I think I want a Garmin Nuvi 350, any other good alternatives?

No experience with the 260 but I've had the 350 for nearly two years now and it's amazing. 100x better than the navigation in my Prius, plus the voice isn't as annoying. Either way I'm sure you can't go wrong!

 

I can't imagine improving upon the 350 UI. The 350 was my first time ever using a GPS navi system and I was able to figure it out without cracking open the instructions. Wish I could say the same about the Prius Navi.



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cwerdna @ Oct 7 2007, 11:01 PM) [snapback]522590[/snapback]</div>

 

I bought the Nuvi 650 when I got my Prius. The slightly larger screen compared to the 350 is great, but it isn't so big as to obscure forward view. I purchased my 650 from Amazon for about $456 or so. It is a great navigator and am very happy with it.

My wife thinks it is easy to use, too, so we switch it between our vehicles depending on our needs.

We never have any trouble hearing the unit announce turns either. It is a great unit and worth spending a little more for the screen real estate. I don't use the MP3 or picture playback, just the navigator.

 

We bought our gps from Costco on sale for $250 in June. It is a Magellan, which we swore not to get one last year, b/c it was so difficult to use. We do not remember the model, but this new one is terrific. Its as good as a Garmin if not better. It announces street names for your upcoming maneuver way in advance, like 2miles, then 1.5 miles, then .5 miles and then the ding ding to turn. AND, it fits perfectly under the radio, by friction, and nothing else. 3 of our friends bought the same unit, and they are all very happy with it. The model is: Magellan C2200T [attachmentid=11919]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LYLUVLY @ Oct 10 2007, 01:12 AM) [snapback]523464[/snapback]</div>

I bought this unit at Costco in July for $229 because I liked the idea of being able to place it on the drop-down door below the CD player. When I get out of my car, I just slip the GPS into that compartment and close the door, and don't have to fiddle around with removing a 'mount' for fear that a visible mount might clue someone into assuming it's worth breaking into my car on the assumption that the GPS is hidden in the car.

My son and daughter-in-law have a Prius and a MIO digiwalker GPS, and they use the 'mount', and I much prefer the 'look' of having my GPS placed on that drop-down door. I depend mostly on the audible cues - announcements of upcoming turns in advance, and the 'ding' when you're AT the turning point. I've also found that it's a great aid to night-driving for those of us in the over-50 crowd - I can easily see the many curves in the roads I drive.

It has the capability for using it to store MP3s and photos, but I haven't bothered with that. It doesn't have Blue-tooth, but my Prius already has that, so I didn't need it. I find it very easy to use - I was able to set it up in the parking lot of the store where I bought it and have it guide me home without even opening the instructions.

 

Go with the 350! Garmin has the best support of any company I've ever dealt with. If you have a problem or need info, you will actually speak to someone who speaks English as a native language - in Olathe, Kansas, no less. I've owned garmin GPS units for 8 or 9 years - never had a problem that they didn't take care of - usually free.

 

I like my garmin 350. it sometimes gives me less-than-ideal routes but it gets me there in the end. i feel safer driving when i know i can hit "go home" from anywhere.

i bought it off amazon for something like $360? mine speaks with a british accent. i sometimes wish i had gotten prius navigation just to have a streamlined, clean look. it's very nice to be able to take my navigation out of the car, however.. just today, i dropped my prius off for it's very first oil change and took the navigation with me to find a place within walking distance to eat.

it's mounted on my air vent and i can pop it off and hide it in the secret prius compartment when i leave the car.

[attachmentid=11948]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Christina @ Oct 11 2007, 12:10 AM) [snapback]524070[/snapback]</div>

I'm looking for a mount for my Nuvi 360 for the Prius. Can you share which mount you have and where you got it?

I just bought an '08 Prius and love it. I went with the package 2 because I also think my Nuvi 360 is WAY easier than the on board nav in my wife's 05 Prius.

Other advantages of Nuvi compared to on-board (at least my wife's 05):
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• Can program while driving
• The bluetooth doesn't have a huge lag when you initiate a call from the phone (instead of from the nav's phone screen)
• Portable - great when travelling for business or pleasure
• Expandable - Took my Nuvi to Germany in April and added a Europe map card to it and was able to get around all over the place
• Simple access to my phone's address book via bluetooth, without complicated programming

Bottom line: Love my Nuvi. Only complaint on the 360 is that the Bluetooth volume can be a little low sometimes - making it hard for me to hear the other person

 

I have a Nuvi 350 and it is excellent!

Aside from giving excellent text-to-speech directions [e.g. says street names] it is very small and can be put in your pocket and used while walking around a city.

This is a very good GPS, and it's very easy to use. My wife uses it to get about town and she's not technologically advanced.

I highly recommend it!