You measured the Volume of sound in your review, but not the Quality of Text to speech! The Text-To-Speech quality in the new Nuvis is horrible. I had a Garmin Street Pilot C330 [discontinued] with no text to speech, but the spoken directions -probably recorded with actual human voice- were excellent. The new Nuvis with text-to-speech software are horrible. I returned mine and bought a Magellan, but as a hobbyist, I read reviews of Garmins by other buyers that confirm my findings. Routing of the returend Nuvi was also so-so, and no spoken directions at all in some oncoming turns.

The new Nuvi is good enough, not perfect and like all other companies, they (Garmin) is rushing to market when they can fine tune the unit a bit to make it better.
With the way pricing goes, we are lucky to get what we get.
Fletch, you should do a review side by side with the Magellan Maestro 4350 unit, I think you will find some of the features that are lacking in the Garmin is available on the Magellan Maestro.
Not all company will give you everything you want, this way they can keep you comming back to buy more...

The Speak Street Names is only available with specific voices. The voices that provide Speak Street Names are noted in the Language choice area with the statement Speaks Street Names. The 755T came with American English chosen as default so the Speak Street Names did not work. I asked my dealer and he had me change language. This requirement is not shown in the Owners Manual or in the Help file.

The print on the Lane Assist screens was too small for me to read while driving. The Lane Assist screen is not displayed long enough for me to read while driving. It is not simple to get back to re-show the Lane Assist screen while driving.

The screen does not have the color saturation of the 800 series. Also, the screen must be viewed in a more straight-on position (vertically) to get the best picture. The specs for the screens on 7x5Ts and 8xx shows the same, yet they are NOT the same.

Nice review Fletch. Most of your findings were in line with what I have heard of the Garmin Series.
I've heard pretty bad comments abt the accuracy of Tomtom Go 930. That was initially my GPS choice, but now I am planning to buy Garmin 765T.
Apart from longer routes as mentioned in your review, did you ever face an issue of Tomtom showing incorrect position?

I would like very much to buy this thing; what is stopps me is the poor FM transmitter and the not so good bluetooth. I'm waiting for the next version because I really need these features.

I compared everything in the Nuvi 765T and Magellan 4350 with the Navigon 7200T, and went with the Navigon 7200T for $199 after $50 rebate (Amazon this week). All are very nice.

Awesome review! Very clear text (Needed since I'm new to GPS) and excellent graphics. I'm going to save this for my wife to read after Christmas. I've never seen her read a manual without a 'puss' on. This will be fun for her. Thanks!

Hi Fletch,

I have been reading your reviews for quite some time now and I must commend your attention to detail when reviewing all these different GPS models. You really seem to know your stuff. I'm new to the GPS world and am guided by your knowledge and opinion on these units.

I plan on using my future GPS in 3 different vehicles including my motorcycle. The bike never goes out in the rain. (I know... I'm such a wuss...)

I have a rather special question that no one seems to have asked: Can you pair a Garmin 765T, 760 or 880 to a Bluetooth headset such as a Cardo Scala-Rider Q2? I read that you can do this with a TomTom Rider 2nd edition. I have spent some quality time comparing Garmin, TomTom, Magellan and other different manufacturers and when it comes to using their units with a Bluetooth headset, it seems unclear wether you can get navigation commands through the headset or not. Also, I don't particularly care for the "motorcycle" GPS units because I really want a widescreen.

This is paramount in my decision to buy a GPS unit and money is really not a major problem.

Can you or anyone reading this article help me out on this. I would be most grateful.

pg453

I hear what the experts are saying in here but hard to beleive that they actually use all these devices in real life scenerarios. I rent cars all the time and some offer these devices and have become familiar with their draw backs while in real trafic situations.I hear the same experts in the photo forums on line. Everyone is an expert about chip technology but cant compose a picture to save their lives.
I would like someone to step up to the plate that drives in bad traffic and has real recomendations, not a spec reader.

I am really debating buying one until I hear solutions from a battle field tested unit.

Advise? not from a spec reader.

Thank you,

I have been using the c550 for the past year and just bought the Nuvi 765T. My main interest is the multi-point routing, which the c550 does not have. I have been using the two units next to each other on my daily commute, and this is what I have found:

The 765T is completely up-to-date using the webupdater as of 12/6/2008.

The free NAVTEC traffic is not even close to what I get for my paid subscription from Clear Channel on the c550. The paid Clear Channel is MUCH better. I find that the free NAVTEC traffic coverage is horrible, and not as accurate. There have been many times that the 765 is showing 2 min delay on my route and the c550 is showing 14 mins, etc. I discovered I can upgrade to Clear Channel on the 765T. Clear Channel now offers a lifetime subscription for the renewal price and will eliminate the pop-up ad's.

The 765 does not draw as fast as the c550. I notice the 765 going blank and redrawing the screen every couple of minutes on certain routes.

The 756 gives delayed navigation prompts telling you to turn when you are already into the turn. The c550 gives more time to react.

Bluetooth connection to my treo is horrible, always disconnecting my phone.

