Zumo 660. 550 or 220?

[Berin]

My Nav III is getting long in the tooth, so I'm looking at new - the 660 seems the most direct replacement, but the 550 seems to be current and the 220 is a useful saving.

The comparison tool on the Garmin site doesn't really give much insight, other than the 220 doesn't have an MP3 player.

Any thoughts on the best one? It'll be used for UK and European (including outside EU) routes on the bike only.

cheers

 

[siwhite]

I have a 550 bought second hand from this forum.

Only had it a few days but I love it - does postcodes with boring efficiency and recalculates routes quickly after an I-fancy-detouring-down-that-road moment.

I would really recommend an MP3 player - I love listening to some nice calming music while wafting about. I'd not be without one now.

 

[Berin]

I already use a iPod connected via Autocom, so don't really need the MP3, other than to get rid of another piece of kit.

 

[Clubbyd]

I have been considering a new Sat Nav too. This seemed like a goood deal considering the number of 'as new' refurbed units that seem to be around.

http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/garmin-zumo-550-gps-sat-nav-system-04686219-pdt.html

 

[Berin]

Any thoughts on the difference between these units?

 

[6821snape]

You can compare on Garmin site ,I went for 220 as not bothered about music and there is no output for earpiece only bluetooth,have found it easy to follow by just checking the screen.You cant link the bluetooth to your phone though.Have planned routes with Mapsource and it was also no probs.So far 6 weeks in and no issues, paid £250 from Play.com.Comes with a mount as well.

 

[sparkplug]

I recently replaced my old 2610 with the 660.

Strangely I didn't care about the MP3 player for on the bike, but I've used it quite a bit when camping etc as it's just the one device and doesn't need yet another charger....

Amazon were doing a really good deal on it and I was surprised at all the RAM fittings that came with it for the money. If you had to buy these as extras on the other units then the cost saving would be zero.

Been quite happy with the unit so far but not used it all that much yet.

I know that isn't a comparison, but just another user's opinion. I didn't see that the cost saving on the other devices was worth it, but then it was a good deal on Amazon - don't know what's available at the moment...

 

[Wicker]

Been using a Zumo 550 for a few years now and it does what it says on the box. Only issue I have had is that the sound needs a bit of a boost if you want to listen to the voice commands or music whilst at 60mph+ through a Starcom in-helmet headset; the cheap fix is to use a Boostaroo mini amplifier.

The most recent versions of the Garmin full European mapping are now too big for the 550's internal memory so you need to load the data onto a 4GB SD card. It's still okay if only want the UK and most of Europe rather than all.

In Garmin product life cycle terms the 550 is probably obsolete however they are will still give good service if you can get one at a good price.

 

[v8legend]

IMO the 500/550 is tougher. The 660 is the latest and a bit more compact if you want to use it in the car. I've got a Zumo 500, and couldn't really justify spending more money without getting any more features.

If I were buying now, it would probably come down to price.

Satnaveasy

Zumo 500 £200
Zumo 220 £246.50
Zumo 550 £278
Zumo 660 £317

All plus vat

 

[andyclift]

IMO the 500/550 is tougher.

The 550 LOOKS tougher with its chunky design but both 550 and 660 share the same plastics and have similar touch screens. They both have the same spec for water resistance. I have read worries about the battery/SD card cover on the 660 but have not had any problems and there is no reason to think its much different to the hinged flap on the bottom of the 550. There is no practical reason to believe one is tougher than the other.

Having had a 550 and a 660 (plus a Garmin 12, 2720, GPSMAP 60csx and Garmin mobile on a Palm and sadly a Tomtom Rider) I can say that 550 or 660 will do the job (never had a 220).My wife now uses my 550 and has been very happy with it (she also has a Nuvi in her car).

-The 660 is a bit easier on the pocket when its not on the bike.

- Its easier to get to the SD card on the 550 but that's maybe a once a year job anyway.

- Both have had rare lock ups on the road requiring a battery removal to reset. That is a sod on the 550 but takes a few seconds on the 660.

- The extra screen real estate on the 660 is nice but in practice you navigate from bottom to top so the extra width is no big deal and in any case part is used for soft buttons which replace the hard buttons on the 550.

- The Bluetooth on the 660 is a different flavour. Some phones work on one and not the other so if phone compatibility is important this is worth checking.

- If all of Europe is needed the 660 has a much bigger memory. Until the latest update the whole of Europe fitted on the 660 but only about half goes on the 550 with the rest having to go on an SD card. Not a deal breaker as there is the sd card work around.

- The 550 cradle mounting looks more secure but the security screw is a nightmare (a thumb screw replacement is possible) and the two pins on the mount can jam in the holes in the satnav. Although the 660 mount looks a bit precarious it is quick to use and I have never had a problem and have not seen any reports of it failing.

- The car mount for the 660 is much simpler as the 660 has a built in speaker and mic.

- There are a few more bells and whistles in the 660 software but the only one that I use is the more detailed map screen.

