Latest XT routing weirdness

[Scottnet]

Sadly this is all just because the software is rubbish. IMO of course. And more annoying is the zumo 660 worked very well in this scenario.

My information from garmin is they have no intention to fix or change the XT software.

[finerone]

What I've noticed on my recent trip to Spain where the XT and it's version of fastest was seen to be anything but ie over 10 minutes longer over 30 minutes of travel was that the XT very quickly worked out the actual fastest route in only a few hundred yards of going off it's route attempt at the "fastest" route. I\

t's almost as if the XT has got a set of blinkers on, looks for the "fastest" road(s) nearby and works it out from that, then not even trying to see if there's a better option. Or, the algorithms are so useless and power hungry that it would crash if it looked for alternatives.

I’ve seen the same behavior on a recent trip through Spain, where I planned some routes via https://gowithguide.com/spain. The XT often locks onto its initially calculated “fastest” route and doesn’t reassess alternatives, sometimes ignoring better options until the route is restarted. It seems the algorithm focuses on immediate calculations rather than evaluating the full journey, which can be frustrating in areas with multiple viable roads.

[Mzokk]

The XT can be pretty useless for faster time Point to Point navigation. In this scenario google maps on a phone is much better. Also if plotting routes to follow on your XT many more shaping points are required and running a track of the route in parallel to the route (and setting recalculation to prompted at least) makes reasonably sure that you end up on the roads you intend to use. I also run a Zumo 340 and 390 on another motorcycle and they are pretty much WYSIWYG with basecamp if you have the unit settings and basecamp settings matched. The XT is not.

[Oop North John]

I also run a Zumo 340 and 390 on another motorcycle and they are pretty much WYSIWYG with basecamp if you have the unit settings and basecamp settings matched. The XT is not.

I have a 396 and it has the faulty, IMHO, faster routing algorithm like the XT and XT2.

[Peobody]

I welcome this opportunity to "pile on" Garmin about the faster algorithm on the XT. It is obvious that time is not taken into consideration by the algorithm. It will take take you miles out of your way to get you on a faster parallel road and then return you back to the original road rather than let you stay on the original (ie: slower) road and save time and miles. Surprisingly, it might also route you along a 20 mph small-town main street that has a traffic signal at every block rather than take the 35 mph parallel neighborhood street 2 blocks away. It is frustrating in its behavior, but also in its unpredictability.

[Green-ee]

I bring 2 Zumo XT (1) on any long trip, and for good reason. Last week we left Bangor Maine with the XT running - after about 6 hours on the interstate highways I keyed in a new destination further along on our trip which should have taken 2 hours but the arrival time was 6+ hours. Here and there various exits were suggested and ignored. My route was on the interstate. I swapped the spare XT and that was accurate for 18 hours and again on a known route over interstate highways a lot of exits were suggested and ignored. Traffic was on in both cases. Both units work accurately until they don't.

[Peobody]

My XT has taken me as far north as Old Orchard Beach, ME, as far south as Titusville, FL, to the badlands of SD, the upper peninsula of MI, and the Million Dollar Highway in the Colorado Rockies (I live in NC). I have experienced the known issue of RUT and the oddities of "Closest Entry Point" but overall it has been a good device, facilitated by the advice from folks here. I can't say that I have never cussed it though. I recall a road closure recalculation that produced a zigzag and illogical route containing many route points that were not near any roads, and the time when it would not wake from a sleep state following a stop, but the odd behaviors have only been hiccups in relation to the many thousands of miles it has guided me along.

That said, I have rarely used it to get me to a destination that wasn't part of a pre-planned route using, although, when it calculates a pre-planned route it is in essence calculating route point to next route point. Except for the sleep-state freeze, any abnormal behavior has been corrected by a restart, either of the route I was following, or of the XT itself.

[danham]

I bring 2 Zumo XT (1) on any long trip, and for good reason. Last week we left Bangor Maine with the XT running - after about 6 hours on the interstate highways I keyed in a new destination further along on our trip which should have taken 2 hours but the arrival time was 6+ hours. Here and there various exits were suggested and ignored. My route was on the interstate. I swapped the spare XT and that was accurate for 18 hours and again on a known route over interstate highways a lot of exits were suggested and ignored. Traffic was on in both cases. Both units work accurately until they don't.

Are you saying the GPS kept trying to route you on secondary roads, off the Interstate? One possible cause for this behavior is poor satellite reception and/or a corrupted almanac (the internal map that tells the GPS where to look for satellites and get a lock). Over the years I have had various GPSes do this. It is sometimes made worse if the GPS does not have good satellite lock before you start moving.

-dan