What’s the best car GPS on the market. I’m sure that there are a number of opinions, and I suspect you might not agree with me, but let’s take a shot and see if we can sort this thing out.
For one thing, I’m already going to hedge my bet and give you about three “best” car GPS’s not just one.
Okay, that might not be fair, but after all this is my article and I can do what I want to. (Although, my goal is to help you understand the marketplace, so I was really just sort of kidding about that.)
To get a grip on the best GPS, we really have to divide the marketplace into at least three segments. Entry-level, mid-range, and high-end. Let’s take a look at the entry-level segment first.
Best Entry-level Car GPS
By “Entry-Level” I mean under $200. Really with the recent drop in prices that should maybe be under $150! But we’ll stick with under $200.
There are two entry-level best car GPS systems. The Tom Tom One, 3rd Edition and the Garmin nuvi 350.
The One, 3rd Edition sells for about $150 and has a ton of great features like pre-loaded maps of the U. S. and Canada and voice instructions that tell you where to turn.
The Garmin nuvi 350 has a few more features like real-time traffic and weather, but it sells for about $50 more–just under $200! Actually, most people don’t think of the nuvi 350 as an entry-level device, but who can question selling for less than $200 and offering all of these features?
Best Mid-Range Car GPS
Although Garmin has several good mid-range car GPS systems, like the nuvi 760 and the nuvi 660 (both of which sell for under $400), I really think the best device on the market as far as price and features is the Magellan Maestro 4250.
The Maestro 4250 only sells for $250, and includes a wider screen and Magellan’s deal with AAA where they actually have AAA’s famous Tour Book right on the device. For AAA lovers like me, that’s a big incentive.
Best High-End GPS
Garmin absolutely dominates the top of the GPS market. If you want cutting edge technology then the Garmin nuvi 880 has to be your best choice. It sells for almost $900, but it can do everything except tie your trout fishing flies for you. (They’ll have a newer model next year that can do just that. Just kidding!)
But seriously. When Garmin set out to make the top of the line absolutely best car GPS, they succeeded completely with the nuvi 880.
Of course, choosing a GPS is a very personal matter. You might not want any of the one’s I’ve mentioned. And there are certainly many very good GPS systems out there.
What will make your choice a lot easier is a good, informative website where you can browse products and check out their current selling price.
By: Rick Cole
Posts Tagged ‘Aaa’
What’s the Best Car GPS on the Market?
December 4th, 2009Tips on Buying the Best Auto GPS Units, Part II
October 30th, 2009
In Part I of this series, we discussed how much you can spend on auto GPS units, and how much you want to spend. In this part, we’re going to discuss the manufacturers and what features you need to be on the look out for.
Buy the end of this article, you should know enough about auto GPS units to enter the marketplace with knowledge and confidence.
What manufacturer’s product should I buy?
Since I just mentioned the top manufacturers in the United States, let me just say a few words about each of them.
Garmin has the broadest and deepest product line. I like their nuvi line quite a lot! They’re sleek and really have a lot of features for such a small package.
Tom Tom has been fast catching up in the United States due to very aggressive pricing. If you want a more fully featured model than the One, 3rd Edition, then how about the GO 920T, which was listed by Consumer Reports recently as one of the best GPS’s to buy. Right now, it will cost you a little over $400.
Magellan is sort of the granddaddy of the field. They were one of the first companies to enter the auto GPS market. I like their Maestro line the best for about the same reasons I like Garmin’s nuvi line.
Also, Magellan has a great deal with AAA, where they have the Tour Book pre-programmed right in their device. I’m a AAA lover. So, for me that’s a great selling feature.
Sure, there are other manufacturers of these devices other than Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan, but since these three control almost 90% of the U. S. market, I can’t see any reason to buy anything else.
Now that we’ve talked about who makes auto GPS units, let’s talk about what features you should be considering.
What do I want my new GPS to do–besides tell me how to get places?
In addition to showing you where you are and telling how to get to places, all GPS units also have touch screens, a database of pre-programmed destinations (called Points of Interest, or POI’s), and pre-loaded maps, usually of at least the lower 48 United States.
Other features you might want are:
More maps Actually saying street names (instead of just “Turn Here!”) Real-time weather and traffic alerts right on your device Bluetooth, so you can make hands-free phone calls while driving Multiple point routing, so you can enter more than one destination in for the same trip Bigger screen (4.3-inches instead of 3.5-inches–measured along the diagonal)
You can get the extra maps, saying the street names, and the real-time weather and traffic alerts (with subscription) for only about $200! The Garmin nuvi 350 can do this just fine.
If you want Bluetooth, then you can get this and the wider screen for around $400. The multiple point routing will cost you another $50 to $100.
There are certainly more features, but these are the main ones. There’s a lot of competition under $400 in the auto GPS marketplace. Above $400, it’s mainly all Garmin. So, if you’re willing to spend more, you really need to look at their nuvi 700’s and their 800’s.
Hopefully, this will help you wrap your mind around the market for auto GPS units a little better!
At first buying a GPS seems a little confusing and overwhelming. It’s not really. There are just a few things you haven’t thought about.
Use this article as a guide to help you better understand the marketplace.
What you need now is an informative website where you can browse and check current prices.
By: Rick Cole
