HMR
Registered user
I've done some comparisons of the 276C and the Zumo 550 to figure out if a Zumo can do the same job as the 276C can.
First issue was the autozoom problem. I think we can forget that one. The Zumo works great as a co-driver showing the bends coming up. The Zumo zooms in when near a crossing but else it stays at the preset zoom rate.
Can one import tracks to Zumo? Yes you can. A track is, when imported, converted to a route. The Zumo puts the route on roads where available and uses straight lines when offroad. The result is a route partly on road and partly offroad. It actually works great! I've tested importing 15 real tracks and the result was far better than expected.
But here the problems starts.
Everything is OK as long as you follow the planned route EXACTLY. Any deviation and the Zumo will entirely destroy the route by recalculating it. If you have a route created from an imported track that partly goes off-road, the recalculation means skipping all off-route sections and replace them with roads. Often running in the wrong direction.
One must restart the original route even after the smallest deviation. Stopping for a leak is enough. You could maybe live with this if, and only if, you notice when the Zumo recalculates. Assume that you miss a turn and don't notice. Within seconds the Zumo will have recalculated and there is no way for you to know that you are on an entirely different road than planned.
Bottom line is that if, and only if, you follow the planned route EXACTLY and never ever miss a turn, the Zumo is OK even for small roads / off-road riding.
The only HUGE remaning problem is the automatic off-route recalculation. I've so far not even once been able to run a planned route without having the route being "self destructed" by the Zumo. My conclusion is that no - the Zumo can't do the job that a 276C or a 60CX or a SP2820 can. No way! It's not until Garmin provides the Zumo with the magic "automatic off-road recalculation = off" feature that it can do the sam job as the older models.
First issue was the autozoom problem. I think we can forget that one. The Zumo works great as a co-driver showing the bends coming up. The Zumo zooms in when near a crossing but else it stays at the preset zoom rate.
Can one import tracks to Zumo? Yes you can. A track is, when imported, converted to a route. The Zumo puts the route on roads where available and uses straight lines when offroad. The result is a route partly on road and partly offroad. It actually works great! I've tested importing 15 real tracks and the result was far better than expected.
But here the problems starts.
Everything is OK as long as you follow the planned route EXACTLY. Any deviation and the Zumo will entirely destroy the route by recalculating it. If you have a route created from an imported track that partly goes off-road, the recalculation means skipping all off-route sections and replace them with roads. Often running in the wrong direction.One must restart the original route even after the smallest deviation. Stopping for a leak is enough. You could maybe live with this if, and only if, you notice when the Zumo recalculates. Assume that you miss a turn and don't notice. Within seconds the Zumo will have recalculated and there is no way for you to know that you are on an entirely different road than planned.
Bottom line is that if, and only if, you follow the planned route EXACTLY and never ever miss a turn, the Zumo is OK even for small roads / off-road riding.
The only HUGE remaning problem is the automatic off-route recalculation. I've so far not even once been able to run a planned route without having the route being "self destructed" by the Zumo. My conclusion is that no - the Zumo can't do the job that a 276C or a 60CX or a SP2820 can. No way! It's not until Garmin provides the Zumo with the magic "automatic off-road recalculation = off" feature that it can do the sam job as the older models.
