Forum Discussion

cameronpatentla's avatar
Jul 26, 2015

Rand McNally RVND 7710 7-Inch GPS vs. Garmin

I recently ranted (!) about the Rand McNally GPS in the Infotainment System in our new Winnebago ERA 70X (the rant, in all its glory, is in our blog, too www.era70x.com)

Because I cannot depend on the built in GPS (which cost $1,500), I'm thinking about buying a standalone GPS. Interestingly, the Rand McNally 7710 GPS reviewed on Amazon has a lot of the same freezing up/latency/defects of the built in GPS (which, by the way is vended by Xite (2014 XSG2NA-X1 Infotainment System Family
with Rand McNally RV GPS).

I wonder if it is the Rand provided software to Xite that makes the unit so buggy and worthless. In any event, any input from users on the best Garmin, Magellan, TomTom, Rand (!), GPS units (for RV or otherwise) would be appreciated. Cheers, Mike era70x.com
  • 4aSong wrote:
    We have had both the Willie Nelly (Rand McNally) RVND7730LM and the Garmin 2797LMT and there is no comparison of the two, Garmin wins hands down, Quality, Reliability, Accuracy, More Features, etc, etc.


    Thanks! I think that's the confirmation I need--based on real world head to head competition! Best, Mike www.era70x.com
  • I have the earlier Exite unit that does not have the Rand software in it. The GPS does not have the problems you described so it is likely the Rand software. The GPS in mine has some oddities but is no worse than a TomTom or Garmin for accuracy.
    I do like the Exite for the other Infotainment functions.
  • wildtoad wrote:
    They all sent me down roads to nowhere, told me to turn left when I knew the destination was on the right, and other curious quirks. I would never pay for a built in unit unless all updates were free forever, and I could do them myself.


    x2. I have the Garmin for RVs and it really does some weird routing. You can do a search and see long previous post. I will only use it on the interstates as it does not do a good job routing on smaller highways or in city streets. It will get you lost. I'll have to say it worked much better before I downloaded the latest maps.
  • 4A Song, I just purchased the Rand Mcnally RVND 7730LM but haven't received it yet. Maybe I should have read this first. Would you expand a little on the differences and do you think we will really be disappointed with the Rand?
  • I thought I replied a few days ago but it apparently didn't send. My question: We ordered the Rand Mcnally 7730LM a few days ago. Would you expand on the Garmin (good points) and RM failures. Are we going to be happy with the RM? Also, I had a thought after ordering the RM. Do these work well sitting under the long overhang of the cabin?

About RV Must Haves

Have a product you cannot live without? Share it with the community!8,793 PostsLatest Activity: Aug 22, 2023