I have yet to see the lane assist feature. I traveled many highways in NJ, PA and NY. I even traveled to Newark Airport which is a maze, no lane assist. Very disappointing.

The speaker is not even close to the loudness or clarity of the c550. I can hear it okay, but is certainly a step down.

The 3D buildings along the steets are not at all accurate, and do not add anything to the navigation experience. I saw it while driving in NYC. It does show landmark buildings in 3D, and they are accurate.

The speed limit sign in the lower left is nice, but I have noticed it is sometimes wrong. I have seen it show 50 while I am looking out the window at a 45 MPH sign.

As with my c550, the arrival time on the 765 is usually at least 15 minutes off during my daily commute, regardless of which route I take. This unit was supposed to learn and become more accurate. It does not.

The screen color is better on the c550 than on the 765. The black is blacker, red is deeper, etc.

The 765 has shut-off a few times on me when navigating and using my phone. It takes hours to come back on. I have called Garmin and they continue to tell me to do a hard and soft reset then let it charge for 4 hours. If it happens again, it is going back to the store. BTW, this is my second unit, I returned the first one because it was doing the same thing.

The touch screen is a bit more difficult to use than the c550. Options are closer together making it easier to hit the wrong option.

With all of that said, I do really like the unit. I like the cradle design as it allows me to more easily take it with me when I am out of the car. It has a more refined look and feel to it than the c550. There are many interface improvements over the c550. I just need to decide if I beleive that all of these bugs will be fixed by Garmin with updates. I also know that many of these differences would not be very noticable if I were not using the two side-by-side.

I have a couple weeks to decide if I am going to keep it. This is going to be a tough decision.

I am considering the purchase of the 765T, I am wondering if anyone knows if instead of using the Bluetooth to pair with my cell phone, can I pair it with the Bluetooth in my vehicle and listen to the directions through my vehicle?

Thanks

I don't think that Bluetooth will work with your vehicle. For some odd reason, Garmin set up the Bluetooth to work only on audio output like MP3s and cell phone, not directions. As the reviewer mentioned, you can use the stereo output to plug into your car stereo if you have an input or a cassette adapter for directions.

This is fine by me because I like to listen to the radio and use the nuvi's speaker only for directions, but if you want to play MP3s and such from the nuvi you'll have to have another wire dangling off of the unit. By the way, I find the internal speaker to be more than adequate for volume and never go more than 80% volume even on the highway. I suppose if you drive a delivery truck you may need a louder speaker.

This review notes in multiple places that the MSN Direct service is not included or is an accessory. However, looking at the product's specs on Garmin's website, it appears that an MSN Direct receiver is in fact built into Nuvi 765T. Of course the service/subscription is not included and one needs to purchase that separately. On a related note, it is a little misleading the way the MSN Direct service is noted in the review. This service is not simply for traffic updates, as one may be led to believe by reading this review. It does a lot more than just traffic updates: movie times, whether, gas prices, stock quotes, etc. It may be a good idea to separate the MSN Direct service into a section of its own.

"The nüvi 765T includes free, ad-sponsored, traffic service for the life of the device."

Just drove home with my 765T, upgrading from the C550. I find the pop up advertising very, very annoying. I'm calling Garmin tomorrow to see if I can turn the damned thing off. I'll gladly subscribe to MSN if that will turn off the pop pus.

Great unit, more capability than the C550 (though somethings aren't quite as nice) but the pop up ads are a deal breaker.

Fletch,

Thanks for the response.

I'm thinking of getting the MSN Direct receiver. I'll gladly pay the $$$ to be rid of the pop ups. What a stupid, stupid thing to do. I'll be calling Garmin after lunch to let them know how STUPID I think "feature" is!

Has anyone been having any issues with the caller id not showing up for incoming calls from numbers that are in your phone book?

I just took a new 755t on a three week cross continent trip. I wish I could return it.
Instructions were missing at some major Interstate junctions (but were there for inconsequential rural roads).
Instructions were given at one interchange for a current turn and then gave the following turn. The problem is that the following turn was preceded by an unnannounced intervening opposite direction turn that would have led us in a circle around the city and risked our lives by personally recognizing its error and risked ourselves and others by cutting across traffic to get into the proper direction.
US highway numbers were replaced by local street names: meaningless for a 120 mile drive on one leg - then, after a transfer it gave the number but lost it crossing a state boundary to say "a Nevada Highway" - which one?
Voice directions were about four carlengths late resulting in two or three very close calls requiring near fatal manoeuvers.
It couldn't find known Interstate highway travel centres or some national fast food chains.
It couldn't find POIs that have existed under the same name for 75 or more years.
It had wrong one-way street directions in some cities.
It directed us in several extended loops to get to a place not far from the start.
It "recalculated" even while driving on a clear night on an Interstate - losing the route entirely.
The advertisements that are supposed to only occur when stopped, are there while driving. When searching for, say a fast food or motel location, the ad will cintinually pop up taking you back to page 1 of the list forcing continued scrolling - sometimes never reaching your hoped for target.
I could go on and on.
It's too late for a return to my dealer - does Garmin refund these?

