Garmin DriveSmart 65 MT-S with Amazon Alexa, 6.95 Inch Sat
Garmin DriveSmart 65 MT-S with Amazon Alexa, 6.95 Inch Sat Nav with Alexa Built-In, Edge-to-Edge Display, Full Europe Map Updates, Live Traffic, Hands Free Calling, Voice Commands and Smart Features
Alexa Built-In
Use Alexa to create to-do lists, check your calendar, news, weather and traffic, control smart home devices and play interactive games. You can also ask Alexa to play your favourite music from Amazon Music and more. While your music is playing, the album artwork appears on the crisp 6.95” edge-to-edge display. (Drivers should focus on driving and only use this function when safe to do so. The Garmin Drive app must be open and running on the user’s smartphone in order for the Alexa functionality to work and for access to live services.)
For Navigation, Ask Garmin
Just ask Garmin voice control when you need directions or to help you find POIs along your route. It even features easy-to-use Garmin Traffic with included cable. This helps alert you to traffic congestion, accidents and construction delays along your route and suggests detours if a faster route is available.
Smartly Connected
Sync your smartphone enabled with BLUETOOTH technology for hands-free phone calls, and receive customisable smart notifications (to use this feature, you must download the Garmin Drive app to your compatible smartphone (sold separately) enabled with BLUETOOTH technology and GPS) on your sat nav display. You can also use BLUETOOTH to stream Alexa responses, including music, through your vehicle’s speakers. Garmin DriveSmart 65 with Amazon Alexa even offers real-time features such as live traffic, weather and parking (Parking data is available for most city centres).
Road Trips Just Got Better
When you’re not familiar with the area, it’s nice to have something to point you in the right direction. That’s why we brought TripAdvisor to your Garmin DriveSmart sat nav. View ratings for travel POIs, such as hotels, restaurants and attractions along your route or near your destination. Make road trips more fun with the Trip Planner tool, which suggests interesting stops along the way. Foursquare user data is also included.
| Dimensions: | 17.3 x 1.8 x 9.9 cm; 240 Grams |
| Model: | 010-02153-10 |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) |
| Manufacture: | Garmin |
| Dimensions: | 17.3 x 1.8 x 9.9 cm; 240 Grams |
| Origin: | Taiwan |
Early days so am still getting to know the Garmin. It was easy to set up and its reassuring to have a good clear screen together with accompanying voice directions. Live traffic is useful. Have yet to use Alexa.
I bought this to replace a Garmin that had stopped working after about 7 years almost daily use for multiple trips and decided to buy this model because it had Alexa built in.
I judged that this would save me buying a DAB radio, but I wasn’t sure whether the satnav would magically play the radio stations, as the at home Alexa does.
It appears that it’s your smartphone that streams the radio station, but it is great just to be able to ask Alexa to play it or play music from Amazon while you’re driving.
I love the larger screen and the fact that it displays text messages and other alerts, though this can be disabled.
Altogether I am very happy with it.
Works straight out of the box after linking to Garmin express. Human support was weak but better than none. Very light so doesn’t fall off the windscreen. Maps could be better but written instructions are all you need. Hands free works fine. A few speed limits are out of date but speed and map updates are free. Overall better than I expected.
This 6.95inch/176mm version has a lovely high-resolution (nearly to the edge) screen which is bright and has pleasant, clear, colourful graphics.
It’s as easy to set up as expected although it does require an email address and connection to the web initially, which was no problem in my case since it found the hub which was about 50 feet away, immediately.
It also updated itself (you have to tell it to) within 45mins even though it stated this would take more than 3 hours. I left it in the car while it was doing this with the ignition switched to the accessory position which may not be practical for some, in which case it would need to be removed and connected to a PC maybe.
One feature that is very useful is that an overspeed warning can be activated at both the actual speed limit and 5mph above. The last Garmin satnav could only be set at the speed limit which bonged if you exceeded it by even 1mph – which was very annoying.
Power to it is by the standard ‘mini’ USB port to a PC or by car charger (there is no mains charger supplied).
