Figure 3: Garmin nuvi 250, Top

Figure 4: Garmin nuvi 250, Left Side

An SD card slot is located on the left side of the nuvi 250.

Figure 5: Garmin nuvi 250, Bottom

Figure 6: Garmin nuvi 250, Rear

A single speaker is located at the rear of the nuvi 250, as is the mini-USB connector, used for both power and connecting the nuvi to your PC/Mac. Unlike the 300 and 600 series nuvi's, the nuvi 250 has an internal GPS antenna instead of the fold-out style patch antenna. The 200-series nuvi's are the first nuvi's not to use the fold-out patch antenna.

The reset button is tucked away in the bottom-left corner.

Figure 7: nuvi's Suction Cup Mount

The nuvi 200 uses a similar suction cup mount as the rest of the nuvi product line. The mounting hardware consist of two pieces: the suction cup mount and the cradle (shown below).

Figure 8: nuvi 250's Windshield Cradle

The cradle fits onto the ball at the end of the windshield mount, creating a ball-and-socket type connection that is both highly effective and easy to attach/remove. To attach the cradle to the mount, simply press the cradle's socket onto the mount's ball, applying pressure until you hear it click into position. From there, the cradle can be articulated into the desired position.

To remove the cradle from the mount, simply twist the cradle all the way to the right or left until it snaps off the tip of the windshield suction mount. Another benefit of this design is that it doesn't degrade or wear out over time. TomTom's GO x10 series, for example, employ a mount design that is prone to wear and tear, and frequently breaks with usage.

Figure 9: nuvi 250's Windshield Mount With Cradle Attached

Here you see the windshield mount with the cradle connected.

Figure 10: nuvi 250 Connected to the Windshield Mount

Connecting the nuvi 250 to the cradle/mount is simple and easy to do with one hand: press the bottom of the nuvi into the cradle, and snap the top of the nuvi into place.

Throughout my testing I found Garmin's mounting hardware outstanding; the windshield mount held the nuvi firmly in place without any visible vibration while driving. The ball-and-socket style connector holds the unit just firmly enough to hold it in place while still making it easy to adjust the nuvi's position if needed. Another advantage of this type of mount is that there are no screws to tighten/loosen when you want to adjust the position, making one-handed adjustments easy.

Good mounting hardware seems to elude most GPS manufacturers, so Garmin deserves high praise for consistently making excellent windshield mounting hardware.

However, I did take issue with the fact that the 12v power adapter connects directly to the nuvi rather than the mount/cradle. It's annoying having to plug in the power cable each time you want to use the GPS. The more expensive nuvi 350 (and 600 series) connects the power cable to the mount/cradle rather than the unit directly, making it that much faster to get the nuvi ready for navigation. I realize the nuvi 250 is an entry-level device and Garmin needs to keep costs down, but I did find myself longing for the mount with the power connector built-in.

Figure 11: Included 12v Cigarette Lighter Power Adapter

Figure 12: 12v Power Adapter's mini-USB Connector

The mini-USB connector on the nuvi 250 both provides power / charging, and also allows the unit to be connected to a PC/MAC for updating the firmware or transferring data to an SD memory card.