Customer Reviews: Read 61 more reviews...
 Amazing gadget but mapping in Spain not entirely satisfactory October 4, 2008
I did not wish to spend too much as I would not need it much in the UK, however, I needed all the help I could for my annual hols. on the Costa del Sol and this has European mapping.
The first indication that it would not be plain sailing was at home when I could not locate the destinations for inserting into the favourites for future use using the area codes and the street names. Once we were there we found the screen more accurate than the verbal commands and other than quite a lot of blunders sending us off down the wrong way, it was helpful in finding our way about and saved us a few red faces. i.e. better than a map.
 Garmin Nuvi 250 - easy to use and value for money October 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm new to the sat nav game and had read loads of reviews before I settled on the Nuvi 250. Just moved to Glasgow and don't know the city at all! I'm well able to read a map and still do use a map, but its a great addition and elimiates the need to stop constantly and check!
Decided on the garmin and I'm really pleased with my purchase. Its so easy to use, just enter the postcode and you're off! It guided me round Glasgow no problems and the speed camera alert is brilliant on the motorway! In areas with mobile speed cameras it beeps when you're over the speed limit and gives plenty warning ahead of the fixed cameras.
You get plenty of warning when making turns/roundabouts and it gives you an estimated time of arrival which changes constantly if you stop/get stuck in traffic. OK so I missed a turn in Edinburgh which was very close to the next street, but it does tell you how far the turn is in 0. of a mile, then metres when you're closer to the junction and you soon get used to judging which turn you should take when the streets are very close together. It also recalculates really quickly, on a turn off to the petrol station it picked up immediately that I had gone off the route and when I did take the wrong turn it recalculated straight away and soon had me on the right track.
OK so it doesn't come with a mains charger, but most of them in this price/spec range dont and I bought mine plus an additional car charger for 3 pounds. The windscreen mount is really sturdy and very easy to get on/off.
Overall am delighted with the nuvi, it suits my needs perfectly and is extremely simple to use. For someone who just needs some help round the city and a reminder to slow down on the motorway it's perfect!
 Maps need updating... October 1, 2008
This is the first sat nav i have purchased and i cant help feeling i've made the wrong choice. Used the Garmin on two trips, one to North Devon and one to Cornwall, and both times the unit has got me there but not after telling me that i'm driving either across fields or through rivers. One can only assume that the maps are seriously out of date, and although the unit eventually re-calculates a new route it makes you feel you cant 100% trust the information coming out of it(hence the need to start reading road signs). Also the POI's seem to be more favourable to certain supermarket chains, again this could be down to out of date maps. However it does recognise there is a tesco garage in my home town but not a tesco store standing right next to it which can be somewhat confusing!
Crude Sat Nav Covers East and Western Europe September 30, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I already have the TomTom One GB 3rd ed sat nav, which i have been very pleased with. Its reliable, up-to-date and re-assuringly has never failed me. I decided to buy another for European maps, and the Garmin 250 appeared to be a good choice. Whilst cheaper than the TomTom, it coverage extended from GB to both Western and Eastern Europe. The other good points are that it is slimmer than the TomTom, so easier to put in my pocket; the windscreen holder is much more effective than TomToms, and the POIs are more meaningful.
However, in use the problems became quickly apparent. First, the manual it comes with is so lacking in detail even basic procedures are left to trial and error. This makes the unit hard to use initially.
The female voice sounds very tinny, unpleasant to the ear. The volume doesnt adjust to the road conditions, so tends to be either too loud or too quiet however you set it. I found the basic maps adequate though the map on the screen lags behind where you actually are on the road.
I tested the unit thoroughly on a long journey from London to North Devon and back. On the journey out, nearing my destination, it guided me down a steep one track back road which was positively dangerous. Fortunately i didnt meet anyone coming in the opposite direction, for that would have meant backing along the entire distance of the twisting lane. The friends i was staying with in Devon were astonished a sat nav would send anyone down such a route, as not only is it dangerous (all the locals avoid it) but far longer than by going on a proper A or B road.
However, as i discovered on the return journey, there may be a reason for this. To avoid going back the same way, my friend drove ahead and i followed in my car, ignoring the sat nav's directions. This was to follow the main route everyone uses to get to that particular town. On following a signpost directing me to the M5 where i wanted to go, i noticed that the sat nav looked as though i was driving through a field and then a river. I cant tell you how bizarre that felt!!
The road i was travelling on through the river was opened in early 2006. The Garmin maps on my device are labelled 2008, but clearly they date from sometime prior to early 2006 and have never been updated!! Apart from the deception involved, this hardly inspires confidence that the Garmin 250 is a reliable device I can trust to take me from A to B.
I checked the same route on my older TomTom, and sure enough, it has the details of the 2006 roads in place. I assume this is because of the online updating TomTom allows via mapshare, which is clearly more important than i had ever realised.
Overall then, three stars for the extensive coverage of Europe, the small size, the windscreen mouting, but really this crude, tinny device cannot be recommended. That said, I've decided to keep mine because it covers countries TomTom just has no maps at all for at present. No better example of getting what you pay for.
Good but not perfect September 26, 2008
Pretty pleased with it. But sometimes it can't distinguish between 'turn left' and 'keep left'. For example, on a sharp bend it will tell you to 'turn right', even though you are following the same road. And instead of 'turn left' onto a minor road it will tell you to 'keep left.' And occasionally tries to send you the wrong way up one way systems! But useful overall, as long as you accept it doesn't know everything.
|