 

[Berin]

- If all of Europe is needed the 660 has a much bigger memory. Until the latest update the whole of Europe fitted on the 660 but only about half goes on the 550 with the rest having to go on an SD card. Not a deal breaker as there is the sd card work around.

Thanks Andy, that's really useful. One of the reason for upgrading (there's nothing wrong with my Nav III) is that it doesn't fit all of Europe on any more and I have to do some work arounds. On the 550, how do you do this? Do you install what you can in the unit memory and then just load the rest onto SD? Do you know what the biggest SD card is that it supports?


Does anyone know if you can fit all of Europe on a 220?

thanks,

 

[mr badger]

My 550 has all of Europe installed all the time. According to Garmin, the 220 comes pre loaded with all Europe too.

The 550 has worked faultlessly for 5 years in all weathers. The only issue was a slightly corroded contact between the satnav and cradle, easily fixed with a dab of Brasso on a cotton bud.

There is a reasonable market in second hand 550s. Might be worth a go.

 

[andyclift]

Copy Maps to SD Card

This is the way I do it. There may be others.

When you update ensure you click the option to transfer all the maps to your computer.

When the map update program tells you that it will not all fit, choose one of the options to install part of Europe (as much as you can) and note which countries you have installed.

Check all is installed Ok on the Satnav.

Now ensure that you have a SD card with spare space in your satnav and connect it to your computer.

Run the Garmin Map Install program (free download from Garmin)

On the first screen there is a pull down menu to select where you want to install the maps. It should show the satnav itself AND the SD card. Select the SD card and Continue.

Now on the map screen confirm the map shown is the one you want to transfer and click on all the map sections which you do not have on the satnav. They will all change colour. Now click the install option and wait a couple of hours.

I have read that the satnav works slower with the maps on the card but have not noticed any difference and it will quite happily run routes using both sets of maps.

Re fitting maps on the 220. I think that Garmin puts enough memory in it's satnavs to cater for the maps sold with it plus a bit of spare space. If that is correct any satnav sold with UK maps will not take all of Europe.

 

[andyclift]

My 550 has all of Europe installed all the time. According to Garmin, the 220 comes pre loaded with all Europe too.

I don't know about the 200 but the 550 used to be able to hold all of Europe but every map update gets bigger as Garmin adds more street level mapping. Since the first 2010 update my 550 would no longer hold all maps and since the latest update my 660 won't hold it all either. This was confirmed by Garmin by telephone recently.

 

[RAM-man]

Using the GPS City comparison chart, and US spec, its useful guide to comapre what you get, feature-wise on link

http://www.gpscity.com/compare/zumo660&zumo550&zumo220

 

[Richard J]

Two questions I can't see the answer to about these three

Do any of them automaticaly show the detailed view of a junction as you approach it (like the quest does)?

What is the maximum tracklog they record?

I want to replace a quest

 

[Greg Masters]

The 660 has a decent sized screen. The 'Where Am I' feature can be useful too.

Greg

 

[Funrider]

Do any of them automaticaly show the detailed view of a junction as you approach it (like the quest does)?

Both the 660 and 220 have Lane Assist & Junction View.

 

[andyclift]

I don't know what the Quest shows but both 660 and 550 have an automatic zoom into junctions when you get close. One advantage the 660 has is the little icon in the top corner showing the next turn, e.g. turn arrows, roundabout exit or number of lanes on next junction and which ones suit the route (Lane Assist). The latter can be very useful on complex exits. A bit like my old 2720 but sadly missing on the 550. How the 220 fits in, I don't know.

The 660 also has the clever detailed graphic "picture" of major motorway junctions and 3D buildings in major towns. Can't say I have seen any benefit though, it's just a clever gimmick.

Re track logs. Not sure what the limit is but last year I had many days of track log going from UK to Romania without overwriting. To be safe I downloaded onto laptop every couple of days though.

My 660 and previously the 550 have taken us all over Europe including many Eastern Europe countries. All trips planned on Basecamp. The satnavs used for routing, finding hotels (we NEVER book) and campsites (with Archies great POI file), sometimes finding fuel and cash machines and music on the move. We never take maps and the satnavs have proved 100% reliable. Can't really fault them.

 

[Funrider]

I don't know what the Quest shows but both 660 and 550 have an automatic zoom into junctions when you get close. One advantage the 660 has is the little icon in the top corner showing the next turn, e.g. turn arrows, roundabout exit or number of lanes on next junction and which ones suit the route (Lane Assist). The latter can be very useful on complex exits. A bit like my old 2720 but sadly missing on the 550. How the 220 fits in, I don't know.

As I said, Lane Assist

The 660 also has the clever detailed graphic "picture" of major motorway junctions and 3D buildings in major towns. Can't say I have seen any benefit though, it's just a clever gimmick.

As I said, Junction View

"A clever gimmick" ? Actually if you've ever been confronted by a multi exit junction and you are leading a ride out of 20 bikes, it can be very very useful