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Electronics : Garmin Nuvi 250 Satellite Navigation System With European MappingRating: - DisappointingUsed it twice on long journeys and let down both times. Once it was over a quarter of a mile out on the address and the second time it navigated me on to a minor road and then kept saying recalculating before freezing. People I know with a tomtom seem to have less trouble. On shorter journeys it has been more accurate. This is my first sat nav and I am not impressed. Rating:  - A quick comparison with TomTomFirstly let me say that at the price Amazon are charging it's hard to fault the product. If you need Europe mapping I would buy now before the product is discontinued, which is imminent. Now a quick comparison with a TomTom One, also owned by me. It's basically swings and roundabouts. The ideal product would be a combination of the two. Pros for the TomTom One: a) Graphics with a wow factor. The TomTom looks terrific with 'floaty' 3D graphics and totally wowed me when I first saw it. The Garmin 250 looks fine, but to be fair isn't as good. b) The TomTom is more flexible and has more menus. Try calculating a route when you have no satellite signal because you are at home. I'm in Sheffield but let's assume I'm in Liverpool and want to go to Derby. Both sat navs can do it, but the TomTom is easier. c) TomTom appears to update slightly faster when going round a roundabout, but this is a bit subjective. Both products could do a bit better! Pros for the Garmin 250: a) It's more solid and the windscreen mount is a lot more solid. Beautifully made. b) Route generation seems to be better. On a 50 mile trip through the countryside that I have done many times over the years and have formed my own favourite route, the TomTom initially wants to use a difficult route, whereas the Garmin unbelievably used my exact favourite route. Lots of points for that. c) The Garmin hasn't needed a reset yet. Another big issue with TomToms. So which is best? I don't know. I wish I could combine the good features of both products. If you have never owned a sat nav before you will find either product totally awesome. Paper maps are useless by comparison. Both the Garmin and the TomTom will get you to your destination within just a few feet and are a joy to use. This particular Garmin is about to go obsolete so is cheap and is therefore a terrific buy. You should be offered 2009 maps when you register it, but be warned you are looking at a 2.5GB download. The whole installation process will take an evening, but is well thought out and reliable. Unfortunately the mapping world moves slowly, so even 2009 maps will not feature all new roads on new estates - I have tested this with a specific road. That comment applies to all sat navs. In summary I would give both Garmin and TomTom 5 stars because the products are so much fun to use. I just wish they would each sort out their own shortcomings. Rating:  - Great Sat NavAfter reading mostly 5 star and a few 2 star reviews I thought risk it. I'm glad I did. I agree the start up time is a little long, but so what, it isn't that bad. On it's first test I was deliberately ignoring it to see how quick it would re-route me, and it is pretty quick to be honest. Slightly confusing instructions where a two left turns were close together, but moving map clearly shows the route required. Tried to put in a friends post code and it found the next street over - a bit annoying but when entering the full address there was no problem. I like the fact you can also enter in map co-ordinates. I do a lot of MTB and very often the places I go don't have a street and number, so this is a great feature. Then there's the price coupled with full western Europe mapping. Buy one. Rating: - Essential in EuropeI have owned and used this for a while now, much better than my old Sat Nav. If you drive in Europe its a must! Can't fault it. I use it every month in Europe, it saves a lot of stress!! Rating: - Excellent Easy to use - took 3 mins for me to set up from opening the box. Good value - compared to other UK & Europe options very reasonably priced. Easy navigation - on screen details are good and voice instructions clear. Great built in info - Hospitals, restaurants, golf clubs. Was a god send in a medical emergency in an area i didn't know. Would recommend to anyone looking for a good value, easy to use and reliable sat nav. |
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