DriveLuxe 51 LMT-S vs 3597 Maps

An interesting observation. From what I see online, you are correct and the DriveLuxe does not show shaded relief terrain.

Like you, I like the added feature on the 3597 although almost always it is more cosmetic than functional. At times I even find the shading interferes with seeing the map and route; i.e., try driving down the Oak Creek switchbacks on Hwy 89 between Sedona and Flagstaff, AZ.

Given the choice of having or not having the terrain, I'll keep it. But if my 3597 dies, I'd go for the DriveLuxe without feeling bad about losing the shading.

And for those wondering about how the 3597 does it, the terrain relief shading is not part of the City Navigator map file. It is rather a separate map file that appears in conjunction with the City Nav map and therefore must be a transparent map allowing the underlying opaque City Nav map to show.

Does that mean the terrain map could be added to the 51?

I have never noticed a problem with that. Is it definitely the Garmin and not the smartphone?

The 3597 connects with Bluetooth reliably but not the traffic connection. There seems to be no rhyme or reason why it sometimes works. Sometimes I have to turn off BT on the phone and on the GPS, then re-pair them. That works for a while then it stops randomly. I find it works best if I have the phone on before starting the GPS.

I am in line to get an iPhone X in a couple of weeks so that will let me rule out the phone.

It doesn't appear that Garmin has any plans on adding this feature to other units. This feature was restricted to the prestige line of GPS's which the 3597 is part of.

I love that feature of the 3597 and the NuviCam especially when driving through the Smokies.

Unfortunately, the DEM (terrain) map can not be added to the DriveLuxe 51.

It is interesting that on your 3597 you lose connection to Smartphone Link Traffic but not to Bluetooth or other Smartphone Link functions. The Smartphone Link traffic function has been rock-solid for me (using Android 5 on a cheap LG phone). Have you ever tried it with a different phone?

I have the SE and have random problems connecting to the Traffic with the 3597, also. Especially when I uncheck the Hands Free option and want traffic only.

That makes me wonder if the problem is in the Iphone Smartphone Link app rather than in the 3597. Of course it is a Garmin problem either way, but if it is in the app, swapping the 3597 for a DriveLuxe probably won't help.

I had a 770 that would simply refuse to connect, at all, or would immediately disconnect, or disconnect after a period of time. It would also disconnect the Garmin Mechanic or whatever the device was called that connects to your car OPDII port for engine monitoring.

Garmin Tech sent me a procedure to to create a Bluetooth log, and I sent them thousands of miles of logs to study. (I drove a charter bus.) They claimed that they couldn't see the problem, that it appeared to be a normal disconnect.They offered to sell me another type of unit at a discount to replace it. But I needed the Dezl version for the Commercial Vehicle options.

My 3597 has few problems, comparatively.

The Smartphone link app for iOS was updated this morning. The GPS did automatically connect with BT until I went to the Control Panel>Bluetooth and touched the Disconnected status to connect. The traffic icon then appeared on the GPS and the traffic info went through. We will see if that solves the problem. However, over the last couple of years I sometimes will go weeks with normal functioning and then suddenly will have a failure to communicate.

I got an iPhone X last Friday. After a week of driving I am very happy to report that for the first time the SmartLink app traffic connection connects to my 3597 automatically when I start the car. The app also works better by loading traffic info faster.

Coming from an iPhone 6 has been quite astounding. Everything works so much faster. My Apple CarPlay on a Kenwood head unit also starts and runs better than ever.

If you aren't happy with the look of the maps on your Garmin device, there are ways to enhance or even replace them.

Websites like https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/ offer free rout-able map replacements or transparent overlays that will work with your existing Garmin map.

I have been using topo overlays to enhance the maps on many of my Garmin units going back to my trusty old Nuvi 255. Unfortunately, I haven't found one yet that completely emulates the terrain feature of the Prestige series GPSr's but some come quite close.

Excellent advice.

In my opinion, the problem with my 3597 and intermittent Smartphone Link is being caused by too many bluetooth devices, since the car audio system wants to do "bluetooth" for voice phone calls and wants to maintain the contact list. Garmin also wants to perform these functions. No changes in settings in the GPS or the phone have been successful in stopping this from happening. I constantly have to pair the phone and GPS after they forgot their bluetooth connections.

dobs108

@dobs108: I have to agree with that in general.

Although I can't compare it with a Garmin using bluetooth I have seen the problem in my car and my wife's car when connecting the phone via bluetooth and a tablet that has audio books playing thru the cars bluetooth (2 devices connected). Whenever a call is received on the phone link the audio book pauses (as expected) but also drops the link and has to be reconnected. Annoying.

I got a DriveLuxe™ 51 LMT-S for Christmas. Moving the files from the backup only took seconds. After a few short trips here is what I like:
--The responsiveness is quick.
--The controls of the Bluetooth/Phone/Smartlink is more complete and works better. I don't want the phone through the GPS (I have Apple CarPlay), the 3597 kept turning the phone back on.
--The TripAdvisor and FourSquare databases give some good vetted information. The built-in WhereTo? Restaurant list would show many places that were not restaurants or were closed.

What I don't like:
--The loss of terrain overlay in the map. I think I will get over it but it seems like a step back.

The doubling of memory and faster response time are nice. I was getting crashes with the 3597 sometimes when selecting Where To? I attribute that to the limited memory left.

The 3597 will turn your phone back on, also. It's annoying. Garmin GPS have never been a satisfactory Hands Free unit, IMNSHO.

So, about 8 months ago, I bought a DriveSmart 61 LMT-S in part because my 2597 would no longer connect to the SmartPhone Link app on my iPhone 7 Plus for traffic data. For the first 7 months, the traffic connection worked perfectly with the DriveSmart 61 and my iPhone 7 Plus. Then, the latest smartphone link app update for iOS (version 2.7.1) has completely changed that. Now, as of last week, I am having that same issue where I will have to reset all Bluetooth settings and re-pair my iPhone to the device to receive traffic data. In just the past week, I have had to perform this task on 3 separate occasions. Hopefully we will get an update that resolve this issue soon. But needless to say, updating to the lastest generation of Garmin devices will not prevent this issue. For some reason, Garmin has not had much success with the Smartphone Link app for iOS. It appears that the Android build of the Smartphone Link app has performed much better over time at least for traffic data.

Rame1012, I had similar issue about three weeks ago on my NuviCam. All of a sudden it stopped pairing with Smart Link app. I did Bluetooth reset on Nuvicam and deleted bluetooth connections on my iphone but no luck. I called Garmin Support but no help.
Finally, I did reset on NuviCam and paired my iphone. Since then no more issues.

Nuvi3597 is very stable for BT connections but NuviCam has always been a pain. Garmin could never fixed BT on this device.