Garmin nuvi 1490LMT Review

Jeremy's Rating:

The Garmin nuvi 1490LMT was made to satisfy those that are looking to upgrade their basic devices into more powerful and larger ones. So far I think they have achieved their goal.

Garmin has been doing very well in the GPS market lately because all of their Garmin nuvi have a nice interface so all kinds of users can try them out. They are also accurate so drivers can reach their destination in a quicker and safer fashion.

I am also impressed that even the more advanced GPS devices like the nuvi 1490LMT are surprisingly slim with the interface and Garmin intends to continue that tradition with a few improvements here and there.

Design

The design of the Garmin nuvi 1490LMT is slightly different from the entry-level GPS devices. I noticed the bezel isn’t as black and the logo is positioned on the bottom left instead of the usual center. But what stands out more is the large 5-inch touchscreen display that shows more map detail when zoomed in and greater surroundings when zoomed out.

Features and Performance

5-inch Widescreen Display

The larger screen does not affect the interface that much as the "Where to?" and "View Map" icons remain. The 480 x 272 resolution still makes the Garmin nuvi 1490LMT similar to the smaller 4.3-inch Garmin devices so you are not getting more information but the icons and map graphics appear larger and clearer which is essential when mounted on a car.

The display is anti-glare so the display performs marvelously. No problems viewing under bright sunlight, either. I can set the brightness to 70% on a normal day and see just fine.

Lane Assist Keeps You On The Right Track

Lane Assist shown in upper left corner

Lane Assist is probably one of the best features of the Garmin 1490LMT in my opinion.

If you have ever been caught driving on the wrong lane and having to make a quick lane change in the mist of heavy traffic so you don’t miss the exit; or, if you ever feel flustered in a unfamiliar place not knowing which lane you are supposed to be on, then you will really love this feature.

I now so heavily rely on Lane Assist I wonder how I survived without it before.

Here is how it works. As you approach an intersection or highway exchange, the Lane Assist appears in the upper left corner and highlights the lane you are supposed to take. This allows you to go on the correct lane before it is too late. Many highway routes involve crucial exists and this feature makes sure the exit is never missed.

The 3-D map view works great in this situation. On certain highway exchanges, the 1490LMT’s Junction View (shown below) displays realistic images of the road to help you navigate to the right lane. I’ve tested it around metro Atlanta area and it works great. I don’t have a complete list of which cities Junction View works but I suspect it has images for all major metropolitan areas in the US.

Junction View

Keep Your nuvi Up To Date With Lifetime Map Updates

In case you are wondering, the “LMT” in the model number indicates the unit includes free lifetime map updates and lifetime traffic reporting.

Lifetime Map Update by itself is a $90 upgrade but it’s included in the Garmin 1490LMT. Using the USB cable that comes with the device, you can connect the nuvi to Garmin’s web site and download free map updates up to 4 times a year.

There is another model 1490T that doesn’t have the lifetime map updates and the price is $10 less than the 1490LMT. I live in a developing suburb so I found map updates is a must to keep up with the new roads and constructions. Even if you are in a well established area, if you plan on keeping the GPS for 3 or 4 years, definitely get one with map updates.

Route Planning

Have a long road trip coming up? Or going along multiple destinations? It wouldn’t be very convenient having to keep on entering new destinations along the way. Fortunately, Garmin nuvi 1490LMT let you save up to 10 routes with multiple stops and via points. So you can plan ahead of your trip. Even if you are just running a few errands around town, this feature will prove to be useful.

Another thing I really like is the 1490LMT can sort multiple destinations automatically to provide a more direct route for you. I recommended it to a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. She absolutely loves it as she takes buyers on home showing tours, the nuvi really saves her time and fuel costs.

Need Help While On Foot?

Navigating on foot with Pedestrian Mode

The nuvi 1490LMT has an improved pedestrian navigation feature for people that are wandering around in an unfamiliar city.

There are several major cities throughout North America and Europe that support the cityXplorer feature so users can figure out what key places to go to or what areas offer transportation and how long it takes to get to that point.