With the larger screen, bright graphics and easy settings, competent and clear instructions and many useful features, I can happily recommend this, especially at the bargain, sub 150 I paid.
Whilst the screen is great, the instructions for the BC30 reversing camera are extremely poorly written, with bizarre naming of the various parts of it; example – Item 1 (named) can be a cable, or a bracket, or a transmitter, and ‘2’ looks to be a hole. Complete nonsense!
Alexa could have been better it’s a simple satnav with a nice scree
Setting up the sat nav is very testing and took me a very long time.
My biggest concern is that the live traffic depends on your mobile phone and the connectivity often drops
out and is replaced by a message stating that it is getting live traffic this could take some minutes. Usually it does not reconect until the phone and the sat nav have been switched off and restarted. A sat nav costing this high price should not give these difficulties.
I must admit that I’ve been using Garmin Sat Navs for quite a number of years and this is my third one. But I keep loyal to the products because they are good and deliver the worth that I need. ie. I can make my way with confidence through countryside that is new to me. My previous Sat Navs still work but the first has less facilities and the second one was mislaid in the house before I bought one of those devices that sound out when one is searching for a device. Now there is a thought for the only additional facility I can think of. Buy a Sat Nav. You will not regret it.
This was a hard move for me to make . Im set in my ways a lot send when I find something that works well I dont change it its like fixing something that isn’t broken. But im very pleased to say this is as good as my old one but with some serious upgrades. It seems I can have as many saved places as I wish . And I don’t need to clear my history any more I still have all my features like my old one like click n save . So I would recommend this to anyone . 5* all day long
Great sat nav. Love that it clearly indicates which lanes to use. Has already successfully taken us to Wales and Scotland. Easy to use, especially with the phone app. Would recommend.
Well i did use (tomtom no mates) for years. This Garmin Drivesmart 65 WITH “ALEXA” may i add! is amazing plus the voice wow, Really so happy ive gone over to garmin. 100% you wont be disappointed.
Great size, much better for my aging eyes. Usual excellent Garmin navigation style with plenty of apps and Alexa included. So much easier to read than my previous smaller units.
I’ve had this kit for a while now, its took me to Southern Ireland with no issues at all. I have used many sat navigations over the years, mainly the Tom Tom model but the specs of this one were very good and worthy of a try. I average 35k a year and rely on sat navigation. The voice activation on this kit works very well and saves the faf of entering details. The screen is large and information is clear. Traffic updates are great, it also has a reverse camera option which I have only just got so unable to give a full review on that. It’s been said to be expensive but for what it delivers it worth the extra cash
Ok, I’m back, camera review, camera is great, good image quality but a huge drawback for a camera costing silly money. Well it just takes to long to wake up and show an image, by the time it comes on I’m parked. Then there is the problem of a wireless camera, you have to tell it to come on as it’s not wired to reverse lights and it’s just not instinctive to do so, if you do remember and you say Garmin show video and do this well before your ready to reverse so it’s on when you need it, it’s ok. Well for me I just end up not bothering so it sits there not being used. Seriously it’s an ornament that gathers dust and needs expensive batteries when you do decide to blow the dust off.
I got this for my husband for Christmas, he had one that was about 6 years old and spent most of the time shouting at it complaining it was old and clunky. As far as this on goes its great he is very pleased he drove down the road to test the hands free phone calling feature. It is a very clear map picture and updates very quickly when driving, its also a lot thinner than the old one . He tried to install the softwear onto it on Boxing day, it took ages but that could have been because it was a holiday. I have to say he is very pleased with his new sat nav.
I have struggled with the Bluetooth functionality though. My car already has excellent in-built functionality for phone calls so I don’t want to switch from that to the Garmin, but when I make a call on the car’s system it causes the Bluetooth link to the Garmin to drop out, which loses me things like the traffic updates. I also can’t get the satnav navigation instructions to work though the car’s hi hi without only receiving music from my phone rather than the car’s radio which I listen to most of the time.