all roads change in some way each year – new, diversions, speed limits, one-way, etc. Lifetime Maps and Traffic (LMT) are standard on most PND – something that many car manufacturers charge an arm and a leg for.

{loadposition ray}

Navman is a leader in the field. It makes PNDs catering to the mass market (Move and EYZ series), a premium range with a little more functionality (the MY and Speciality series) and recently the MIVUE GPS with a dash cam.

Navman had New Zealand origins and ended up being part of the MiTAC International Corporation that also makes Mio and Magellan. I have to say that earlier models, say pre-2014 were not the pinnacle of design or engineering but later models have been increasingly better - if you have purchased one in the past few years they do everything they promise.

The main competitor is TomTom and while both should achieve the same result – getting you from A to B - the user interfaces (UI) are very different. I prefer the Navman UI but others in my family like TomTom – it is a matter of preference.

Review – Navman MY660LMT

I have been using a Navman 7” MYEscape III for the past 12 months, so I am used to the UI. Changing to a 6” screen was not that hard because the voice prompts are good enough that you really don’t need to glance at the screen all that often. The MYEscape’s extra inch is handy for viewing complex manoeuvres such as entering a multi-lane exchange, but the voice prompt is the same – keep your eyes on the road!

I found the MY660LMT an evolution over the previous MY 400/450/600/650 series. It is a little more responsive, a little faster, and a little more intuitive. Let’s just say it is a more mature product and users of older Navman units would appreciate that – it has almost no foibles like slow to acquire or lost GPS signals, map reversals, and spurious “Perform a U-turn where possible.” I think that simply has to do with a faster processor, more RAM, more complete maps, and software. Maturity and polish.

Specifications

• 6” diagonal, touch-screen
• Spoken audio alerts – speed camera placements, school zones, etc
• Lifetime map updates (for the practical life of the unit) for both Australia and New Zealand
• Smart find allows you to look for airports, some shopping centres and landmarks
• Lifetime Traffic updates
• Premium driver alerts like 3D graphic landmarks and voice instructions “Turn left at the lights next to MacDonalds,” driver fatigue, speed limit alerts and more
• Advanced Lane Guidance including reference to which lane to be in, use of arrows, and photographs at major intersections
• Turn-by-turn spoken guidance with slightly better street name pronunciation
• Bluetooth for smartphone connections
• Zomato (Urban Spoon) café and restaurant guide as well as petrol and accommodation
• Smart route learns your favoured routes
• Logbook function
• Trip planner
• Roadside assist
• 4GB RAM, MicroSD card slot (32GB)
• 2-year warranty
• Windshield suction mount, 12V car power adaptor, Mini-USB cable

Bluetooth pairing

Given the publicity of poor Bluetooth pairing in many modern cars it is refreshing to see something that works well with the latest iPhone, Android and Windows 10 Mobile devices.

It is fine for average use and voice quality, and volume (spoken and received) is adequate.

Finding stuff

You can explore [find] using keywords [chemist or airport] or simply look for points of interest on the map (it has 86 different POI icons). Standard POI includes fuel, emergency services, restaurant/café, hotel/motel, parking, banks and ATMs.

If you use the typical Suburb/Street/Number, find it will prompt you with guides and spelling.

It will also take you to the business centre or points of interest (POI) of a nominated suburb or postcode.

I was given GPS co-ordinates for a bar, and it would accept that as well. You can save locations like Home or a favourite as well.

What I find a little confusing is that it will present numerous ways – fastest, easiest, economical, shortest, etc., but when you are in a hurry it is not always clear what you are selecting – it defaults to fastest that may include tolls or highways (unless you prevent that later).

Traffic

The 12V cigarette lighter adaptor and cable contain the TMC antenna/receiver. It was reliable and offered alternative routes although sometimes it was too late for me to change.

Map/Screen

Maps are provided by HERE and are without a doubt the best I have used. HERE also provide the POI and other information such as speed limits so regular map updates will ensure you get the right supporting metadata.

The map is easy to read even in bright light and shows 1) Direction and distance of next turn, 2) Route, 3) Position, 4) Address Bar, 5) Distance ant time information that can be expanded (permanently) to show Speed, ETA, Time, Distance to Go and Time to Go. You can zoom in our out.

GPS accuracy

Locating a GPS signal is the bane of anyone who parks in a multi-storey carpark without line of sight to the sky. The MyEscape III can take from 30 to 300 seconds. The MY660LMT found signals faster – from 30 to 60 seconds.

As I get to know Sydney, I get to know favourite shortcuts (like avoiding the Harbour Bridge when going North). It will generally select the main route but if you want to avoid tolls or the Bridge you can select that and it will use the free Anzac Bridge. Just realise there are ways to program many defaults.

When you depart from a route, stop at shops, etc., it quickly recalculates, and that seems to be faster at the uptake than previous models.

You can also capture the GPS coordinates of the journey, set waypoints and plan multi-stop journeys. It would be nice to view the journey on a PC – that is not a feature I can find yet.

NavDesk

This is the map updater, but it can also search for POI, embed custom POI, plan trips, and more. It works on Mac and Windows. It downloads maps etc., via the micro-USB cable to the PND.

FAQ

Believe it or not, the GPS speed indicator is more accurate than the speedometer in the car. As it appears in the drop-down box on the map screen, it is often easier to use than look at the speedo.

Voice commands are possible but it is in the lap of the gods if they work. My advice is to limit voice navigation but using the Bluetooth function to call someone in your contacts list is fine.

Zomato was excellent for finding restaurants and cafes in out of the way places.

You can buy or rent USA or European international maps as well as travel guides.

It has a battery for external use – don’t rely on it to last more than 20 minutes as GPS sucks it dry.

Conclusion

I have been using/reviewing Navman since 2013, and it is safe to state that every iteration gets better – the early ones were pretty basic. If you are looking for other reviews (and there are very few as this is a new model), please ensure it is for the MY660LMT – most of the review are on older 600/650 models.

As mentioned earlier I prefer the Navman UI over TomTom, but both are reputable companies and provide a good product. TomTom does not have Bluetooth in its 6” model.

I get asked a lot about using a smartphone as a GPS. Sure you can get free software/maps from HERE or Google and apps from Navman and TomTom (and many more) but the experience, reliability and intuitiveness are not up to a PND.

A classic test is to put both into the car and set the routes. It quickly becomes obvious a PND is designed for the job. Note that in some states and territories it is illegal for a P-Plate driver to have a mobile phone, even in a cradle, for use as a GPS.

It sells for under A$250 at JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Bing Lee, Big W, and Harvey Norman.