The 4.3" wide-screen nuvi 250W is the first nuvi to use Garmin's new "City Navigator North America NT 2008" maps - a major mapping update 3 years in the making. Does the nuvi 250W deliver on its promise of high-quality navigation in a wide-screen unit that won't empty your wallet? How do Garmin's new maps compare to TomTom's recently updated maps? Read on to find out.

The nuvi 250W ships with pre-loaded NAVTEQ maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, has a 4.3-inch color touch screen display, turn-by-turn guidance, 6 million Points of Interest (POI) database, photo viewer, calculator, currency converter, unit converter, and a world clock.

TOC

1. Specifications
2. Making Sense of Garmin's nuvi Product Line
3. What's In The Box
4. nuvi 250's New, Internal Antenna
5. GPS Signal Strength
6. Mounting the nuvi 250 in the Car
7. The Map Page
8. Finding an Address
9. Garmin's Automatic Map Scaling Feature
10. Finding a Restaurant
11. Expanding the Search Scope
12. Setting the Home Address
13. Navigating to A Set of Coordinates
14. Adding a Stop, or Via, to the Route
15. Canceling the Route
16. Saving Your Current Location
17. Garmin's Updated Maps
18. Custom Vehicle Icons
19. Routing Engine Performance
20. Configuring Preferences
21. Pros
22. Cons
23. Conclusion

1. Specifications

• Receiver: high-sensitivity WAAS-enabled GPS receiver (SiRF for now, although Garmin says that might change in the future)
• Display: 3.81"W x 2.25"H (9.7 x 5.7 cm); 4.3" diag (10.9 cm), 480 x 272 pixels; WQVGA color TFT with white backlight
• Unit dimensions: 4.8"W x 2.9"H x .8"D (12.2 x 7.4 x 2.0 cm)
• Weight: 6.1 ounces (172.93 g)
• Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, up to 5 hours of battery life depending on use
• Includes Garmin Lock™, an anti-theft feature
• Pre-loaded with NAVTEQ maps (City Navigator North America NT 2008) of the US, Canada, & Puerto Rico
• 6 Millions Points of Interest (POI) database
• Upload custom POIs, including alerts for speed zones and safety cameras with POI Loader
• Built in Travel Kit includes picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters, calculator and more
• SD card slot
• USB interface for loading data
• Retail Price: $589.27 / Street Price: $530

2. Making Sense of Garmin's nuvi Product Line

Even if you've managed to narrow your GPS search down to a Garmin nuvi, figuring out which nuvi is right for you has become a daunting task. With 14 different models to choose from, even the most savvy consumer can find themselves confused. Let's take a look at Garmin's growing nuvi family, and examine the differences.

The 200-series represents the entry level market and are the least expensive nuvis to date. The nuvi 200, 250, and 270 are identical in every way, except for the map coverage. The nuvi 200 ships preloaded with maps of the 48 U.S. continental states (no Alaska or Hawaii), the 250 ships preloaded with maps of the United States, Canada, & Puerto Rico, and the 270 includes maps of the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Europe. All three nuvi 200's use the same NAVTEQ mapping data, share the same high-sensitivity GPS receiver, have the same weight, size, screen, and features.

The nuvi 250 and 250W are identical in all features, except the 250W has a wider (4.3") screen, and ships with Garmin's newest maps (although I'd expect to see the new maps to make their way on to the other nuvis within the next few months too).

What's missing from the less expensive 200 series nuvi's? These nuvi's don't have text-to-speech, Bluetooth, traffic, an mp3 player, or a headphone/audio out jack. For a complete overview of the nuvi offering, take a look at the comparison chart below:

Garmin nuvi Feature Matrix

Buyers looking for an integrated MP3 player, travel assistant, traffic, or integrated Bluetooth functionality will need to look to the more expensive nuvi 300 lineup:

• nuvi 300 - Europe-specific model that ships with map data for a single European region or country.
• nuvi 310 - Same as the 300, but adds Bluetooth functionality.
• nuvi 350 - Least expensive nuvi that includes text-to-speech technology (the unit speaks the names of streets and highways when announcing maneuvers). Ships preloaded with maps of North America (US, Canada, Puerto Rico).
• nuvi 360 - Identical to the nuvi 350, but adds Bluetooth and an integrated microphone for hands-free calling when paired with a Bluetooth enabled cell phone.
• nuvi 370 - identical to the 360, but adds maps of both North America and Europe.