Thanks Jimgl for the real world use.
I think I'll pass for now on these devices. Seems more of a novelty use than helpful.

I second Jimgl. A couple of things I want to add from my experience with 755T in San Diego Mission bay area:
When I was trying to get onto 163 north, it tried to route me right through the Scripps Mercy hospital via Lewis street. I have no idea what it was thinking.
The unit sometimes insist on doing a U-turn and take the previous highway entrance while the next entrance is just one block away.
When the route it choose was from I-8 West to 163 North, the instruction given was "take Friars road east, stay left" before it said "163 North". The Friars road exit is only a one lane exit, plus it won't lead you to 163 north. It could just skip that and say "163 North".
I also could go on and on. Not even need to mention the touch screen problem.
My suggestion is to use it with other tools (Google map, paper state map and local map, etc). Solely relay on it on the road could get yourself lost, even killed if you blindly follow its instruction.

I just upgraded to the 765T from my 350. So far, I think it works great. I travel all over the country (and Canada) for a living and so far I've only found three places that my old 350 was confused. The first one was exiting SEATAC. This was definitely due to new road construction. The second one was trying to get to a Holiday Inn in Delaware. It thought that there was a road to the Holiday Inn off of the freeway on ramp. Simple common sense solved that one, plus, I could see the hotel. The third was due to an intersection that had been recently closed (within the last month) to accommodate a rail yard. Other than that, it's been flawless. I agree that slamming the Nuvi without trying another manufacturers unit in the same situation is unfair. My wife has a Magellan 4350. I tried it on another trip out to Washington as the SEATAC experience with my 350 had left a bad taste in mouth. The Magellan also became confused when I was leaving SEATAC. However, the Magellan never recovered like the Nuvi did. It just kept recalculating. I ended up just taking an exit so I could get my bearings. I threw my 350 on the windshield and had them go head to head. The Nuvi route to my destination was almost ten minutes quicker than the way the Magellan wanted me to go. Over the next three days the 350 consistently produced better routes. Needless to say, the Magellan went back to my wife and I got a new 765T. So, in closing, I feel that you have to accept the fact that there will always be some places where ANY manufacturers GPS will become confused. After all, the US is a giant place with millions of roads and let's face it, without daily updating of the maps, and given the love of road construction here in America, there will always be some twist in the road infrastructure. I spend about 24-26 days a month flying/driving to all corners of this great country and I have had nothing but spectacular results with my Garmin. It screwed up three times but got me to my destination correctly many hundreds of times. Granted, my experience was with an old, discontinued 350 but I can't imagine the 765T will be any less spectacular.

I found the FM traffic fairly useful in my area (SoCal). I admit it is hit and miss, but I expected that. However, the interface and the way the Garmin handles it, is first rate all the way (I'm impressed). I normally drive the very crowded 91 freeway (it has two roads that parallel it for 7 or 8 miles near where I live, but these roads are also usually packed) and the 765t never rerouted me ... except on Christmas day. It wanted me to take one of the parallel roads, so out of curiosity I did. Ended up saving me time (perhaps as much as 10 minutes). Turns out that this normally crowded street was fairly empty. All-in-all, I've found it a valuable feature, but realize it probably varies from location to location.

I concur on the map redraws. It does indeed go blank temporarily, then quickly redraws. Happens quite often (I've never timed it, but your estimate sounds about right).

I haven't noticed the delay prompts (perhaps since they give so many, I'm already ahead of the game).

Bluetooth has also been a problem for my cell phone. I don't get disconnected, but it won't automatically connect me. I have to do this by my cell every time I turn the Nuvi on. It also refuses to download my contact list to its telephone book, making it far less useful. My unit has shut itself down once (not a bluetooth issue AFAIK), but came back up fairly promptly.

Lane Guidance I HAVE seen. It's seems well represented in SoCal. Hopefully Garmin will quickly get this feature everywhere, because it's the best feature in this device. It's terrific. Junction View is nice eye-candy, but it's the Lane Guidance that is the real hero here.

The speaker is indeed very poor. When running off the internal battery, I cannot hear it at any volume level over normal freeway noise. Once I plug it into the cigarette lighter, I get a volume boost. I find it adequate and can hear it most of the time (at its highest setting), but that's faint praise.

I found the screen quickly washes out when tipping it down (darkens when tipping it up or side to side, but darkening is not as noticeable to the eye), so one does indeed need to point it more directly toward the driver. It's no better than my 260's screen (except for size, I consider both to have extremely poor viewing angles).

The touch screen is really flakey on these devices. My 260 had what I considered to be a great touch (very light fingernail pressure). This thing is all over the map (press hard, then press again to activate, then it's okay for a few taps, then back to pressing hard again). What was worse is that it would skip all over the place. I'd touch at the bottom of the screen and it would activate something as far as 1/2 inch away. I returned it for a new unit. This unit is much better, but is still a bit flakey, both in touch sensitivity and accuracy.

