After doing a bunch of research over the last few days, I've narrowed it down to basically the Garmin Nuvi 350 or possibly the 260. The only thing is that since the 260 is new (and even though it's in the lower end of the product line), it's more expensive than the 350.

Any other alternatives I should consider in that size and price range (~$350)? Good routing is a necessity for the SF Bay Area. I've looked at reviews for stuff like Magellan 4040 (didn't do well) and I've ruled out any devices w/Tele Atlas maps (rules out all TomToms and Mio Digiwalkers).

The Nuvi 600 series is a little bit too big. I actually don't care at all about MP3 playback, Bluetooth support, language translation, etc. Being able to receive FM traffic info in the future is a plus. I do prefer having it read out the street names which the 350 and 260 have, unlike some cheaper units. I do have some concern about the Nuvi 350's max volume being insufficient in the Z on the highway. I don't plan to use an FM transmitter since I already am using one for my iPod.

Small size is sort of important because I want to be able to take it with me due to the rash of nav unit thefts in the Bay Area lately.

(If you're curious why I've ruled out Tele Atlas, see http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/06/g...tes.php?page=2. The route that the Tele Atlas based TomTom One XL picked is TERRIBLE. It's NOT that way you want to go to SF from San Jose Fry's given the longer distance and having to pay a $4 toll to cross the Bay Bridge which also has terrible traffic. The Magellan Maestro 4050 and Garmin nuvis use Navteq maps.)

 

I would def. recomend the garmin. They work great. I have a nuvi 680 for sale if your interested in a slightly higher unit. good luck.

 

The Nuvi 350 has served us well in the past two years. I keep it in the Z's front cubby and bought a Garmin's friction mount for use in the wife's Honda. GPS reception is excellent while in the Z's cubby and the volume is more than adequate on the freeway. I recommend this unit for portability, functionality and value--I don't think you could find a better product in this price range.

 

I've used a few GPS devices, and prefer Garmin. I like the Garmin's application software and prefer the Navteq map database.

Garmin's application software has a lot of nifty features such as field configurations and operation choices so you can customize the screens and functions to your liking. The software also provides some very good interface functuons, such as the auto-zoom feature. I find that once I set my destination and begin driving, I rarely need to touch any function button. That reduces distractions and is important from a safety standpoint.

I understand from your posting that portability is a feature you need. But,I would only mention that the Garmin GVN 52 Blackbox teamed with a composite video LCD 7" screen is a great solution costing around $600. Here you get a large display with great graphics and a stealth installation that fits the Z like OEM protecting your investment from thieves.

Go Garmin,you will love it.

--Spike

 

It looks like you've done good research. The voice-reading of street names makes a big difference, believe it or not. The less you have to take your eyes off the road, the better. I have the Garmin nuvi 660 - I upgraded from the 350 because I found it used for the same price (back in January). The 350 was definitely "good enough" though.

As for size, the 660 fits in the 350Z's cubbyhole just fine, here's how I did it for an almost stock look: http://tinyurl.com/2k5wgt

This lets me close the cubbyhole cover to reduce visibility and theft, and I can remove it easily when I need to.

 

^^ Very nice. Looks "built-in" but is portable. Great installation.

--Spike

 

^^Ditto that. Congrats, mthreat. Would appreciate more information about your install. What mount, etc.

 

^^Now I see your install detail. Thank you. Where is your antenna for the GPS? Did you hardwire?

 

I didn't have to do anything special -- the internal antenna on the nuvi 660 has always worked great and has a strong signal.

 

I have the 660 in my other Nissan and it's great.

The bluetooth option is nice as in July of 2008 hands free will become a requirement in California. The MP3 feature doesn't get used in the car but it acts as an iPod player for me when I'm off on a business trip.

The live traffic updates are nice too - the system picks up Clearchannel traffic data broadcasts and color-codes the map. If you're on a route it will ask to reroute you around traffic if it can save you time. Works like a champ in the Los Angeles area where lots of the roads are monitored by sensors built into the road.

Pretty expensive and not for everyone but I don't mind paying extra for the quality Garmin user interface. I tried friend's Cobra and Magellan units and wasn't as impressed - neither were they. Nobody in my group has a Tom-Tom but I know they're very popular.

 

I borrowed a Nuvi 350 briefly from a coworker today. It is definitely plenty loud enough on the highway and it seems to get signal w/o problem in the cubby with its antenna on the back.

 

I love mine !

 

I bought the Nuvi 350 today for $300 + tax thanks to http://www.fatwallet.com/t/24/770723. Yay!

Luckily, my local Sears was willing to honor the price. YMMV.

 

How did you run power into the cubby?


Tom

 

I bought an Avic S2, I dont really know how it stacks up against other portables, this is the only portable unit I've used so far but I like it, Bluetooth and Mp3 features as well.

 

It uses inferior (in the US) TeleAtlas maps. From what I can gather, it doesn't have text to speech meaning it will not read street names aloud (e.g. in 0.2 miles, turn right on Jones Street).

 

i am in the market for one too but not sure what is good.

 

Get the 660. I have one and I think it works ok

 

From after all the research I've done, the Garmin Nuvi 300 series (such as the 350). The 600 series is fine too but they're more expensive since they have larger screens and some of the higher end ones have extra features such as built in FM transmitter and built in traffic data receiver (adds a lot the cost). Also, some of the more expensive units have stuff like Bluetooth or maps of Europe in addition to North America.

Example: the only difference between the Nuvi 350 and 360 is that 360 has Bluetooth (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/compare....t=6291&cID=134). The diff betwen the 360 and 370 is that the 370 also includes maps of Europe (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/compare....t=8577&cID=134).

I have to admit, the Garmin product line and naming/numbering is pretty confusing at first.

Be sure to shop around. If you don't, you could end up paying $500 for a Nuvi 350 (regular price at Fry's around here) vs. a good deal of $350-370.

I already bought a Nuvi 350, but I did play with a Magellan Maestro 4040 at Costco today ($350) and will admit the UI looks prettier than my Nuvi 350. However, I crossed it off my list since it did a lot worse in this review http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/04/r...40.php?page=12 vs. http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/08/g...ew.php?page=11. Also read them from the beginning: http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/04/r...040.php?page=1 http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/08/g...iew.php?page=1.

If you don't want to pay for text to speech (reading street names aloud), you could go for a Nuvi 200 series if there's significant savings. None of the 200 series has text to speec except the new 260.

I would stay away from anything that uses TeleAtlas maps (TomTom, Mio Digiwalkers, the aforementioned Avic S2 to name a few). See my original post. Don't bother w/outdated units like the Garmin Streetpilot c330 and c340. There's no point in buying them. See http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/10/t...of_garmins.php and http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/10/t...units_in_n.php.

 

best bang for the buck under $300?