I own a nuvi 350 and your captured its performance, pro and con, brilliantly. Yet another impressive review.

There is only one area that I disagree with you. Although I wish the 350 speaker had a bit more volume (as impressive as the sound is coming from such a small unit) it still is louder and clearer than the Maestro 3140 (closer in size to the nuvi 350 than the 4040). The Maestro 3140 is barely audible on the highway; forget about listening to the radio or cracking the window open.

However, the Maestro 4040 speakers are exceptional and much better than the nuvi 350, but of course the 4040 is a larger, bulkier unit that isn't compact.

As you know the nuvi 260 will be coming out soon, essentially replacing the nuvi 350, but without a flip up antenna and according to Garmin's site, no leather case. My guess is that it won't have the SiRF chipset, rather Garmin's in-house receiver. I don't believe that the 260 will have an mp3 player either.

Seems like the 350 is the better value and anyone interested in purchasing a GPS should take a good look at one.

Is the screen on the 350 as bright and as sharp as the wide screen models 660 etc..

Until Garmin includes a route exclusion feature and a compass on the screen, I'll be keeping my TomTom ONE.

Yes - the nuvi 350 screen is as bright as the 660/680 - at least to my eyes.

Does this Nuvi or any of the other Nuvi's allow you to view the trip itinerary before you start a trip?

Mario - the nuvi 350 has a compass on the screen. Take a look at the map screenshot in this review.

Bob - yes, you can view the maneuvering list (itinerary) before you start driving. Tap on the green bar across the top of the map screen to see the list.

Thanks Fletch, the StreetPilot i3 that I used to have, had no compass.

I really wanted to buy a Garmin because of their great product/customer service rep. So the nuvi 350 can show my family pics in its photo viewer, play songs (even though I have a great audio system in my car)....and even play the latest "Books on Tape" doodad....but it CAN'T DO MULTI-DESTINATION ROUTING and optimize my trip to a number of stops???

What the h%#L is Garmin thinking? Loading it up with all the NON-navigation stuff I'll probably never use (unless I decide to listen to "Moby Dick" being read to me) but, if I travel to a new city and want to go from my hotel, to a restaurant, to a theater, to club, and then back to the hotel....it can't tell me how unless I program it from stop to stop??

Isn't that much more relevant to NAVIGATION than an MP3 player/book reader/photo-viewer/currency exchanger??

Or if I'm in a new place and need to go to the post office, Home Depot, the grocery store, and stop for gas...it can't optimize routing??

Garmin....WAKE UP ALREADY!

Re: PeterW

Ditto!

Fletch, I must disagree.
The screen on the 350 is nothing like the screen on the 660. Lots of talk and comparison pics over the GPS Passion about it. Compared it in store with the 660 recently and the difference is huge. Compared it to my friends C330 and that old design is much better too. Even a little off-side and the screen on the 350 washes out. In bright daylight, it is near enough impossible to see. One thing the Magellan did noticeably better was give a screen that was readable by day.
Oh, and the volume level on most of the TTS voices is way too low.
Good unit, but it could be great if it had a modern screen.

I had owned 350 before upgrading to 660. I agree with Erik that the 350 screen is inferior to 660. The screen on the 660 is much brighter and cleaner looking. In my estimation at full brightness 350 is about 60% as bright as 660. In general the 350 screen is perfectly adequate but in direct sunlight the advantages of 660 are immediately obvious. I have polarized sunglasses and with them 350 was very hard to see. No such problems with 660.

OK - so today I went out and put the 350 AND a 660 in the car and tested the screen brightness. The 660 does indeed have a better scree. As Leonid and others have said, the 6xx's display can be seen through polarized sun glasses, the 350's is not so easy to see. Also, direct bright sunlight is easier on the 6xx's display.

Fletch, while you're at it, since you have both the 350 and 660 can you tell me if the 660 speaker is louder?

I've only had a chance to compare them in the store, so it's hard to tell how the 660 speakers would perform on the road, mainly on the highway. Thanks.