But like you, and even with my litany of complaints (I have more, but this is already too long), I really like this unit. It's a big upgrade over my 260, and because I got it for 350 bucks (Black Friday special), I can live with some of these glitches for awhile (Garmin better get some firmware updates out soon, or I might change my mind).

The above post is actually a reply to Dave from Rockledge. Don't know why it skipped down here (I pressed the reply to his comments). Hey, this site is almost as flakey as my Garmin;).

can someone please tell me if the Nuvi 7x5T line has a delay? I had the 680 for about a month and returned it (thank God for Costco!LOL), one of the reasons why was because of the delay... it really bothered me... for example... if I was crossing an intersection (physically in the car, in the middle of an intersection) and looked down at the screen... it would show that I was just about to cross, thus a delay... I didn't like that at all.

the other reason was that the 680 didn't have a "qwerty" keyboard layout option... that drove me nuts... I'm sure all the newer models have the option to switch from "ABCD..." to "QWERTY"...but anyway...

I received a Garmin 250W unit for Christmas and have used it for city driving with no issues. Yesterday I traveled up the 5 freeway headed north (this is the main artery between Los Angeles and San Francisco) about 50 miles and then back again. On the way back, during the 40 minute drive, I kept losing the Satellite signal. It was a crystal clear day. Out of the 40 minutes of this drive, I'd say I was without the Satellite signal for at least 50% of the time.. all the while passing offramps and highway exchanges that if my programmed route needed to take, I'd be out of luck.

I'm thinking about upgrading to the 765 (for the text to speech feature) but am reluctant, although I don't see a whole lot of people who have experienced this type of problem on either the 250W, or the 765. Is what I experienced unusual, or can I expect the same performance on the 765?

Ken: AFAIK, all GPS receivers will be a little off the mark. The accuracy of commercial GPS systems have improved over the years, but really, one should not expect them to be dead-nuts. On average (with six or more satellites giving info) it should be accurate to within 25 to 50 feet (speed also may have a slight effect). Less satellite coverage means less accuracy (could be 100 feet or more). There is also a relationship concerning the accuracy of the map itself, as well as which receiver chip is in your unit. Sounds to me like the 680 was doing its job just fine.

BTW, you can test the accuracy and the number of satellites giving data by holding your finger on the satellite signal bars for about 5 to 10 seconds (brings up a detail window of the satellite data) ... IF your model comes with that capability (and I believe it does, but not all series do).

Only the newer wide screen units give you an option of ABC or QWERTY keyboard layout. The reason is obvious (a QWERTY keyboard layout would be too small or cramped on a smaller screen).

LA Larry: See the above response. You lost satellite coverage (why, I don't know -- could be a peculiarity at that time of day, mountainous terrain, the receiver chip, a combination of those elements, etc.) and were probably connecting to less than six satellites when you saw the car icon off the road (either before or after losing the signal). Obviously, if this continues you should talk to Garmin.

I'm not Fletch, but it's still a line-of-sight thing (and trying to acquire enough satellite positions to triangulate and come up with enough data for it to work properly). This also can happen in cities with high-rise buildings, and of course GPS units won't work in long tunnels (but even there, manufacturers are coming out with more software "tricks". The receiver technology is improving all the time, so these problems aren't as pronounced as they were just a few years ago.

Now I don't know for a fact if the mountain or valley areas you went through had any effect, but it is a possibility. I also live in SoCal and haven't had that problem ... but I haven't driven up the 5 Fwy either.

I've never owned a GPS system but I received one for a Christmas present. I have the nuvi 765T. This may not be fair but I've been using my Sprint Cell phone navagation system at the same time I use the 765t. My cell phone navagation can recalculate twice as fast as the 765t. It can also find many more places than the 765t. It also gives me much more advanced voice comands than does the 765T. It automaticly gives me traffic updagtes and my cell phone trafic updates are much more accurate. Your cell phone isn't something you want to use for continous navagation so I'm going to give the garmin 765T two more weeks of testing before I decied rather to retrun it or not? My cell can't produce the3-D building, and lane assist feature that the 765t has but lets face it all in all we as customers just want a unit that will give adquite advanced directions. I jsut find it frustrating that my cell phone out performs a GPS unit when it comes to recaulating directions, and giving better advanced turning directions.

Hi Fletch, I am upgrading from nuvi 680 which comes with a MSN Direct receiver. Do I have to do anything more (like loading extra software) in addition to swapping out the adapter in order to view all the MSN Direct content?

wd:
You don't need to load any software for MSN Direct to work. Just connect the cable. However, you might need to update the MSN Direct software via WebUpdater.

Message to everybody: I called MSN Direct and asked them if I could transfer my MSN Direct subscription to another GPS device. He said yes and they would send me a coupon (I think) so I could use they coupon for another GPS and that way I wouldn't have to buy another subscription to MSN Direct.

wd:
You don't need to load any software for MSN Direct to work. Just connect the cable. However, you might need to update the MSN Direct software via WebUpdater.

