navigation without drama

To my amazement, I'm still using the Drive 53 I bought about a month ago. The reason for the amazement is that I own better models, with one of them being the 7" screen 76. I could use that right now if I wanted, but instead, I use the 5" 53 that has no traffic reporting, no Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi, no voice control, and I'm getting along with it quite well.

There are several reasons I really get along with the 53, but one sticks out in particular that I didn't expect.

I described the I'm Done Moment recently, but there's another one, the I'm Good Moment, as in, "Yeah, I'm good. This works."

With the 76 and a few other models I have, you can talk to it to issue commands, like it's right out of Star Trek: The Next Generation. That might sound cool, but it isn't for me. I've never liked talking to a computer to make it do something. In fact, I hate it and always have. It doesn't matter what computer it is. Talking to a computer is annoying, stupid, and causes stress; this is especially true if you have to repeat yourself just to make the stupid computer understand your command.

I had the I'm Good Moment with the 53, which I didn't expect at all, and it occurred due to the lack of "advanced" features. The 53 doesn't have voice control, so it's not even an option. And I am 100% okay with that.

The lack of other advanced features in the 53 has actually made driving more enjoyable, and I didn't expect that either. There's less drama in the drive overall.

I'm using navigation now that's more or less the same experience as it was in the late 2000s. The screen might be new, but with a back-to-basics yesteryear navigation style. As it turns out, that's exactly what I prefer.

Published 2025 Nov 19