This is a paid feature that cost $9.99, which is not much but the preloaded maps, and millions of points of interests scattered across U.S. and Canada still make the device very useful on foot or on the road.

Make Hands-free Calls

The nuvi 1490LMT has built-in Bluetooth support. Just pair up your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone with nuvi and it instantly becomes a hands-free device. The internal microphone is in the front of the nuvi. It also imports phone book entries from your cellphone.

This is a great feature as you don’t need to have a separate hands-free device that takes up space and a power outlet.

Another things that comes in handy is the ability to dial any Point of Interest (like a store, gas station, restaurant, etc.) directly from the nuvi. I have used it a few times when I am on the road to check store opening hours – works great.

Get The Most Out Of Your nuvi With Lifetime Traffic Reporting

I don’t know about you but I would do anything to avoid traffic jams. Same goes with road constructions and accidents. With Garmin 1490LMT’s traffic reporting, you get real time traffic information through a “silent” FM channel – which means you can be listening to your radio and still receive the traffic updates.

If a non-severe traffic delays occurs on your route, the nuvi displays a traffic icon in the upper left corner of the map. The color represents the severity of the traffic (Green: low, Yellow: medium, Red: high).

It also shows how much time the delay has added to your route and includes that in your estimated arrival time.

If a severe traffic delay occurs then the nuvi automatically recalculates the route to a better one. The 1490LMT also let you see traffic jams on route from the map view with a touch of a button. Then, you can avoid traffic by having the nuvi selects an alternative route.

Although getting lifetime traffic reporting is free, there is one small catch which it’s not unreasonable but I wish Garmin have been more up front about it. You will see advertisements appear at the bottom of the screen when you access the traffic menu. However, the ads don’t show up when you are navigating so it won’t affect driving.

Other Useful Features

The Garmin 1490LMT has breadcrumb trail support so up to 10,000 points can be left behind to avoid going back to previously visited routes.

The text-to-speech features not only make it easier to make the right turn but it is also clear so the volume does not have to be maxed out.

HotFix satellite prediction allows the nuvi to acquire satellite signals faster so you can start navigating quicker. I used to have a Garmin iQue 3000 and it took several minutes to acquire satellites. The 1490LMT can start within a few seconds if I haven’t moved the GPS to a completely different location from where I turned it off.

Beyond navigation, the nuvi 1490LMT is equipped with handy travel tools such as a photo viewer, world travel clock, currency converter, measurement converter and a calculator.

How Much Should You Expect To Pay?

With all of these features, the price is a bit heavy compared to other nuvi models. Amazon.com has the best price with free shipping. The price may have dropped again by the time you read this. So be sure to check the latest price here.

Must Have Accessory

Of all the accessories you can get for Garmin 1490LMT, only one that I recommend wholeheartedly. And that’s the Portable Friction Mount.

The suction cup windshield mount that comes with the nuvi is really not a good mounting option in my opinion. It blocks your front view, makes the GPS hard to reach, and the power cable dangles high from the windshield is also quite annoying. Also, if you use the nuvi on more than one car, moving the suction cup mount is a real pain.

The friction mount, on the other had, sits firmly on the dashboard. It has minimal obtrusion to the front view. You can easily take it from car to car. When you are leaving the car, you can easily remove it and hide it under the seat so thieves won’t even know a GPS might be in the car.

I took the pictures below to show you the side-by-side comparison of the two mounting options. Notice how the van in front of me was completely blocked with suction cup mount.

Comparing suction cup mount with friction mount

Bottom Line

With Lane Assist, lifetime map updates, 5-inch display, lifetime traffic reporting, and Bluetooth, Garmin nuvi 1490LMT is the “whole enchilada” of portable vehicle GPS that will meet the demand of most consumers.

What’s In The Box?

• nuvi 1490
• Lifetime maps and traffic
• FM traffic receiver with vehicle power cable
• Vehicle suction cup mount
• USB cable
• Quick start manual

Where Is The Best Place To Buy?

You will find that online merchants typically have the better price. Currently Amazon.com has the lowest price and it’s offering free shipping. Our readers often reported great experience with Amazon’s customer service. Return is easy if you need to and in most cases Amazon even picks up return shipping cost.