Message to everybody: I called MSN Direct and asked them if I could transfer my MSN Direct subscription to another GPS device. He said yes and they would send me a coupon (I think) so I could use they coupon for another GPS and that way I wouldn't have to buy another subscription to MSN Direct.

Wd, the subscription is locked onto the receiver but if you were to get a new GPS device, you wouldn't have to pay again to get your service active. All you would have to do is call MSN Direct and let them know that you got a new device and that you'd like to transfer your subscription from your previous device onto the new device. They will send you something (a coupon or voucher) and that will enable your new device's MSN Direct receiver, whether it be a year or the one time payment of $129.95.

hi i am a truck driver and i deliver to navy bases in washington d c area coming from norfolk va. i to have been looking at the 765t to buy and have fount in at one store on line for $365:00 the best deal so far.ive tryed biding on ebay but ive been told from reliable sorces that they jerk up the prices up in the bids behind the sceans.i would bid on 10 or 12 765t units and it would say the curent bid and when i would put in a higher bid and click it the page would come up that ive been out bided impssible to happen so many times so quickly no mater what time of day are night it didnt matter. some bid prices that sale to the highest bider there or higher than the stores sale the units for . as to the lane asist that is what im in need of ,my bigest consearn is hearing the unit in a cemercial truck witch is very noisy .if i buy a bluetooth cell phone do i haft to have a physical cord going to the radio to make the talk come threw the fm stations are is it just picked up from a signal .ive been reading as much on line personal coments as i can find and it seems that there is a lot of improvement that have taken place from earlyer modles but there is in need of lots of more improvement to get rid of the bugs in the navigation systems across the bord with all the gps manufactory companys.can some here please let me no about the blue tooth useing the fm on the radio .thanks jerry from toano va

what site did you find it for $365??? Are you sure it's NOT the 755T?

what site did you find it for $365??? Are you sure it's NOT the 755T?

TechOn Digital is a scam website. DO NOT EVER ORDER FROM THEM!!! They have been reported to the BBB by numerous people.

Jerry, I just did a quick search on "techondigital.com".. it's a scam!!! the ol' bait and switch tactic... just google "techonditigal, review" and you get a bunch of links of complaints. They "hook" you in with the low prices, but try to get you to buy accessories... if you say you don't want the accessories, they tell you then, it's on a 6-8 weeks back order!!

wow; thanks i didnt no !i saw it on the advertizing on the bottom of the page here. im so glade you checked in to it lets let every body no about it. what a shame i was hopeing to save some money. thank's a lot ken the host of this page should be notified of the scam i'll try to email them or may be they will see our post here and remove them from the advertizing link here . and i was going to order one to day iall i can say is dam them .one again thanks a lot jerry moseley from toano va.

well jerry here my question here now after finding out about the scam who does sale the 765t the cheapest .? i wont to buy won just dont wont to over pay for it .im not rich!!!!!!!!

hi kin and all who will read this .ive fount a nother place that sales the 765t for $379.00 but they wont $14.95 for shiping threw gray hound 12 to 14 days and ups and otherto me sem very high the total with shipping by bus the cheapest they say comes to $393.95

hi kin and all who will read this .ive fount a nother place that sales the 765t for $379.00 but they wont $14.95 for shiping threw gray hound 12 to 14 days and ups and others to me seem very high the total with shipping by bus the cheapest they say comes to $393.95 the store is 86 street.com

so, I have a question for those of you that has one of the Nuvi 7x5T gps'... the 3D buildings (in terms of graphics) are always there? or only when you're in the city or metropolitan areas? Any 3D renderings when you're in the suburbs?

I am looking at purchasing the 775T for a trip to the United Kingdom and I am trying to find out if the traffic receiver on the US model will work in the UK? Also, will the lane assist and junction view features work in the UK? I have read differing opinions and if these features will not work in the UK, then I would not spend the money on the 775T and go with the 275T or 255W and purchase the UK maps seperately.

I ran a simple wire from the antenna input of my radio (that is in parallel with the external antenna) to my 765T Garmin and looped it around behind the back of the Garmin. Presto! FM transmitter works great now. What this mod does is to bring the fm antenna close to the Garmin eliminating all fading and interference issues on my unit.

I ran a simple wire from the antenna input of my radio (that is in parallel with the external antenna) to my 765T Garmin and looped it around behind the back of the Garmin. Presto! FM transmitter works great now. What this mod does is to bring the fm antenna close to the Garmin eliminating all fading and interference issues on my unit.

I just read several comments. There are a couple in particular that really annoyed me. I have been using Garmin products now for about 2 years, and have been very happy with them. I am an over the road truck driver, and hve been satisfied with my results from Los Angeles to New York, and all points in between.

Someone above, complaining about their new Garmin, said that it caused them to make several "near fatal maneuvers". People must remember that any GPS must still be secondary to common sense and the driver having some ability to navigate in traffic. If the electronic tool that is supposed to be helping you is nearly causing fatal accidents, then you probably shouldn't be on the road in the first place.

