Garmin StreetPilot 2720: A look back at a talking GPS and what replaced it

The Garmin StreetPilot 2720 was a mid-2000s GPS that spoke street names, accepted an optional FM TMC traffic receiver, came with City Navigator maps and POI tools, and supported multi-stop routing and custom POI alerts. It's now a legacy device; modern navigation delivers similar features via smartphone apps or current Garmin models with live data and OTA updates.

Overview

The Garmin StreetPilot 2720 was a mid-2000s in-dash/portable automotive navigator known for speaking street names and offering traffic-aware routing. It represented a shift from simple turn-by-turn prompts to spoken street-name guidance, helping drivers keep their eyes on the road while following directions.

Key features (then)

• Text-to-speech voice guidance: The 2720 could announce approaching street names and nearby points of interest, rather than only saying "turn left" or "turn right."

• Traffic updates via FM TMC receiver: Users could add an optional FM TMC receiver to receive broadcast traffic reports and reroute around incidents.

• Preloaded maps: Garmin sold the 2720 with City Navigator North America maps for routing across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, including millions of points of interest such as hotels, gas stations, and restaurants.

• Custom POIs and alerts: Garmin provided tools to import custom points of interest (POIs). Users could load speed-camera or school-zone alerts and set proximity warnings for custom POIs.

• Multi-destination routing and route avoidance: The unit supported routing between multiple stops and allowed users to avoid specific roads or areas when planning a route.

Why it mattered

At the time, the combination of spoken street names, map detail, and traffic interception made the 2720 useful for drivers who navigated unfamiliar roads regularly - realtors, field sales personnel, and frequent travelers.

How navigation has changed since the 2720

Navigation features once tied to dedicated devices are now common in smartphones and modern GPS units. Real-time traffic, incident reports, and map updates typically arrive via cellular data or built-in wireless services rather than FM TMC broadcast receivers. Garmin's current consumer lineup (Drive series, DriveSmart, and the Drive app) and apps like Google Maps and Waze provide live traffic, spoken street names, and crowd-sourced incident reporting.

Garmin also moved to different software and distribution models: map updates, live services, and POI management are now handled through desktop tools, over-the-air updates, or smartphone pairing rather than the older standalone workflows.

Practical note for owners

The StreetPilot 2720 is a legacy device. If you still use one, it can provide basic routing and offline maps, but it will lack modern live traffic, frequent map updates, and integrated cloud services. For current live traffic and faster map refreshes, consider upgrading to a modern Garmin model or using a smartphone navigation app.

Bottom line

The StreetPilot 2720 showcased features that are now standard: spoken street names, traffic-aware routing, custom POIs, and multi-stop routing. Those capabilities helped set expectations for the navigation systems drivers use today.