CONCLUSION

   If my memory serves me right in my life i have used a total of 6 handheld portable GPS navigation systems from Mio, Garmin, Becker and TomTom and at least to date the Spirit 6970 LM Truck has been far more accurate and feature-rich than all the others (we did cover that in the previous pages). On top of that you're getting lifetime map and safety camera updates so no matter how many new streets or signs added where you want to use it you will never have to worry about getting lost ever again. Also we did encounter the usual "lag" until the system manages to acquire signal from the global positioning satellites and load all the maps (one of the reasons you may want to remove some) which can get somewhat annoying especially if you're in a hurry but so far the same has happened with all of the portable GPS navigation systems I’ve used in the past so i can't really blame Mio for that. We also would like more battery life since unless you plug the device into your cigar power socket chances are it will run out of battery before you reach your destination but once again that's not something new with portable GPS navigation systems (although it could do a lot better in this area). Also i do think it's about time all manufacturers launched portable GPS navigation systems with screens way larger than 5 inches (some have but very few models exist as we speak) especially since there are smartphones as large and even larger but i guess they don't think that the device would be as portable then. Still 5 inches nowadays is considered average so hopefully Mio will release larger screen models in the near future. Overall we loved using the Spirit 6970 LM Truck by Mio and to check all the benefits offered we used it for roughly 2 months from the day we received it and in over 15 routes by car in Greece and Germany (unfortunately we didn't use it on foot).

   In the past portable GPS/Satellite navigation systems did cost quite a bit but now you can get a state of the art model like the Spirit 6970 LM Truck by Mio for just 179Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Unfortunately no matter how hard we tried we couldn't find this particular model for sale inside the USA so Mio may not have plans to launch it into that market just yet. With this out of the way although we do feel that the Spirit 6970 LM Truck is not perfect we do think that Mio has released one of the best portable GPS navigation systems to date and since we really enjoyed using it and provided flawless navigation in not one but two different countries it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Size/Design
- Available Maps
- Rental Maps
- Features (Find My Car, Lane Guidance, Voice Entry, Route Announcements, TMC, Trip Planer, IQ Routes, LearnMe Pro, Hands-Free Bluetooth Connectivity, Truck Mode, Parking Assistance)
- Lifetime Map Updates
- Lifetime Safety Camera Updates
- AV-In Port
- MioMore Desktop Software
- Easy To Use GUI

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Battery Life