Interesting. I absolutely read every comment here to try to make a wise decision on my FIRST GPS for my son...one with good, reliable directions. This is the MAIN focus for a GPS system...not to get lost. I have been looking since June. This site seems to be more pro Garmin. This issue with the display brightness apparently was obvious to actual users for some reason. I almost purchased the 660(which was my first choice) but now I am reading about a Navigon unit coming out. Has anyone heard of this?

Purchased a nuvi 350,wouldn't acquire signal right out of the box!Sent back to Garmin in Kansas(just the unit only) They not only replaced the unit, they sent me new everything,complete in factory box. Garmin support is excellent. Their staff is courteous and knoweledgable. The performance of the 350 is incredible and I would recommend this unit to anyone.Very simple to use for a first time buyer, such as myself.

I own the Nuvi 360. An oversight in this review is the time zone. The 360 does not automatically change time zones based on your location. You have to go into the settings -> Local as shown in Figure 89. You have to click on "change all" and go through all the settings to change the time zone. This is a big hassle for me because I travel by air all over the US and then rent cars.

Please correct me if I am wrong but I with the 360 would automatically change time zone based on your location. Or at least make it easier in the menu.

Thanks for a great review. I've ordered one and can't wait to try it out. Heres a UK perspective which I found useful as I was concerned that the Garmin navteq maps might not be as good on this side of the pond. http://www.onlydanno.co.uk/2006/06/19/tom-tom-vs-garmin-nuvi-360/

We borrowed my mother's 330 on a recent trip. We thought it was so great we set out to buy our own and ended up buying a 350. It seems that in daytime it is hard to see. And the 350's voice is not as pleasing as the 330. Is there any way to change voices? Mounting on our van's slanted windshield is a bit difficult.

While I am basically happy with my 350 I would not buy it again. I hate the screen in bright daylight it can't be read. The great saving grace is the voice to text.

Ellen,

Go to Settings (the wrench)>Locale>The Lip Icon. There you'll see a choice of TTS. Make the change then hit "OK."

The default is Jill. I prefer Jack because he's clearer, more pleasing and a bit louder. Australian English Karen has a pleasing voice as well but her voice seems to drown out during instructions.

Fletch,

Would it be permissible for you to say where you acquired your Nuvi 350? The only reason that is preventing me from purchasing it now is that most online stores that sell it brand new at reasonable prices do not specify what version of preloaded maps are included with the unit. The ones that explicitly do (like Amazon) use the 2007 v.8 maps and even saw one with v.7 (Walmart).

If I knew for certain it is sold with 2008 v.9, then I would not hesitate anymore.

Wherever you buy it from, if it ships with the older maps, Garmin will update the maps for free (by sending you the update DVD).

Has the screen improved on the 350. I noticed the screen comparison on the 250 review compared the 250 to the 350. The 350 in that review did not look the same as this (updated?) review.

Different fonts and color are 2 notable changes. I wonder if there was also a change in brightness/contrast.

Steve

Continuation of previous post.

I ask this because I just returned a 250, which I really liked. But with the recent announcement of the 260, I wanted to get something with TTS.

I found the 250 screen quite fine. Are the newer 2xx screens better than the 350?

I expect the price of 260 and 350 to be similar.

Continuation of previous post.

I ask this because I just returned a 250, which I really liked. But with the recent announcement of the 260, I wanted to get something with TTS.

I found the 250 screen quite fine. Are the newer 2xx screens better than the 350?

I expect the price of 260 and 350 to be similar.

What a great review! I ordered the 350 before finding your review and should have it in a couple of days.

Being new to the GPS world, I went to the Garmin website and downloaded the user's manual. But I have to tell you, your review answered more questions and was in more detail than Garmin's manual. They could easily dispense with their manual and use your review instead.

Thanks for the great work.

If you are considering nuvi 3xx or 6xx I seriously think you should compare it to the navigon 5100 and 7100.

the 7100 is $500 at amazon.

I compared them yesterday side by side at best buy which has them in stock (albiet way more than amazon) the speaker volume and clarity on the navigons blow away both garmin nuvi and tomtom handhelds. my nuvis FM transmitter sucks and is worthless.

on top of that navigon traffic is FREE (as opposed to $180 hidden cost over the life of a nuvi) and adding european maps is half the price.

