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Garmin nuvi 265W - 4.4 in. Car GPS Receiver
Price Range:
$169.00 to $347.49
Navigate your way easily with this GPS that features an integrated FM traffic receiver with free lifetime traffic service included and turn-by-turn voice prompts so you can stay focused on the road while driving. The Where Am I? function informs you of nearby hospitals, gas stations and more.
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38 Reviews from Epinions.com
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Garmin 265W
265WT was our family's 5th GPS, and no doubt the best decision of the five. With all our three cars having their own GPS I did not need another GPS. But I got so frustrated with my 4th purchase which was the only non-Garmin product, that i thought it was about time to replace it only after a year of use. The major problem with my old GPS was its less than optimal routing. I compared it side by side with my wife's Garmin, and Garmin proved again and again to lead me through the quickest route. Garmin also had more built in points of interest.
As always, I researched and narrowed it down to 265WT based on its available functions including its life time free traffic information display.
After testing my newest GPS for a whole week, I am convinced that my decision was a good one. Of course it is not perfect to my liking, but it does the job reasonably well. The only feature I wished Garmin had was the "next turn arrow" display, I was pleasantly surprised my 265WT had it. I did not need all the non-GPS related function such as MP3 Player which more expensive GPS's seem to have, and thus I chose 265WT. Even 265WT came with picture viewer, bluetooth, and calculator functions. Oh well, at least the calculator comes in handy.
I wanted to have live traffic information, and thus paid about $100 premium over other less expensive model. I don't know if this was a good decision, because it does not work too well. I usually find myself running into traffic congestion before GPS warns me of the traffic condition. It is interesting to see highlighted congested routes, but I don't know how accurate it is. I keep testing it, and I am yet to find it truly useful. It displays traffic condition only when initially connecting the power cord which has built-in antenna, and only after about 5 minutes of use. Unlike most GPS users who use 3D view option, I prefer using a regular 2D map view. That way I can see where traffic congestions are occurring. When traffic map is shown, it displays the map in a grey scale, with congested routes highlighted in yellow or red depending on severity. Again, I find this interesting, but not accurate.
If a destination is chosen without the traffic map option turned on, then there is a small icon displayed in green, yellow, or red with minutes showing the predicted delay (providing the power cord is plugged in).
Life time free traffic display option is afforded by Garmin by allowing advertisements to pop up while stopped. The ad is very small and it does not bother me at all. I really like to compare this traffic info with other paid service. But, I doubt how they could be truly accurate because the very nature of ever changing traffic condition.
Also, GPS's estimated time arrival used to be dead on when they were used in small cities. Since moving to a large metropolitan area, this feature is becoming less accurate because of the number of traffic lights with long red lights. Then again, live traffic would not work in small cities, so there are pros and cons.
265WT also speaks street names when American English option is chosen. If other spoken option, such as British accent is chosen, then no street names are spoken. I find the speech pattern somewhat annoying with its non-human like voice, but I've gotten used to it.
Finally, "W" stands for "wide" and 265 could be had with a smaller screen, and not wide screen. If 3D map view option is used, I think the smaller version would be acceptable. But if 2D map view is to be used more often, then its widescreen is much better and thus worth the extra cost.
Garmin allows one free map update within 6 months from the time the first satellite connection is made. With amount of roadway construction going on, I plan to have mine updated 6 months from now in hopes of catching as many changes as possible.
Oh, one last comment. It comes with a security code option to deter theft. Well, it would be too late if thieves find out after stealing it first, but at least thieves won't be able to sell nor use it if it is coded. Unlocking code is only possible when the unit is returned to the exact same place where it was first coded. So, don't code it on your driveway, otherwise, thieves could unlock the code simply by "borrowing" your driveway.
Reason for my final choice
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: Easy to use, no non-sense GPS with tons of built-in Points of Interest.
Cons: Live Traffic option is not accurate.
The Bottom Line:
One of the best GPS for the money. Driver's essential gadget everyone should have.
265WT was our family's 5th GPS, and no doubt the best decision of the five. With all our three cars having their own GPS I did not need another GPS. But I got so frustrated with my 4th purchase which was the only non-Garmin product, that i thought it was about time to replace it only after a year of use. The major problem with my old GPS was its less than optimal routing. I compared it side by side with my wife's Garmin, and Garmin proved again and again to lead me through the quickest route. Garmin also had more built in points of interest.
As always, I researched and narrowed it down to 265WT based on its available functions including its life time free traffic information display.
After testing my newest GPS for a whole week, I am convinced that my decision was a good one. Of course it is not perfect to my liking, but it does the job reasonably well. The only feature I wished Garmin had was the "next turn arrow" display, I was pleasantly surprised my 265WT had it. I did not need all the non-GPS related function such as MP3 Player which more expensive GPS's seem to have, and thus I chose 265WT. Even 265WT came with picture viewer, bluetooth, and calculator functions. Oh well, at least the calculator comes in handy.
I wanted to have live traffic information, and thus paid about $100 premium over other less expensive model. I don't know if this was a good decision, because it does not work too well. I usually find myself running into traffic congestion before GPS warns me of the traffic condition. It is interesting to see highlighted congested routes, but I don't know how accurate it is. I keep testing it, and I am yet to find it truly useful. It displays traffic condition only when initially connecting the power cord which has built-in antenna, and only after about 5 minutes of use. Unlike most GPS users who use 3D view option, I prefer using a regular 2D map view. That way I can see where traffic congestions are occurring. When traffic map is shown, it displays the map in a grey scale, with congested routes highlighted in yellow or red depending on severity. Again, I find this interesting, but not accurate.
If a destination is chosen without the traffic map option turned on, then there is a small icon displayed in green, yellow, or red with minutes showing the predicted delay (providing the power cord is plugged in).
Life time free traffic display option is afforded by Garmin by allowing advertisements to pop up while stopped. The ad is very small and it does not bother me at all. I really like to compare this traffic info with other paid service. But, I doubt how they could be truly accurate because the very nature of ever changing traffic condition.
Also, GPS's estimated time arrival used to be dead on when they were used in small cities. Since moving to a large metropolitan area, this feature is becoming less accurate because of the number of traffic lights with long red lights. Then again, live traffic would not work in small cities, so there are pros and cons.
265WT also speaks street names when American English option is chosen. If other spoken option, such as British accent is chosen, then no street names are spoken. I find the speech pattern somewhat annoying with its non-human like voice, but I've gotten used to it.
Finally, "W" stands for "wide" and 265 could be had with a smaller screen, and not wide screen. If 3D map view option is used, I think the smaller version would be acceptable. But if 2D map view is to be used more often, then its widescreen is much better and thus worth the extra cost.
Garmin allows one free map update within 6 months from the time the first satellite connection is made. With amount of roadway construction going on, I plan to have mine updated 6 months from now in hopes of catching as many changes as possible.
Oh, one last comment. It comes with a security code option to deter theft. Well, it would be too late if thieves find out after stealing it first, but at least thieves won't be able to sell nor use it if it is coded. Unlocking code is only possible when the unit is returned to the exact same place where it was first coded. So, don't code it on your driveway, otherwise, thieves could unlock the code simply by "borrowing" your driveway.
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