Disappointed with garmin 5s plus

Former Member
Former Member
Hello disappointed with garmin fenix 5s plus does not recalculate the route and distance in calculating car mode in a straight line to destination ... is it normal?
  • What maps do you have loaded? Possibly you don't have a suitable map?
  • Hello disappointed with garmin fenix 5s plus does not recalculate the route and distance in calculating car mode in a straight line to destination ... is it normal?


    It happens to me too with all maps... Report it to beta team...
  • Reporting it will probably not do much good. A Garmin employee has stated in an earlier thread that the maps do not support car navigation.

    (Which makes a lot of sense in a sports watch. But leaves the question: Why have car navigation as a choice in the watch if it is not supported.)
  • (Which makes a lot of sense in a sports watch. But leaves the question: Why have car navigation as a choice in the watch if it is not supported.)


    Good question! :D

    However, even if i select run or walk mode, there is something wrong too: if the watch starts to recalculate route distance to destination doesn't change even if i'm getting closer to my destination/waypoint...
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago
    Exactly to me the same thing also happens to me in version 5.10 and 5.53
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago
    I miss that nobody reported it before
  • Car navigation "works" for me with a OSM maps I downloaded from http://www.frikart.no/garmin/index.html (Europe only)

    Anyway, Garmin have the following categories of maps; automotive, golf, marine, aviation, outdoor, and cycling.

    I think Garmin´s automotive map "City Navigator" is what you need for car navigation.

    The pre-installed maps (outdoor type I assume) must have features the other maps do not. But this map also has data on roads, so my only speculation is that the city navigator maps contain data on on-way streets and such which can be very relevant when driving a car. ;) (Have not tested this with the free OSM maps.)

    It boils down to how much storage space is available on the watch for these maps. I think they left the automotive navigation feature in there for people to have a choice.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 6 years ago
    What happens with the route recalculation in outdoor mode? No more report?
  • I called Garmin Support about this issue a few months ago and was able to resolve it. The TopoActive maps that come pre-installed on the 5/5S Plus are fantastic for cycling and other outdoor adventures, but they aren't designed for automobile use, which is why the watch is calculating distances 'as the crow flies'. I was able to resolve it by downloading free Generic Routable maps from Open Street Maps and configuring a new activity (called Drive) that uses only those maps and with a routing type of Automobile. I've been to a few different areas in Canada and the US since installing those maps and I've been able to rely solely on the watch for navigation. These OSM maps have a lot of detail including points of interest so I wouldn't bother paying for the Garmin maps. I believe there's a good Youtube video from ActiveJR that explains how to install the maps but if you run into any trouble just shoot me a message. Keep in mind that these maps can get large quickly so I'd recommend only downloading the geographic areas that you see yourself visiting in the near future. You can always swap maps for trips.