Garmin Drive Track 71 Review

The Garmin Drive Track 71 is a versatile in-car GPS system designed for both navigation and dog tracking. Originally, Garmin introduced the ability to pair handheld dog tracking devices with a vehicle navigation system through the Drive Track 70. With the Drive Track 71, Garmin upgraded this concept, creating a lighter, more powerful system that combines both navigation and dog tracking. The Drive Track 71 is compatible with all current-generation Garmin dog tracking systems, including the Alpha 300 and PRO 550 Plus, as well as older systems like the Alpha 100, Astro 430, and Astro 320 handhelds. With a 7-inch display, it offers enhanced readability, making it safer and easier to navigate while tracking your dogs. When you're not hunting, this device also functions as a standard Garmin GPS navigation system for everyday use.

Drive Track Specifications

The Garmin Drive Track 71 is 6.8 inches wide by 3.9 inches high by 0.7 inches deep, of this, 6.0 inches by 3.5 inches are the display screen (6.95 inches diagonal). The screen resolution is 1024x600 pixels, which makes seeing details on the screen easily visible. The overall weight of the unit is 8.57 ounces. The battery is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a battery life of up to 1 hour unplugged, although the unit would be plugged into the vehicle charger with typical use.

Drive Track Compatible Devices

The Drive Track 71 is compatible with a wide range of Garmin dog tracking devices, allowing you to pair it seamlessly for tracking your dogs while on the move. You can connect it with:

• Garmin Alpha 300
• Garmin Alpha 300i
• Garmin Alpha 200
• Garmin Alpha 200i
• Garmin PRO 550 Plus
• Garmin Alpha 100
• Garmin Astro 430
• Garmin Astro 320
• Garmin Astro 900
• Garmin Fenix Series Watches
• Garmin Instinct Series Watches

New Features of the Drive Track 71

Touch Screen Upgrades – The Drive Track 71 now has multi-touch, allowing for pinch zoom and other functions not available on the Drive Track 70. The screen resolution was also increased to 1024x600 pixels, around a 60% increase in pixel density.

Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity – You can now update your software and maps from your vehicle wirelessly over Wi-Fi.

Live Traffic and Live Services – Live Traffic allows you to outsmart traffic jams by avoiding them altogether with time-saving alternate routes. Live Services enables features like sharing your location to other devices while travelling through a smart phone app.

Smart Watch Connectivity – When paired to a smart watch, the Drive Track 71 will now provide compass directions to a destination while outside of the vehicle as well as a compass back to your cars location when returning.

What comes in the box?

The Garmin Drive Track 71 comes with everything that you need to get navigating and tracking your dogs from your car. Included in the box is the Drive Track 71 unit which is preloaded with US TOPO maps, 1-year of BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription, and street maps of North America. Also in the box is a vehicle suction cup mount for mounting the Drive Track 71 to your dash or window, the vehicle charging cable, an USB cable for connecting to a computer, and a quick start manual.

Garmin Back-Up Cam Compatible:

The Drive Track 71 is compatible with both the BC30 Back-up cam and the new BC40 Back-up cam. The BC40 back-up cam is the newest wireless backup cam available from Garmin. It installs with no car modification or professional installation required, simply mounting into your license plate screws using the included bracket. Once installed, the BC40 wirelessly connects to your Drive Track 71 to provide up to 3 months of backup camera view (per battery charge). The BC30 is an earlier version of Garmin backup cameras that requires professional installation and some vehicle modifications. But once installed, will provide endless backup camera stream due to it being hardwired instead of battery-powered like the BC40. Both backup cameras wirelessly connect with your Drive Track 71, as long as the Drive Track 71 is within 26 feet of the camera.

Staff Experience:

“I have used the Drive Track 71 in my car on several long trips. The navigation features are great and the unit automatically switching to night mode as it gets dark is a great feature to not be blinded by the white screen in lower light. Pairing the Drive Track 71 up to my Alpha 100 is super easy as well, though I don’t find myself in many scenarios where I have needed to use it, but I have the peace of mind if I ever need to find my dog if they ran off with their collar on, I can do so using the Drive Track display.” - Michael Cassatt, Director of Marketing

Comparable Garmin Devices

Looking for a Garmin navigation device that can handle both in-car use and rugged off-road adventures? Garmin offers a range of off-road vehicle navigation systems to suit various needs. For those seeking a more compact option, the Garmin Tread Base Model and the Garmin Overlander provide excellent navigation features for outdoor excursions. For more advanced needs, the Garmin Tread XL Overland Edition offers the largest screen (10 inches) and most feature-packed experience in the Tread series. Purpose-built for all-terrain use, this device stands up to anything the elements can throw at it, with an IP67 rating for water resistance.

Conclusion:

Whether you're looking for a reliable in-car navigation system for road trips or need a tool to track your dogs while on the move, the Drive Track 71 has you covered. Need to make the case to your partner? Let them use it for everyday navigation during the week, and you can take it on your hunting trips for dog tracking—it's a win-win!

We’d love to hear about your experiences with the Drive Track 71 or other Garmin off-road navigation systems. If you’ve used any of these devices for navigation or dog tracking, share your thoughts with us in the comments below or reach out on social media. Your feedback helps us keep our reviews and recommendations helpful and up-to-date!

Have a Drive Track 70 and wondering if it is worth upgrading to the Drive Track 71? Check out our Garmin Drive Track 70 vs Drive Track 71review.

Edited:
This blog was originally published on 1/7/2021 and updated on 1/1/2025 to reflect the inclusion of newer Garmin handheld models and the addition of the Tread and Overlander devices. Additional formatting and readability improvements were made to enhance the overall user experience.