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- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 6 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"nice looking and strong performer, but could have been much better with few improvements"
Pros: Design: slim, modern looking unit and windshield holder; Performance: extensive POI, ease of use, relatively fast, updated map
Cons: Packaging: does not come with USB cable, wall charger, nor protective case (!); Performance: voice directions do not mention street/exit names, no customization of main map screen
Summary: I just received my new Nuvi 250W a couple of days ago from Costco.com ($300 + s/h). Until then I'd been using the Magellan Maestro 4040 which I passed on to my wife. My first surprise was that the box does not include a USB cable, wall charger,or protective case. Very surprising since even the similarly priced Magellan includes all of that (also $300 at Costco). Unlike the Maestro, the Nuvi does not have blue tooth capability, which is not important to me anyways. The Nuvi has a brighter screen and a much extensive POI than the Maestro. The manufacturer claims to have a database of 6 million businesses. I found all kinds of businesses around my area (San Diego, CA), and all the In-N-Out on the route from San Diego to Santa Barbara (250 miles apart). That is a weak area of the Maestro. Entering addresses & names is very easy, and re-routing is also very quick. I intentionally missed some turns, and the Nuvi would re-route within 3-5 seconds. The voice instructions do not mention the name of streets/exits, just "turn right in 400 ft". I have found the mention of the street name useful especially in busy urban areas with short city blocks. I also wish the main map screen could be customized. For example, the "arrive time" is always there prominently on the lower-left corner, when for me the distance to my destination is more useful than arrival time. Also it would've been nice to be able to customize the color schemes of roads/freeways/route.
Overall, I like the Nuvi 250W slightly better than the Magellan 4040 just for the slimmer design and more complete POI.
Where to buy
Garmin Nuvi 250W:
$149.85 - $359.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$359.99 | See Site |
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$149.85 | Yes |
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Flash-Memory-Store.com
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$268.38 | No |
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