Garmin Drive Track 71 vs Drive Track 70 – In Car Navigation Systems

Thinking about upgrading to the Garmin Drive Track 71, or unsure of whether to buy a used Drive Track 70 or a new Drive Track 71? In this article, I will go over all the new features of the Drive Track 71 to help you determine whether it’s worth the upgrade. Below, you will find all the new features of the Garmin Drive Track 71 and the upgrades it received to its display.

Touch Screen Upgrades

The Garmin Drive Track 71 has had several upgrades when it comes to its screen. Both screens still have the WSVGA color TFT with white backlight, but the Drive Track 71 now features multi-touch. This provides the ability to do things like pinch to zoom, which the Drive Track 70 had “+” and “-“ to zoom in and out. The screen also was given a resolution boost. The resolution was increased from 800x480 pixels to 1024x600 pixels, which is around 60% increase in pixel density, meaning a clearer, more detailed image. 

20% Lighter Weight

Even though the Garmin Drive Track 71 has added new features (meaning more hardware), the Drive Track 71 is 20% lighter than its predecessor. The Drive Track 71 comes in at 8.57 ounces (243 grams), where the Drive Track 70 came in at 10.8 ounces (306 grams). In my opinion, the weight reduction isn’t a large determining factor, mainly because the Drive Track is normally mounted in your car and you rarely have to handle it. However, this could assist with making mounting devices hold better. If you ever used the suction cup mount on your window on a sunny day, you may know the frustration of the suction cup letting loose.

Built-In Wi-Fi to Easily Connect and Update Your Maps

Gone are the days of having to unmount your navigation system to take it inside to plug it into a computer to update it. The Garmin Drive Track 71 now features built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, which allows you to update your Drive Track 71 from the car, never having to unmount it, as long as you’re within Wi-Fi range. If you are like me, I have in car Wi-Fi through On-Star, virtually no matter where I go, I have Wi-Fi. Though if you don’t, you can always visit a fast food restaurant, like McDonalds, and use their Wi-Fi to update your maps and software while eating.

Live Traffic and Live Services

Have you ever been on a road trip and became stuck in congestion from an accident? There comes on a rush of panic, quickly zooming out to try to find an alternate route, only to find out that you have to backtrack. Imagine your GPS unit having the ability to reroute preemptively to avoid heavy traffic and potential delays. Well, the Garmin Drive Track 71 could be that solution, as it does just that with the new Live Traffic features. Live Traffic allows you to outsmart traffic jams by avoiding them altogether with time-saving alternate routes. To use Live Traffic, download the Smartphone Link app to your smart phone and Bluetooth connect to the Drive Track 71.

A further benefit to this being your road trip companion is the ability to share your GPS location with other drivers in your group. When traveling as a group with multiple drivers, it is all too easy to become split up at a red light, but the Smartphone Link app allows their vehicle (and vice versa) to appear on your Garmin Drive Track 71. This new feature could also be very useful for the parents of young drivers that need their location checked in on, or even when in hunting parties with several vehicles. You can also do this by sharing your Alpha 100 or the Alpha 200i handheld tracking as well.  

Smartwatch Connectivity

Connect a Garmin Smartwatch to your Garmin Drive Track 71 for out of the car navigation. Receive navigation from your car to your destination, all from your wrist. Need to get back to your car? No worries. This feature also provides compass guidance back to your vehicle, which means no more getting lost in a parking lot or other unfamiliar area.

Garmin Back-Up Cam Compatible:

The Drive Track 70 unit was compatible with the Garmin BC30 backup camera, which was a unit that required professional installation and some minor modifications to your vehicle in order to be installed. The Drive Track 71 is still compatible with this unit for those that already had the backup camera installed, but is also compatible with Garmin’s new backup camera, the BC40 Wireless Backup camera. The Garmin BC40 backup camera is installed without any modifications to your vehicle and can be done in your driveway with as little as one tool. For those customers thinking about buying that Drive Track 71 that doesn’t have a built-in backup camera in their vehicle, the added option of compatibility with the Garmin backup cam could be very useful.

Conclusion

Should you upgrade? The biggest thing you have to ask yourself when deciding on upgrading or which of the two Garmin Drive Tracks to buy is, “What am I looking to get out of it?” Are you only using the Drive Track for hunting? If so, the Drive Track 70 is going to meet every need you’ll have. If you are going to use the Drive Track for navigation on road trips and also hunting, the Drive Track 71 would be a great choice. If you are someone who prefers having the latest technology, then the Garmin Drive Track 71 will not disappoint with the compatibility to other Drive Track 71 units, your Garmin Smartwatch, and your smartphone in addition to the built-in Wi-Fi connectivity.