Expert navigator, traffic avoider, and more!

This is an excellent GPS with a large touch-screen which makes for easy viewing. If you're looking to find your way, avoid traffic, find local attractions, find nearby services, or simply find your way on confusing streets or through confusing cities, this GPS is for you.

The GPS has a very clean and easy-to-use design. Simple menus help you get the information you need ASAP. Using tools such as Points of Interest, Cities, Intersection, Parking, or Where am I will help you find anything from the nearest doughnut shop to the nearest police station.

Also included are tools to make your drive faster, more efficient, or more pleasant. Device settings let you specify calculation for faster drive time, shorter distance, less fuel, or off road. Avoidances help you specify what you want to avoid when your GPS navigates. Some options are U-Turns, Highways, Toll Roads, Ferries, Carpool Lanes, and Unpaved Roads.

Perhaps one of the most powerful tools which I find useful with this GPS is traffic avoidance. Using the included Garmin GTM35 charger, you can receive traffic alerts. I've found this feature useful on numerous occasions and it has already saved me over 2 hours worth of driving through traffic. That's a lot of fuel saved! Please note, the traffic receiver does not work unless you're in a NAVTEQ Traffic-RDS reception area. For a complete list, visit:
http://www.navteq.com/rds​traffic/

Lastly, I love how the GPS provides lane assistance, highlighting the lane you should be in to make it to your destination. If that weren't enough, the GPS will display images of some (not all) exits which are highly detailed. Overlaid on the exit image is an arrow pointing out which way you need to drive to reach your destination. Combined with detailed spoken directions, it's hard to make a wrong turn on even the most confusing roads.

I only have two disappointments:
1. Too much information! Don't use this to find your way until you've "test driven" it on a route you know. While this tool is simple, straight-forward, and easy to use, there's so much information available you should familiarize yourself with the information, its functions, and how the GPS reacts on a familiar route before you harness its powers to drive an unfamiliar route.
2. The traffic information button sits right below the clear/cancel route button. If you're on a bumpy road or you miss the traffic information button, you could accidentally hit the clear/cancel route button.

I can't offer a good comparison with other GPS products. However, all things considered, Garmins are expert navigators which is my primary reason for buying this GPS. I also liked the idea of lifetime traffic, maps, and a large 5" touch-screen display. However, I got far more than than these obvious traits which is why I love this product.

Great product for its price

Fast to set up easy to use, the only problem I had was that it was taking me around small side streets to make u-turns but that was fixed in the settings. Also need to select no toll roads if you don't want to go through them. Overall it picked the fastest routes and the live traffic updates really cut down on drive time. Useful when driving through LA or other large cities. Best product for its price.

Best GPS for the money with lifetime maps and traffic.

First never buy a GPS without lifetime maps. (reason I had to buy this one when my old one was working fine except needed a update that cost $80). I did have to download new maps right away and it took 6 hours.
Second this GPS is very nice but has a few flaws. If you select certian avoidances it won't work as expected. I haven't figured out why yet, but trust me, be very careful selecting them or you will be driving the side roads instead of the main roads. After a dead end dirt road I knew it wasn't working right! If you select avoid traffic, it avoids main roads. If you select to avoid carpool lanes, it avoids roads that have carpool lanes-thus no interstates. ETC. I deselected All avoidances and set it to fastest route for best results. All the other features (eco,fuel saver,less traffic etc)seem to confuse the GPS. I drive all day back and forth across dallas/fw so I quickly learned what works. Also you first select street number,then road, then it searches your whole state for possibilities. Sometimes you get too many but usually it's not bad. So it can be faster than my older 255 garmin due to not needing to select town. Not sure what happens if you leave your usual state or want to plot a course out of state, but you can select the town/state if you want to narrow it down later.
I've had no problems with visability in the sun and the battery lasts a long time. Overall I'm very satisfied now that I figured it out. However it's too bad a bunch of the options don't work like you'd expect them too. It will pay for itself in a year due to the lifetime maps plus the larger screen(some may find it too big,but I like it since I miss hit the letters less-works best with eraser end of a pencil)real time traffic and better lane views for exiting are nice.

I'd buy it again.

For the money, this is the one to get. Easy to operate, extensive list of features.

When completing initial set up, I strongly recommend you use a computer with a FAST connection, or you will be downloading software updates for hours.

One problem I noted was when trying to download the map upgrade (Full Coverage North America 2013.40) - my unit kept giving me an error after it hit 58% downloaded - it apparently reached the memory capacity, but it doesn't tell you.

However, I've used it since then around town here, and the Nuvi 2555 has considerable landmark information. This purchase was for my wife's vehicle, but after using it I'm considering getting one for my truck too. I just don't do as much driving to strange towns as she does for her tournaments.

Great, easy-to-use GPS for those without smart phones

I have used a Garmin GPS unit for 12 years and decided to update since the model I have was no longer supported. The nüvi 2555LMT had the most features that I am able to use. To go higher on the feature list, one needs a smarty-pants phone with Blue Tooth to link to the GPS unit. I don't plan to get that type of phone, so this model was my choice. I have been pleased with it. It works well and is more sensitive than my 12-year old model, which required an outside antenna for reliable reception. This one also gives more warning before a turn, etc., than my old unit, so I can change lanes if necessary. The view of exits (shown in the picture) is helpful. It is relatively simple to program -- just put in an address or select a "transportation" destination such as an airport. The volume level of the voice that announces turns, etc., is adjustable. There are traffic warnings in city areas telling of delays, etc.
Garmin provides software, called BaseCamp, for planning trips on a computer, saving tracks from the GPS unit to the computer, and making them into routes for future use. But the booklet with the unit doesn't tell you much, if anything, about it. You have to register the unit then search Garmin's web pages to find and download the software and other items, including the full instruction manual. They ought to give clearer information about that as well as clean up their web pages. One negative in the fine print is that Garmin claims they will not honor the 1-year warranty if you purchase the unit at an online auction. Bidder beware.