I ordered the navogon 7100 for 5 bills from amazon last night and I just got ups delivery number for september 5.

Ok, so I just bought the nuvi 350. But is it true that you cannot add waypoints to a destination? Or have multiple destinations in 1 trip? Only thing I saw was the option to only add 1 more waypoint to the trip, that's all. Yet, on Garmin's website it says it has 500 waypoints. Also this review at "cons" says "No multi-destination address optimizing (you can have multiple stops on a route, but the nuvi cannot tell you the most efficient order for the stops)" - so from this I understand that "you can have multiple stops on a route". How do I do that?

Ah yes, and something I just figured out.
I placed a destination 1330km away. Well, I wanted to add an waypoint in the middle for a gas stop. Guess what, you can't. So what, I have to do that while I'm driving and I "DO" need some gas? What if there aren't any gas stations there? I plan to drive with very far apart localities.
Only way I could add a waypoint to a gas station were gas station near my current location. So, in my case gas station right here in the city, and no way knowing if I have a gas station somehwere in the middle of my trip.

i have a nuvi 350 and find certain voices are not clear is this normal?

I've read elsewhere that nuvi 370 is IDENTICAL to nuvi 350, except that it is pre-loaded with european maps....can someone confirm this?

Thanks,

I would like to know if any one has used this unit Nuvi 350. in Mexico-Cancun. If so, Please let me know and how good it worked. Thanks.

Would like to know if anyone has used this unit Nuvi 350 in Mexico, If you did, please let me know and let me know how it worked their. Thanks.

I bought my first GPS, the nuvi 350, on the strength of this review. On the whole, it meets up to the outstanding review. And the review, as nearly as I can tell, did not overlook anything. My observations after using it:
First, I LIKE it. It's awesome. I bought it to be a GPS although the idea of listenting to audiobooks and ditching my ipod was inviting. In my view, the ipod will keep travelling with me. The nuvi speaker is completely inadequate for MP3 and audiobook use. It's far too weak and tinny. Not a criticism, I DID buy it as a GPS. And for NAV, it's just fine. On that point, I plan to use it on long trips. And here's my first problem. It does not appear to support waypoints. On a trip to Sacramento, I'll pass through Wendover, Wells, Elko, Battle Mtn, Winnemuca, Lovelock and Reno. As I travel, I would like to know the distance and time to each of these as I approach them while keeping track of my trip progress overall. With MS Streets and Trips and printed maps each of these would be waypoints enroute. I don't think I can do that with the nuvi 350 which only permits one "stop" on a trip. I CAN enter each waypoint as a favorite location and nav from one to the other to achieve the result - almost. Doing that, I would loose data on the overall trip. I know, it's not difficult to change destinations. And the nuvi very quickly calculates the new route. So there IS a workaround of sorts.
Support. No problems with the nuvi. Just found a DLL voice file @ garmin.com supposedly to add additional voices to the nuvi. Installed voice files are *.vpm files. Emailed support to ask where I should copy the DLL to make the voices available to the nuvi. The non-answer I got the second time I explained it on a 3rd grade level was to use the web updater! Thankfully, this wasn't a critical problem. It also wasn't a difficult question.
The POI database is impressive. But it's certainly incomplete so it's good to be able to create favorites.
The Navteq maps are good, but not as good as I would have expected since they've been around as long as they have. There are quite a few missing streets in my local area. It will be interesting to see how this works in the OK panhandle!
I like the way it announces street names for turns. But installed voices slur things like Oakridge to something that sounds like 0-rige. Utah becomes a one syllable udah.
I thought it would be great to be able to plug the nuvi into my computer, plan a trip with waypoints (fuel, restaurant, hotel stops) on the computer and then upload the planned trip itinerary to the nuvi to execute. Guess we're not there yet.
Overall, the nuvi meets or exceeds my expectations.

Just bought a 660. After reading your review on the 350 maybe I was wrong buying the 660 Can you tell me the difference between the two units? I paid $699.00 for my 660 Thank for al your reviews they are outstanding.