Eventually, people are going to start blaming accidents on their GPS units. Hopefully the courts place the blame rightfully back on the driver, who is ultimately responsible for the safe operation of their vehicle.

Fletch, in your reviews you never discussed multi-destination capabilities with optimization of the route, on the Garmin units that can do that.
I currently use C550 and do a lot of multi-address travels. For optimization of the route I use MS MapPoint with route optimization.
Alex

So far my impressions -- if a motorcycle rider, get the bare mini-USB cable not the garmin 18 pin cable. Yes, if you're using a RAM mount, the car cradle will work in there. The 18-pin connector is only on the cradle, not the GPS itself... Now I'm spending extra money on 2nd cable to get the mini-USB version. Of course I was the one who ordered it before seeing the unit with my own eyes. Wanting to get it before an Easter trip.

Also, I run a Cardo Q2 unit -- when pairing, as an audio device (vs phone), it sits there and sits there. When resetting the unit, it's listed as a phone. The jury still out on that one.

I tried to bring the sound up higher and lost all of the voice comands need help.

I wonder if anyone else has this problem on the 765. This is about my 7th garmin GPS and I enjoy almost everything about it but my trip log (breadcrumbs) only seem to display the last 100 miles or so, or the last couple of days. All the data is there, (and hidden) because when I connect to the Garmin RoadTrip app, I can download and see hundreds of miles of tracks on the unit, but the blue-line trip log is way too short to be meaningful on my unit. Last week I was driving from Napa to LA on the 5 and it couldn't keep the whole trip displayed.
I don't know if that is a result of a feature, (they have been known to dumb down the Nuvi line) or if mine is somehow broken. I called Garmin and they said it was supposed to display up to 10,000 points, but mine is definitely not.
My 770 displayed the entire log, weeks of travel around town, until I reset it.

Good Review, I am a regular visitor to your site.. I am not a GPS Freak, but have bought one after reading your Review about the 765T yesterday. I visit your site to see how powerful your reviews are, and yes i dont expect 100% out of your reviews, but am very satisfied at the kind of reviews you write .. you are an expert in the GPS World and i better take your word before taking on any GPS Gamble. one more thing.. I have been motivated by your reviews and started taking interests in getting the reviews i do for my company on Database/Application Performance Monitoring and Enhancements for the management and Guess what, they extended my Stay at the company... Back to GPS: I have Finally ordered a Garmin 765T from Amazon, after i had owned a Garmin StreetPilot 340 which is 3 yrs old.

BestBuy.com has Garmin nuvi 765T on sale for $349.99 thru 6/6/09. Price includes free shipping

Great review thanks...

Is the POI function capable of indicating gas stations where diesel is available ?

I recently purchased my 765T after reading not only this review, but Fletch's reviews of all other comparable GPS's. After determining this was the one for me, I spotted the $365 on Amazon and purchased one, only to see it drop $20 two days later. No big issue, I was excited. Setting the unit up was a breeze, essentially plug it in and go. It came with all software updated, yet I still ran it through the map updater online and registered my unit. On my drive home from Duluth to the Twin Cities, MN, I noticed a lack of TTS. When I left Duluth, I was given directions out of town, however, as I approached the Twin Cities, I was hearing no speech. (On a side note, the lane assist is phenomenal, as are the traffic reports. Anyone complaining about the pop-ups obviously has nothing better to do than complain about trivial things like fingerprints on touch screens and such). I didn't even notice ads during my trip... I got home, ran another route around town, and the TTS came in and out, like it was dying. I called Garmin, and the customer service rep ran me through reloading the software. I took it out on another route, no dice. I called back, and with some trouble-shooting, determined that the speaker was dead. I could get TTS through headphones, but nothing through the external speaker. I was emailed a RMA and UPS packing slip, and have it boxed up to return today. I'm so happy with every aspect of this unit that a speaker glitch cannot stifle my excitement to exchange my unit.

Sams Club is selling the 765T for $329.00 in Austin, TX. Add to that the 8.25% sales tax and the total comes to $$356.14. To top it all, Sams Club does not pose a time limit within which the GPS can be returned.

Sams Club considers the GPS a computer so it's 6 months, not anytime for a return. Still great as if it's going to break down, odds are it will happen in a couple of months.

Buyer beware...the 765T I have crashed. Check out garmin.com, support, FAQ, Question # 1 as of this post. The unit will all of the sudden just power off and will not power on. I have replaced the unit in store with a brand new unit and the fix from Garmin's WebUpdater program will not install to fix this problem. BEFORE you buy this unit, be prepared to send it to Garmin for a warranty fix right away. Oh, forget reaching anyone in tech support, the hold times are always over 30 minutes, (average of 45min - 1h 15min) to reach somone. Also they have reduced business hours, they now close at 6p CST. I would consider my other options.

With the latest firmware as of 1 Jul 2009 (ver 3.6o for main, etc)

The unit switches itself off or hangs 80-90% of the time when connecting to a Nokia E52 phone.

Re comment cmenow: Garmin have issued a "mandatory" upgrade. So upgrade/check ASAP.

