Garmin nüvi 205W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Review.
"Back to Great Navigation ... at its BEST" 2008-09-03
By W. Engelken (Houston, TX)
I agree with others that mp3, bluetooth, fm, announcing street "names," etc., is overboard and is NOT what makes a good GPS. Certainly Garmin has to make those for persons who want them; but for really just GOOD AND FAST navigation, the new series (205W etc) is all that's necessary and is awesome at that. What is a good GPS ... the Garmin handheld 60CSx ... which I have! So I compared the two which isn't really realistic since they both have different purposes, but both do navigation extremely well. Only the 60CSx will maintain its connection in extremely difficult areas (sky scraper buildings, overpasses, canyons, forest canopy, etc); but the 205W is not a slouch here either.
Satelite information ... Speed: the 205W is every bit as fast as the 60CSx, if not just a tad faster, and that, in itself is amazing. It gathers satellites easily and once obtained, reconnects almost instantaneously after being turned back on. Get off Interstate 35E in Dallas and try to get back on ... it's a nightmare. But for the Nuvie 205W it was easy and very clearly described and stated ... a great GPS.
I was skeptical at first about the new series until I read what Garmin accomplished here and other comments from reviewers: fast chip, storage for 1000 favorites, trip minder, clear directions and markings with distances given, road mph and your current mph (on screen) and time arrival at the objective (waypoint to go to), beautiful wide screen, easy mount dismount, etc. I could go on and on but ... if it is toys you want (mp3, bluetooth telephone, fm, etc.), don't buy this one. BUT if you want the absolute BEST for the BUCK navigation ... this series has it. The reaction speed of the unit is really impressive.
My wife loves this unit and how easy it is to do what she wants (that, my friend, is a good sales talk ...).
Garmin's back to great navigation is ... great and at a great price. Your friends will be impressed.
Only complaint ... no online operators manual ... yet? But since I already had the 60CSx, it was easy to figure out and Garmin menus are easy and direct you to what you need to know. I have owned and used the 205W Nuvi since July 14, 2008. Very satisfied!
"Best value in wide-screen GPS... plain & simple." 2008-09-02
By Rav (New York)
The Garmin nuvi 205W is simply a great GPS and the best value of any widescreen GPS. It has a no extra bells and whistles (no MP3 player -LOL, doesn't speak road names - annoying, no maps of Alaska or Canada - not needed, no FM transmitter to listen to MP3 - useless gimmick, etc.). The 205W is a useful widescreen GPS - plain and simple. It has over 6 million POIs (restaurants, lodging, shopping) and can be customized to add your own POIs. It has a trip computer which I used last week on a road trip to Hershey Park which was pretty neat (tracks time traveled, speed, distance, etc.). This newly released Garmin GPS has the new user interface which shows the road speed limit, your speed, next turn arrow and distance to next turn all on the main screen. The mapping information is the best available on the market and will provide you with clear directions on where you want to go. The Garmin 205 (regular screen) and the 205W (widescreen) are both highly recommended - just a matter of preference in screen size.
"Nice Choice" 2008-09-11
By G. Carlson
I am very impressed with this product and it sure is nice knowing I will never be lost again as I have in the past (just ask my wife).
If you could afford the extra expense, I would recommend choosing the larger 4.3 display (205W). The 205W's only drawback is the street name is not announced which is something I thought I might regret but it is easily seen at the top of the display.
A GPS power supply for the car is included. I mention this because it is not clearly stated in the product details.
This 205W model would be what the majority of customers would need in a GPS without all the useless features that the more expensive models offer.
"Good value, great product!" 2008-07-04
By D. Arava (NYC)
I bought the Garmin nuvi 205w after experience and return of two Magellan products for about two weeks, the two Magellans, Maestro 3225 and Roadmate 1412 were buggy and felt cheap compare to Garmin.
The Garmin nuvi 205w is just great, responsive, clear maps, extremely quick satellite reception from a cold start, you don't even have to be outside, just standing next to a window will do the trick. Built quality is superb, it feels like a little brick, the PC software to load IPO's is great; you can also look for an address on Google maps and click "send" to load the location to the Garmin.
Accuracy in busy NYC streets is amazing, it will recalculate after half a block when you miss a turn, also, on the Henry Hudson Pkwy it will detect if I'm on the main road or the service road, and they are really close to each other.
So far I'm very satisfy, easy to use, responsive and does not have anything that I don't need !
"Replacement for the Tom Tom 330S-Couldn't be happier!" 2008-09-18
By A2K (Northwest Iowa)
I recently purchased a Tom Tom 330 S and was extremly dissatisfied with it so I sent it back. I decied I really didn't want to pay and extra $50 for spoken street names so this GPS had most of the features that the Tom Tom did for less money! It doesn't have Mapshare, itinerary route planning, or spoken street names but so far I love it! The thing that sold me was that most of the points of interest were in the right place (which is more than what the Tom Tom had) and the volume, if prefered, could be turned up very loud which was also not true for the Tom Tom. I am definitly buying a Garmin next time and I would strongly recommend it to anyone. The only thing that bothered me just a little is that I had to buy the car charger separate as an accessory because it didn't come in the box but it wasn't a deal breaker. The total price was still less than the Tom Tom!