Many people enjoy the physical size and the ease of use with this GPS unit. The unit comes with a attractive price point also.

Garmin Nuvi 350 Review: http://www.bestnewreview.com/polls.aspx?poll=174&partner=0&Desc=Garmin-Nuvi-350-Review

I'm in the market for my first GPS. The Garmin NUVI 350 received a very good review, however at equal price, which is a better unit to buy, the NUVI 350 or the NUVI 650?
Thanks

I'm new to nuvi350. I found this is annoying that it doesn't tell you turn right or left from a distance. It just show "turn in 2.0km". I would like to know which way in advance to change to the proper lane.

Just purchased this GPS Unit. So far excellent, like so many routing GPS doen't always pick the route I want, but still excellent.

For Purchases after May 2008 Garmin gives free update to 2009 mapping.

Really slow process but well worth it.

Great review. The nuvi 350 is an excellent unit for the price.

I must be really dumb, but in all the features that are so obvious on this GPS, is there really no indicator to show how many miles left to your destination? I want to know time and miles - even more than I want to hear a book and see photos!

I have been fairly happy with this GPS. It could be louder but from this review, it is one of the louder units.
I know you can enter lat-long for destinations, is there any way to get a lat-long readout of the current position? I can't find it in the manual.

Jenny, I know it gives a ETA to your destination (based on posted speed limits, not actual speeds). I'll have to look again to find if it gives the miles to go also.

Craig, doesn't your unit have "My Current Location" on the My Locations screen?

HELP ! ! I just purchased the 350 and it is not working. It powers up and shows a great satellite reception but will not move from the 1st screen and the touch screen does not work at all. I downloaded the Manual from Garmin's website and the only troubleshooting item concerning the touch function says to recalibrate. This is not an option when you can not open the tools function. Anyone else had this problem??

Try pressing the reset button under the flip-out antenna.

One comment was a complaint about the Nuvi not changing time zones - but my viewpoint is just the opposite. As a professional OTR driver, I must base my arrival on my "home" time, to avoid confusion, and the Nuvi helps me to do that. My cellphone changes with the time zones, so I always know what time it is, in both places, and I like that very much.

I have owned the nuvi 350 for almost 2 years now. i agree it may not be as loud as it can be and that with my polarized sun glasses its a hard to see the screen at times. BUT, having and using it for many a stress free driving trip, i would gladly have paid 3 times as much for it. It is one of the best items i have ever spent money on in my life. Oh, and yes i recommend the nuvi 350 highly. :)

PS - its flying to Utah with me in a month for strees free driving out west! Happy Trails

The navigator uses route numbers instead of street names in my area. I am only familiar with street names. Is there an option I can set?

I have yet to find a single comment on what I have encountered. I had my GPS on, and it was routed to take me to work. Suddenly, it crashed. I tried to start it back up, but it would only load the splash screen, and crash again. Thank god I know how to get to work, or else I would probably be stuck in the middle of no where.

Thinking about picking up the 350 for $100. Can the maps be updated to the latest available? Kind of a dealbreaker if I'm stuck with 2007 roads. Thanks in advance :)

I have used Garmin products for many years. In my car and In my boats, I also have many friends that use Garmin products. Let me tell you about support from Garmin. In the past it was great. I never heard of a problem untill I had one. My C530 ball mount broke and the unit is not able to be mounted making it very difficult to use. I call Garmin, also contacted them on their website. The only thing I wanted to know was is there a parts list so I could replace the case with the broken part. Their response was NO send it in and for $175 they would rebuild it. I have not been able to get any satisfaction from Garmin and I doubt I will ever own another one of their products again.
I already fell better. Thanks for letting me vent.

Brodie, where did you find the Nuvi 350 for $100? Thanks!

WAL*MART - online or in stores, $148.00 --- Garmin has discontinued the 300 series; this 350 is an excellent value, especially for a first GPS -

the 148 price was/is online only. the store price is 299.00
148.00 online price is an AMAZING deal for this unit.