Thought I’d add my feedback about the Karoo 2 and see if anybody else had similar experiences. In short, I returned the Karoo after the 45 day trial period and sticking with my Garmin 530. It looked cool but just not what I need/want.
It was a good price at $400 and I was going to trade in my Garmin for another $130 off, which is a great price for a head unit like that.
Things I did like. The screen was big and bright. And had resolution close to some cell phones. The software was semi-intuitive. I did have to use their website to get some of the features but initial setup wasn’t bad. The map is great and the rerouting feature was stellar, hands down better than Garmin, which is crazy since Garmin has been making GPS devices for decades and still can’t figure out the rerouting.
Now some things I didn’t like. The battery life isn’t great. This is the downside of basically running a computer/cell phone as a head unit. The screen resolution and brightness come at a cost. And it doesn’t have an actual sleep mode, there’s screen off or fully off. This probably isn’t a big deal to most people but I liked that Garmin had a sleep mode. Just sleep it after a ride, and one button push and it’s back on. And I could go a week with riding before needing a charge. With the Karoo in screen off, I’d lose about 50% battery in 12 hours through the night. I started just powering it off but then it would take about a minute or so to boot up. It’s a minor gripe but annoying. I had to charge it every night.
The climbing page was cool, and maybe I didn’t get to use it as much as I should to judge it, but I didn’t see much difference from the Garmin climb page. They felt about the same for me.
No TrainerRoad outdoor workouts was a big one. Now I don’t doubt they be added soon and this isn’t a Karoo problem, but I use outdoor workouts a ton in the summer.
Live tracking, or lack of really. The Karoo can add a sim but that’s another subscription. Or the hassle of pulling out my cell phone sim and swapping every ride. I don’t want to have to add a sim to get live tracking. I always bring my cell phone so it’s easy to link to my phone for signal for that.
No auto lap by GPS location. Handy feature for crits, circuit races, and CX.
Then small things like weight and the touch screen. I thought I’d like the touch screen but for me it’s not easy to use while riding, especially the pinch to zoom.
Lastly, and this is just me being an old fart, I felt like it was too complex for my needs. It’s a computer. It can download apps and has a high resolution screen. But I don’t need that. It has a ton of features but I just want a few metrics and a map. When I ride, I just want to ride. I’ll collect the data and maybe look at it later. But really all I want is a few data points to look at now and then (time, distance, power). I don’t need a super fancy screen as long as I can read the map. I don’t need a sim slot or the ability to download a bunch of apps. I don’t need a touch screen, just a few buttons. I was actually considering the Garmin 1030+ before getting the Karoo, but even that seems like overkill now. I like the simplicity.
That’s my 2 cents. I know a lot of people love it but I’m fine with my simple Garmin 530.