Zumo XT2 in few weeks?

[axamax]

I was hoping there would be a voice-controlled unit (like car units). Less time with hands off handlebars hitting wrong buttons. At the moment I can't see enough to make me upgrade.

[Peobody]

Will they have sorted out the routing algorithms compared to the smaller XT?

The introduction of the XT2 could explain why Garmin went quiet in their communication with @jfheath regarding routing issues. Now we wait to see if they were listening and fixed any of them in the XT2. I haven't seen any indication that they did in the details provided and documentation referenced so far.

The purpose of the group ride feature seems to be to see where other members of the group are. The attention should have been on ensuring each group member has the same route. Those who group ride know how common it is for different satnavs to produce different routes from the same .gpx. Heck, two XTs will end up with different routes if the maps are different, or if one recalcs at some point, or if both recalc and the avoidances and/or the faster/shorter options are different.

[Zumek]

Until now, I was hoping for another software update for the Zumo XT. Today I think I can already accept that I'm staying with the XT as it currently is. It's a bit of a shame that Garmin is (probably) abandoning its product so soon. Why do I think so? Because I can see that some features of the XT2 are just a matter of software changes. They could have been introduced without releasing just a slightly changed device. Well, but that's business, everyone wants to make money.

[Fourbears]

I had an email from Garmin inviting me to look at the new XT2. So I did and nearly spat my drink out when I saw the price. £550! Yes £550. So I won’t be remotely considering changing and will put up with the idiosyncrasies of the current one which I am ever more convinced is based on carousing software algorithms rather than motorcycle ones.

[Fxwheels]

Until now, I was hoping for another software update for the Zumo XT. They could have been introduced without releasing just a slightly changed device.

I was hoping that too. But they have to pay developers for time spent to work on all the errors fixing, that had to be ironed out in the first place. I understand you can't predict all of the scenarios in the world, but the fixes aer usually is included in the software update.
So instead of a free update, here is the new unit with even more [needed?] features at 1.5x the price. Hmmm, not a good way to do business in my book.
However..., having that said, I'm not even sure if the errors from XT were sorted out.

[rbentnail]

I think its a last ditch panic response from Garmin, its obvious their recent focus has been on lifestyle gadgets and not on motorised vehicle navigation.

Who in their right mind would buy the New XT2 when the original still throws up errors on a regular basis?

The XT device itself is great but, the software is unsatisfactory and the addition of features and gizmos to widen its appeal has meant that its core purpose is now secondary.

Its sad that Basecamp is not being kept up to date, the hoops you have to jump through to get a planned route from BC to the device and the device to then direct you to your destination are crazy. It smacks of an unfinished project, maybe Garmin have seen the competition and cannot afford the investment, who knows?

The lack of a Basecamp for Android/IOS shows their intent or lack of.

Back when I had a 550 I could send a route from BC and the Zumo would accept it and direct me to where I wanted to go. Yes if the maps didnt match it went wrong but with a little discipline it just worked. Now its a leap of faith, I have to display the track to be sure the XT is not re-calculating a "better" route. If I use closest entry or heaven forbid skip a point there is a better than even chance I will be RUT'd.

I admit I am weird in that my routes do not have coffee stops/ lunch venues etc, I stop when I want a break or a drink. I dont need suggested sites or sights, most of the things I want to see are on my pre-planned route. If there is a road sign for a site of interest I will leave the route to go and have a look and dont need nagging repeatedly to make a uturn.

Recently I have only used tracks, no via/way/shaping points, no audio instruction. It works, its like following a highlighted route on a map (hey thats an idea!). I dont need most of the features available, I just would like the benefit of a device that can reliably follow a planned route.

My XT is the last Garmin I will buy, when it fails or I build a funeral pyre and have a ceremonial parting I will use my phone with MRA or Scenic or any one of the other navigation apps and a CarPlay screen.

Good luck to the early adopters of XT2.

I have always said, especially about Garmin gps units: The more they try to make it do, the less it does well. My first Garmin was a nuvi780 and it was a stone compared to the XT but man, it was intuitive and straight forward. I "upgraded" to the 595 when my nuvi was dying and quickly found how badly Garmin devs understood the needs and wants of its users. My big thought then was to be able to delete all the BS apps I don't want and don't use, so the unit can function without the clutter. The XT, it turns out, is even worse than that IMHO. Sure there's workarounds but you know, for me and my needs, I didn't need workarounds with the nuvi.

I'd love to be able to figure out the "tracks" thing. I'm missing something but I don't know what questions to ask so I've given up. Last Saturday my XT wanted me to backtrack about 5 miles to join the route "at the closest point" that was actually less than a mile in front of me. Then of course it decided "can't calculate route" and shut off.

I think I'll go back to paper maps and highliters before I get an XT2.

[jfheath]

I will be asking some pointed questions about the XT2 before I even consider buying.

I notice an anomaly in the manual in routing preference which suggests that route calculation mode can be set to turn-by-turn, or straight line. Elsewhere it mentions that 'Faster Time' is the default calculation mode.

So I will want to know:

Does the XT2 still

route to faster roads rather than calculating the fastest route
move route points when changing between via and shaping in the trip planner
attempt to return you to point of deviation when going off route
Change route point names on transfer from planning software
Recalculate the entire route when skipping route points.
Break the recorded track log every time a u turn request is issued
etc

And if these problems no longer exist, why have they not fixed them for the many XT owners that have been complaining for the last 3 years.
And if they haven't - its not worth buying anyway.

But I do like the idea of the on-screen route planner which allow you to specify via or shaping point when you place it on the map.

I also note the increasing use of the words 'Stop' and 'Destination' instead of 'Via Point'.

I've given up with Garmin. I'll keep my XT, I have found a way to live with it, but I don't think they have fixed a single fault that I have reported over the last 3 years.

[Oop North John]

Like many, I'll not be rushing out to buy the XT2 that may have all the faults the similar lookung XT

After last summers problems of repeated u-turns in Montenegro I've bought a 396. It has its peculiarities, it also prefers faster roads, but doesn't go into the u-turn meltdown of the XT.

[rbentnail]

Like many, I'll not be rushing out to buy the XT2 that may have all the faults the similar lookung XT

After last summers problems of repeated u-turns in Montenegro I've bought a 396. It has its peculiarities, it also prefers faster roads, but doesn't go into the u-turn meltdown of the XT.

I went thru this too again last Saturday. I just kept skipping non-existent points until it started routing forward instead of wanting me to go back. I then added a couple "add as next stop" points until it routed me the way I wanted to go.

[Zumek]

A bit more informations from Garmin about XT2.