This has been an awful experience. I had trouble with the unit from the beginning and it only got worse. Just when you need it the most, it would dump. Then while on a trip, it died all together. The company said it was a problem they were having with the software and to send it in. Then I'm told the turn-around time would be longer because they were still having problems with the software.

Customer service is a joke. It takes at least 30 minutes holding just to get to a human, then not much in the way of results. I'll never buy another Garmin--never!!!

I recently purchased a 765t. it works great, but I'm unable to pair it to any of my 3 Bluetooth headsets. I bough this unit over the 760 for this reason.
I ran the updates an contacted Garmin support who responded "If you have run all the available updates on the Nuvi that would be the extent of troubleshooting that we can do on the device"
Has anyone had success with this feature?

I bought the 765t as my 660 needed new maps anyway, and I thought I would get a much better and faster unit in the 765t. Not.

Even though it's got some new, fancy features (most of which are more eye candy than useful) it feels slower and cheaper than the 660.

Especially the LCD is terrible and incredible unprecise. Every 10th touch or so results in a random screen coordinate being triggered - which is very annoying when trying to enter a street name.

Map redraws are very slow - probably due to extra antialiasing and some zoom-effects that are NOT needed.

Garmin's saved on the hardware and added a few tricks to the software, but the overall feeling is that you're not getting your moneys worth.

If this is your first GPS then maybe you will be satisfied. But if your the owner of an older Garmin device, with the 765t you will somehow feel that time has gone backwards.

Does anyone pair an iPhone 3g with their 765t? If so, does the caller ID show up as "Unknown Caller" even if the caller is in your phone book? What is the fix for this?

Does anyone pair an iPhone 3g with their 765t? If so, does the caller ID show up as "Unknown Caller" even if the caller is in your phone book? What is the fix for this?

I bought the Garmin Nuvi 765t a week ago to replace my Nuvi 350 that was over 2 years old. This was my first Nav unit and I really liked it. I got the opportunity to test the new Nuvi on a business trip this week from Jackson, MS to Dothan, AL. I was not impressed:

Pros:

- Nice, wide and thin screen.
- Liked the speed limit sign that was shown on roads with speed limits. I noticed that every one I saw was 100% correct.
- Much faster satellite acquisition than my old Nuvi 350.

Cons:

- On at least three occasions, the unit told me to turn on roads that weren't there. When it I didn't, it recalculated to send me to another spot to turn at a place where there was no road.

- Unit told me on four occasions to turn left/right in 300 or so feet when I am already at the intersection where I am to execute my turn.

- Battery life was horrible! I got slightly less than 1 hr operating time when the unit was not plugged to the power source. The unit had been charging at least 4 hours prior to being disconnected.

- Lane assist was absent. Lane assist was not apparent at any portion of my route. I knew I lived in an area that did not have the traffic coverage, but I was under the impression that major interstates were covered. I only found out later that only certain areas are covered. Even some large metropolitan areas are not covered. This is the primary reason I chose this unit!!

- 3D renderings of buildings was also absent. Only available in certain areas as well.

- I don't like plugging the unit into the base. I would rather plug the power source into the unit itself.

- Price: Too expensive for what doesn't work on unit.

I'll be returning this unit. If I lived in an area where all of the bells and whistles worked, I'm sure my assessment would be different to a certain degree. My job does take me into some of the areas that are covered by the extras. The problem is that when it does, I'm normally flying and do not have a car. I think I'm gonna check out the Magellan Maestro 4350 or Garmin Nuvi 855 or 760.

If you had to choose between the 765T and the 885T which would you consider the better unit? The prices are not that much different.

Hi
I want to know if you can add poi on the maps along a route like my magellan shows gas stations, restaurants etc that i choose to be shown on the map.

1st - I'm just wondering with the city 3-d mode, are you able to turn it on and off?

2nd - I'm looking and comparing the following two gps's, the 265wt and the 765t. What would be there better for the buck. I'm mostly looking for the names and routing features. Thanks,

btw - great reviews and pictures.

Just wanted to say thanks for this review, one of the most detailed I've ever seen. Now, I know how to fully use the product.

I just purchased the 765t and while i love almost everything about it, the sound quality is beyond poor. Are there any options to improve this without using the FM transmitter? I have a bluetooth speaker that i used to use for one of my old phones and I was wondering if that (or a similar option) could be linked to the GPS so the directions play through that speaker? If a window is cracked, the radio is on at all or i'm driving at highway speeds, i basically feel like i'm using the unit with the sound on mute.

Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the great reviews, Fletch. I read them all and you are far mor thorough and accurate.

I decided to "upgrade" from our trusty nuvi 660 to the 765T. The biggest plus is that I got the 765T at Costco for $280 ($50 off sale, $305 with WA sales tax), which is less than half the price we paid for the 660. I have only used the 765T for a couple of weeks and so far it seems to be only a minor overall improvement over the 660. I am a little disappointed. I have had none of the problems reported in previous comments, and I don't mind the ads with the traffic reports. I do wish that the traffic information would be more timely and accurate, but I can't blame either of the nuvis for that.

