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Garmin nuvi 1450LMT is the new generation GPS from Garmin. It is quickly rising to one of the best selling portable vehicle GPS on the market today and for very good reasons.
Features & Performance
5-inch Widescreen Display
The nuvi 1450LMT is equipped with a massive 5-inch widescreen display. The color is brilliant and vivid and the screen is readable even under bright sunlight.
The screen resolution is 480 X 272 pixels which is the same as those in the 4.3-inch models. Although the amount of information displayed on the screen is the same, the images are larger and easier to read – an important factor when using the GPS while driving.
Free Lifetime Map Updates
The “LMT” in the model number indicates it comes with free lifetime map updates and lifetime traffic reporting. The lifetime map updates by itself is a $90 value. You get 4 updates a year. This allows your nuvi to always have up-to-date maps, road and navigation information available.
To update the maps, you simply connect the nuvi using included USB cable to Garmin web site and download the latest updates.
Free Lifetime Traffic Reporting
Traffic Reporting is another great feature offered by the Garmin 1450LMT. You will get the traffic information on your route so you can plan ahead and avoid traffic jams.
An FM receiver is integrated into the power cable. You get traffic information from a nearby FM station via a “silent” FM channel – this means you can still listen to the FM radio while receiving the traffic reports. The nuvi must be on external power (not on battery) for the traffic reporting function to work.
You will see a traffic icon appears on the upper left corner of the screen. The color of the icon indicates the severity of the traffic. (Red: high, Yellow: medium, Green: low) The Garmin 1450LMT automatically calculates the delay time and adds that to the estimated arrival time. If the delay is significant, it will choose alternative route to avoid the traffic condition.
One caveat of using the free traffic reporting is that you will see advertisements displayed at the bottom of the screen when you access the traffic menu. The only way to turn off the ads is to disable the traffic reporting feature. Fortunately, the ads don’t show up while you are navigating so they don’t affect driving.
Lane Assist
Lane Assist shown in upper left corner
What I love most about the Garmin nuvi 1450LMT is the Lane Assist feature. There have been countless times that I was caught in the mist of heavy traffic and had to make a quick lane change so I wouldn’t miss the exit. I always get anxious and flustered when driving on an unfamiliar interaction or highway exchange not sure which lane I am supposed to be on.
Well, no more worries with Lane Assist.
The nuvi 1450LMT will alert you to upcoming lane changes ahead of time so you can prepare yourself and stay on the right lane. When you approach a highway exchange or an interaction, Lane Assist appears on the upper left corner highlighting the lanes you need to be on. The 3-D map view also makes it easy to navigate through complex roads.
Junction View
In some metropolitan areas, the map view will switch to the Junction View, which is a realistic image of the highway exchange with arrows clearly indicating the lane change needed.
The Lane Assist feature really eliminates the situation where you need to make a sudden and dangerous lane change. It not only protects you but other drivers as well.
City Transit Navigation
The Garmin 1450LMT has a pedestrian navigation mode that helps you going around the city on foot or using city transit system. To use this feature you will need to get the optional cityXplorer maps which costs $9.99.
It is useful if you are touring a city without the car. However, since the GPS will be on battery and it only lasts for 3 hours or so, this feature can only be a short term solution.
Route Planning
The nuvi 1450LMT lets you store up to 10 routes so you can plan ahead of your road trips. The nuvi will automatically calculate the most efficient route and you can even preview simulated turns.
You can use this feature to plan a long trip with multiple destinations and stops. Even if you just need to run a few errands, it will save you time from having to enter new routes from one stop to the next.
Save Fuel Cost With ecoRoute
Navigating on foot with Pedestrian Mode
How Much Should You Expect To Pay?
The Garmin nuvi 1450LMT is around $185 at time of this writing but the price keeps getting lower as Garmin introduces newer, more expensive models to the market. You will find the best price available at Amazon.com with free shipping. Be sure to check the latest price here as it may have dropped again.
What’s In The Box
- nuvi 1450
- FM Traffic Receiver with vehicle power cable
- Vehicle suction cup
- USB cable
- Dashboard disc
- Quick Start manual
Do I Need Any Accessories?
Many accessories are available for the Garmin 1450LMT. However, there is only one thing that I recommend you must buy to go with the GPS, and that is the Garmin Portable Friction Mount.
You will quickly discover that the suction cup windshield mount that comes with the nuvi obstructs the view and it’s hard to reach when you need to touch a button on the screen.
The friction mount on the other hand works very well in my experience. It has several advantages over the suction cup mount. First, it stays on the dashboard without any problem. It does not block the view like the windshield mount. Check out the picture below for comparison of the two mounting options.
Comparing suction cup mount with friction mount
Second, you will not have the power cable dangling high from the windshield. Third, you can easily take it to another vehicle if needed.
As GPS becomes a popular target for thieves, it’s better not to display any evidence that a GPS might be in the car. When you are leaving the car you can easily remove the friction mount from the dashboard and hide it under the seat. It’s not so easy to do with the windshield mount.
Anything Negative Points?
The Garmin 1450LMT does not support Bluetooth. So if you need a GPS that allows you to make hands-free calls, you may want to consider nuvi 1490LMT instead – it is basically nuvi 1450LMT + Bluetooth.
What Is the Best Place to Buy Garmin nuvi 1450LMT
The best place to buy is Amazon.com. It consistently beats out other retailers on prices and the shipping is free. More importantly, Amazon offers the best costumer service. You will never have to worry about your purchase when you buy from a reputable company like Amazon.
You can read customer reviews to see what others have to say about the Garmin nuvi 1450LMT.
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