Those interested in a wide-screen display, built-in FM transmitter (for using your car's stereo to hear nuvi's audio prompts / music), and real-time traffic will need to look to the more expensive nuvi 600-series. All 600-series nuvi share the same 4.3" wide-screen (480 x 272) display, and have the same travel features / mp3 player as the 300 series nuvi's. Here's how the 600-series nuvi models breakdown:

• nuvi 600 - Europe only (regional maps), text-to-speech, no Bluetooth or FM transmitter
• nuvi 610 - Europe only - same as the nuvi 600, but adds Bluetooth, and lacks Text-to-Speech
• nuvi 650 - Least expensive U.S. nuvi 600-series unit. Preloaded maps of North America or Europe, has Text-to-Speech. No Bluetooth, FM transmitter. Traffic receiver is not included.
• nuvi 660 - Same as the 650, but adds Bluetooth, FM transmitter, and includes FM TMC traffic adapter for real-time traffic data
• nuvi 670 - Same as the 660, but includes maps for both North America and Europe

Confused yet? Don't be. The simple way to view the nuvi matrix is this: 200-series are basic navigation. 300-series include travel features, MP3 player, and Bluetooth. 600-series mirror the 300-series nuvi, but are offered in wide-screen, and offer the FM transmitter option.

3. What's In The Box

The nuvi 250W includes the following items in the box:

• nuvi 250W
• Vehicle suction cup mount to mount the GPS to the windshield
• 12v cigarette lighter power adapter for charging / powering the GPS
• Dashboard disk for mounting the suction cup mount on your dashboard instead of the windshield (some states prohibit the mounting of anything in the windshield, so Garmin includes the Dashboard disk for alternate mounting on the dashboard).
• Set up and go guide

The nuvi 200-series units don't include a leather carrying case, as the more expensive nuvi's do.

Figure 1: Garmin nuvi 250W, Front

Except for the power switch on the top of the case, there are no visible controls on the nuvi 250W. All operations are performed via the 4.3" color touch screen.

Figure 2: nuvi 250W's Updated Design

One of the first things you notice about the nuvi 250W is that it's the first nuvi hardware re-design in almost 2 years. The 300 and 600 series nuvi's all share the same light gray, squared plastic case design, as shown on the right side in the figure above. The 200-seris nuvi's sport a two-tone look, and have a more streamlined case that narrows at the edges.

The nuvi 250W uses the same high quality 4.3" display used in the more expensive nuvi 660 and 680.

The second thing you notice about the nuvi 250W is that unlike the 300 and 600 series nuvi's that use a fold-out patch antenna, the nuvi 250 has an internal antenna that isn't visible and does not need to be opened when navigating.

The nuvi 250W feels more solid than previous nuvis.

Figure 3: Garmin nuvi 250W, Top

The nuvi 250W is the same thickness as the non-widescreen nuvi 250, and is just slightly thinner than the nuvi 300 and 600-series units.

Figure 4: Garmin nuvi 250W, Left Side

An SD card slot is located on the left side of the nuvi 250W (used for storing photos or additional maps).

Figure 5: Garmin nuvi 250W, Rear

A single speaker is located at the rear of the nuvi 250W, as is the mini-USB connector, used for both power and connecting the nuvi to your PC/Mac. The nuvi 250W has an internal GPS antenna instead of the fold-out style patch antenna used on the 300 and 600-series nuvis.

Initially I was worried the integrated antenna might not perform as well as the fold-out style antenna. However, throughout my testing the nuvi 250W's integrated antenna performed just as well as the nuvi 680's fold-out style antenna. Nuvi 250's built-in antenna means there's fewer moving parts to break, and also makes it easier/faster to dock and undock the nuvi 250W from the windshield mount.

The reset button is tucked away in the bottom-right corner (just to the right of the white barcode sticker).