Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT

Going out of town and need some assistance driving unknown roads? This is just what Garmin DriveAssist 50 LMT does. It helps you traverse both unknown and familiar roads through increased situational awareness and alerts.

Its Lane Departure Warnings warn you if you drift across lanes on highways while its built-in dash cam is your alert eyewitness. The satnav’s Automatic Incident Detection and Data Overlay features are perhaps the most useful features.

The former has a built-in G sensor to inform you if a crash has taken place and saves the most recent video file and the latter embeds the time and location of the accident for evidence reasons.

Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT

Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT

Smart Dashcam

The Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT’s camera can be rotated to the right and left while angling the satnav’s 5-inch screen towards you. All footage is recorded at 30 frames per second in full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. Unlike most satnavs that have a single MicroSD slot for adding custom maps, the DriveAssist has two slots– one for maps and the other for a 4GB MicroSD card.

The card provides about 76 minutes of footage and the oldest files get replaced by new ones. While it’s not possible to disable loop-recording, pressing a button saves the most recent clip to prevent it from getting recorded over.

The dashcam’s Real Vision system swaps to camera view with an arrow showing where to go when you approach select destinations while its Forward Collision Warning notifies you if you are approaching the vehicle in front of you too quickly.

Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT with Built-In Dash Cam
Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT with Built-In Dash Cam

Lifetime Traffic Updates

With lifetime traffic updates, you can avoid jams and find backup routes so that you reach your interview on time. If you miss turns or wrongly follow directions, it automatically gives you new destination directions. You are assured a lifetime supply of maps as long as your satnav is connected to your computer.

The Go Alert feature notifies you if you are stopped and the traffic in front of you starts moving. With its built-in Bluetooth, installing the Smart Link mobile app to your Smartphone lets you make hands-free calls and listen to voice-activated navigations. It also gives weather updates and an option for installing additional services like life traffic surveillance camera footage.

Fatigue Warnings on Long Journeys

The Garmin DriveAssist 60 also alerts you while driving past nearby schools and gives safety camera alerts. It also promotes safe driving by giving you fatigue warnings if you have been driving too long.

The DriveAssist hangs down from near the top of the windscreen as its suction cup mounted dashcam is situated just below its mount. Power supply to the DirectAssist is through a regular mini-USB.

The onscreen menu is the same as other Garmin satnavs with a main screen having two large icons directing you to the map and smaller icons at the bottom with supplementary apps and settings.

While it’s possible to search for destinations based on categories, it’s possible to carry out searches on a keyword basis of both addresses and Points of Interest. Your prevailing speed and expected time of arrival to the destination are also displayed along with clear directions. Though the screen is not a high-resolution one, it’s easy to read and its capacitive touch tech means it’s more responsive than the cheaper resistive touch screens.

Conclusion

With its excellent features, a decent dashcam and reasonable price, the Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT is definitely a satnav worth investing in to help you with your daily commute. It helps you save time by avoiding traffic jams and providing alternative routes and prevents possible accidents through its many safety features.