It paired easily with our three Motorola cell phones, but it does not work as well as the 660 as a hands-free device. I have used the 765T around the South Puget Sound/Seattle metro area side by side with the 660 and so far I am not greatly impressed. The improvements are obvious, but are outweighed by the annoying touch screen, which is far inferior to the 660. My wife finds this totally unacceptable. Then there is the the puny sound, which is marginally acceptable, but very obviously weak compared to the 660. We also think that it feels and looks cheap compared to the 660. It is a very good unit, but I can't get past the downgraded usability. If I did not have the 660, I would keep it, but I will return it and wait for the price of the 1490T to come down.

Thanks for the great reviews, Fletch. I read them all and you are far mor thorough and accurate.

I decided to "upgrade" from our trusty nuvi 660 to the 765T. The biggest plus is that I got the 765T at Costco for $280 ($50 off sale, $305 with WA sales tax), which is less than half the price we paid for the 660. I have only used the 765T for a couple of weeks and so far it seems to be only a minor overall improvement over the 660. I am a little disappointed. I have had none of the problems reported in previous comments, and I don't mind the ads with the traffic reports. I do wish that the traffic information would be more timely and accurate, but I can't blame either of the nuvis for that.

It paired easily with our three Motorola cell phones, but it does not work as well as the 660 as a hands-free device. I have used the 765T around the South Puget Sound/Seattle metro area side by side with the 660 and so far I am not greatly impressed. The improvements are obvious, but are outweighed by the annoying touch screen, which is far inferior to the 660. My wife finds this totally unacceptable. Then there is the the puny sound, which is marginally acceptable, but very obviously weak compared to the 660. We also think that it feels and looks cheap compared to the 660. It is a very good unit, but I can't get past the downgraded usability. If I did not have the 660, I would keep it, but I will return it and wait for the price of the 1490T to come down.

Wanted to purchase 765t but heard about TomTom xl340s with IQ routing. Is TomTom feature that good?

In Australia we don't have the option of evaluating the 1490 - it's just not going to come here according to Garmin. So we're limited to the 765 or 1390. I notice in the GPS Magazine Buyers Guide recommendations that the 1390 is absent. Is the guide a little out of date, or is the 765 significantly better? - even if the 765 lacks advanced view lane guidance, which seems like it should be a wonderful enhancement.

the 765t in no way compares to the TomTom 700 series – the routing software is not as well designed, the time to recalculate a route is too long, the bult in speaker is horrible

Having owned three Garmin units, the 765T is the worst of the bunch. I just vacationed in Seattle and it was a nightmare trying to get somewhere in the downtown area. I was a few minutes from the Hilton, but it routed me in circles and wrong streets for 20 minutes.

As for the Lane Assist, it only works in some areas. Living in las Vegas, there is no Junction View. there is none in Seattle and in most cities. I bought the unit for the two added functions of the Lane Assist and Junction View additions to my 760. I will buy a 760 again...

Having owned three Garmin units, the 765T is the worst of the bunch. I just vacationed in Seattle and it was a nightmare trying to get somewhere in the downtown area. I was a few minutes from the Hilton, but it routed me in circles and wrong streets for 20 minutes.

Out of the box, it hung up and wouldn't come on. I finally got it to turn on, but it froze several times later and I couldn't get it to turn back on until I waited nearly 40 minutes for tech support. If they put out a product with so many bad reviews, they should recall it and rework the unit...

As for the Lane Assist and Junction View, it only works in some areas. Living in las Vegas, there is no Junction View. There is none in Seattle and in most cities. I upgraded from the 760 for the two added functions of the Lane Assist and Junction View additions. I will buy a 760 again...

Just came back from San Francisco. Very poor GPS performance! San Francisco is a very tricky place to drive. Way too many no left turn, no right turn, no personal vehicles except during x am - x pm except on weekends unless turning left unless...

I found the device loved having me drive through residential areas. With the advanced traffic and speed limit data, I would think it would tend to keep you on main roads.

Then, it just fell apart when driving through the financial district. I wish I had some digital Prozac as the device went insane. The device simply had no idea what street I was on, or, which direction I was going. It frequently thought I was a full block away from where I was. Kept thinking I had past an intersection when I had not. It got to the point that I had to look at the rout on the map, and then completely ignore it.

Has anyone else taken one of these through SF financial district (on Market Street)? Is there any devices on the market that still include a real magnetic campus, and motion sensors to help when GPS reception is bad?

Thanks...

Casey D

i have this 765 for about 2 weeks. i have a question about map detail. anybody knows what is the difference between "high" and "normal" in map detail? i dont see any difference so far. does "high" make the frame rate per second slower? thanks.

I own a nuvi 760 and was thinking about upgrading.
The volume issue scares me on the 765t.
The volume on my 760 seems fine, could be a little louder, but
on the highway with the ac on and windows up, it is fine.
I don't have any problems with the English voice Jill announcing
street names.
Is there any difference between the 760 and 765t as far as volume and auditibility.

Thanks,
saronabound