By W. Engelken (Houston, TX)
I agree with others that mp3, bluetooth, fm, announcing street "names," etc., is overboard and is NOT what makes a good GPS. Certainly Garmin has to make those for persons who want them; but for really just GOOD AND FAST navigation, the new series (205W etc) is all that's necessary and is awesome at that. What is a good GPS ... the Garmin handheld 60CSx ... which I have! So I compared the two which isn't really realistic since they both have different purposes, but both do navigation extremely well. Only the 60CSx will maintain its connection in extremely difficult areas (sky scraper buildings, overpasses, canyons, forest canopy, etc); but the 205W is not a slouch here either.
Satelite information ... Speed: the 205W is every bit as fast as the 60CSx, if not just a tad faster, and that, in itself is amazing. It gathers satellites easily and once obtained, reconnects almost instantaneously after being turned back on. Get off Interstate 35E in Dallas and try to get back on ... it's a nightmare. But for the Nuvie 205W it was easy and very clearly described and stated ... a great GPS.
I was skeptical at first about the new series until I read what Garmin accomplished here and other comments from reviewers: fast chip, storage for 1000 favorites, trip minder, clear directions and markings with distances given, road mph and your current mph (on screen) and time arrival at the objective (waypoint to go to), beautiful wide screen, easy mount dismount, etc. I could go on and on but ... if it is toys you want (mp3, bluetooth telephone, fm, etc.), don't buy this one. BUT if you want the absolute BEST for the BUCK navigation ... this series has it. The reaction speed of the unit is really impressive.
My wife loves this unit and how easy it is to do what she wants (that, my friend, is a good sales talk ...).
Garmin's back to great navigation is ... great and at a great price. Your friends will be impressed.
Only complaint ... no online operators manual ... yet? But since I already had the 60CSx, it was easy to figure out and Garmin menus are easy and direct you to what you need to know. I have owned and used the 205W Nuvi since July 14, 2008. Very satisfied!
By Rav (New York)
The Garmin nuvi 205W is simply a great GPS and the best value of any widescreen GPS. It has a no extra bells and whistles (no MP3 player -LOL, doesn't speak road names - annoying, no maps of Alaska or Canada - not needed, no FM transmitter to listen to MP3 - useless gimmick, etc.). The 205W is a useful widescreen GPS - plain and simple. It has over 6 million POIs (restaurants, lodging, shopping) and can be customized to add your own POIs. It has a trip computer which I used last week on a road trip to Hershey Park which was pretty neat (tracks time traveled, speed, distance, etc.). This newly released Garmin GPS has the new user interface which shows the road speed limit, your speed, next turn arrow and distance to next turn all on the main screen. The mapping information is the best available on the market and will provide you with clear directions on where you want to go. The Garmin 205 (regular screen) and the 205W (widescreen) are both highly recommended - just a matter of preference in screen size.
By G. Carlson
I am very impressed with this product and it sure is nice knowing I will never be lost again as I have in the past (just ask my wife).
If you could afford the extra expense, I would recommend choosing the larger 4.3 display (205W). The 205W's only drawback is the street name is not announced which is something I thought I might regret but it is easily seen at the top of the display.
A GPS power supply for the car is included. I mention this because it is not clearly stated in the product details.
This 205W model would be what the majority of customers would need in a GPS without all the useless features that the more expensive models offer.
By D. Arava (NYC)
I bought the Garmin nuvi 205w after experience and return of two Magellan products for about two weeks, the two Magellans, Maestro 3225 and Roadmate 1412 were buggy and felt cheap compare to Garmin.
The Garmin nuvi 205w is just great, responsive, clear maps, extremely quick satellite reception from a cold start, you don't even have to be outside, just standing next to a window will do the trick. Built quality is superb, it feels like a little brick, the PC software to load IPO's is great; you can also look for an address on Google maps and click "send" to load the location to the Garmin.
Accuracy in busy NYC streets is amazing, it will recalculate after half a block when you miss a turn, also, on the Henry Hudson Pkwy it will detect if I'm on the main road or the service road, and they are really close to each other.
So far I'm very satisfy, easy to use, responsive and does not have anything that I don't need !
By A2K (Northwest Iowa)
I recently purchased a Tom Tom 330 S and was extremly dissatisfied with it so I sent it back. I decied I really didn't want to pay and extra $50 for spoken street names so this GPS had most of the features that the Tom Tom did for less money! It doesn't have Mapshare, itinerary route planning, or spoken street names but so far I love it! The thing that sold me was that most of the points of interest were in the right place (which is more than what the Tom Tom had) and the volume, if prefered, could be turned up very loud which was also not true for the Tom Tom. I am definitly buying a Garmin next time and I would strongly recommend it to anyone. The only thing that bothered me just a little is that I had to buy the car charger separate as an accessory because it didn't come in the box but it wasn't a deal breaker. The total price was still less than the Tom Tom!
