350UZSB

Does anyone have the new Garmin Nuvi 660? Thoughts comments?
I am looking at getting the 350 for the parents, but I think the screen might be too small. People with the 350, what do you think?

THE TECH

iTrader: (154)

I just bought the wife the 350 for Xmas, so we shall see. I have the Street Pilot 2720 and love it. If I was going to buy another unit, it would be the 660 hands down.

Chebosto

iTrader: (43)

660 is overkill imho. unless they use bluetooth (more importantly know how), and want to listen to mp3s and whatever using the nav unit.... then 350 (or even the 330) is good enough for good general nav around tow. my dad has the c330 and loves it.. they've dropped in price to around.. under $400

Cannysage

iTrader: (29)

660 have a bluetooth feature and has a 4" screen oppose to the 330's 3.5.

hey chebosto, can you place the c330 on the stock nav console and still pickup satellites?

pdn

The 350 can also play MP3s; we just got the 350 and it's working out fine. I don't look at the screen too much since the voice guidance is pretty good. The wider screen on the 660 is nice but since we don't have a Bluetooth requirement, the additional price just wasn't justified!

If you could take your parents to a store and let them check out both models in person to see which one they prefer.

Chebosto

iTrader: (43)

antenna is decent.. i never used it in the Z (since i have stock navi) but on my dad's RX300. i could use it while i was sitting in the back seat. and thats more insulated than a plastic cubby hole..

Paul350Z

iTrader: (1)

I've had the 660 for a couple of months now and love it. Built-into the dash of the Z I have a Pioneer AVIC N2 so this is for use in the Xterra and rentals on busines. The nuvi replaces a two year old iQue 3600. The only weak thing that the nuvi has is the FM transmitter - I've yet to see one that worked well in the Los Angeles area as every frequency up and down the dial is used.

The thing is fast fast fast! The user interface is well thought out making it easy to do what you want quickly. The ability to speak the name of the street is nice too ... "turn left in 500 feet" becomes "turn left of Bay Avenue in 500 feet". It connects with bluetooth to my blackberry 7100i importing the phonebook - but the direct connect doesn't link. Hands free becomes a requirement in California in 2008 and is already a requirement elsewhere.

MP3 player, picture viewer, calculator, currency convert ... the thing is packed with features.

www.gpsnow.com has a nice chart that breaks out all the nuvi's and explains their features.

Spike100

I agree with the comments made on this thread. Paul350Z’s point (“The thing is fast fast fast! The user interface is well thought out making it easy to do what you want quickly.”) is right on mark.

My feeling is the bigger the screen, the better for navigational devices used in cars. The Nuvi 660 has a 4.3 screen that has exceptional clarity. The 660’s larger screen makes this one a better choice than the other models with 3.5 screens.

I’m not sure if you are asking about this device specifically for a Z (since this is a gift for your parents), but the fitment is almost perfect in the Z’s upper/forward cubby. When mounting in the Z, it is easy to add Garmin’s external antenna (place this on the strut bar in the rear cargo area) for better reception. I also “hard-wired” a power supply to the ignition that runs into the upper/forward cubby where the gps sits for an OEM appearance.

With this said, I actually prefer an even larger screen for a gps. The 7” screen you get with the built-in models is best, but you can’t “take it with you.” The Nuvi’s are transportable, and that is a nice feature. If you are in a strange city, you can dismount the Nuvi and use it “on foot.” You can also move the device to your other vehicles.

--Spike