Cosumer Reports recently had an article where they listed the top GPS units. Not surprisingly all of the GPS units listed were made by the top three U. S. manufacturers, Gamin, Tom Tom, and Magellan.

But how do you know which one to buy?

Well, in this article we’re going to compare these top GPS units so you can get an idea of which one would fit your budget and your needs. Along the way, I’ll explain some of the cool features these things offer.

Consumer Report’s rated the Garmin nuvi 760 as their best overall system.

Right now, at Amazon, the nuvi 760 sells for just under $400. In addition to Garmin’s reputation for quality the nuvi 760 offers a ton of features for the money.

For instance, the nuvi 760 has maps of the whole U.S. plus Canada. It actually tells you the names of the street you’re turning on, instead of just saying “Turn Right,” or something to that effect. You can get a subscription to real-time traffic reports.

It’s got Bluetooth for hands-free calling, and what’s called “FM transmission” so you can hear the device on your car’s own stereo system. Also, it has multiple point routing, which means you can enter several destinations in at once, and it will plot your route to include all of them. In addition to all of this, the nuvi 760 has the wider, 4.3-inch screen.

Honestly, for under $400, it would be hard to beat all of that!

While we’re talking about Garmin’s top GPS units, Consumer Reports also mentioned the nuvi 660, the nuvi 350, and the nuvi 260 as excellent GPS systems, too.

The nuvi 660 is essentially just like the nuvi 760 minus the multiple point routing. It sells for about $50 less, too.

The nuvi 350 is a really great buy at $200! It doesn’t have the wide screen that the 760 and 660 have. And it doesn’t support Bluetooth. But it can do all the other stuff I mentioned.

As far as the nuvi 260, I’m not sure if Consumer Reports meant the nuvi 260 or the nuvi 260w. Personally, I can’t see a lot of difference between the nuvi 260 and the nuvi 350. The nuvi 350 is an ever so slightly older nuvi model. It has that flip up antenna thing on the back, which bothers some people. It was never much of a factor with me, however.

I could make the case for the nuvi 260w, because it’s got the wider screen. I like wide screens, probably because I drive a big car and my dash is father away than in a little car.

Don’t think that Consumer Reports left out the other two top U. S. manufacturers, though. Tom Tom and Magellan both had excellent devices mentioned in their article.

The Tom Tom GO 920T and the Tom Tom One, 3rd Edition were both mentioned. I wholeheartedly agree! Both of these are great devices.

The Tom Tom One, 3rd Edition is a great entry level device. Actually, as far as features, it’s not entry level at all–it just has an entry level price! It sells for just under $150.

The GO 920T is a direct competitor of Garmin’s nuvi 660 and 760. At just over $400, the GO 920T has a lot of features including Tom Tom’s own Map Share technology, which let’s users make changes in Tom Tom’s map database information.

As far as Magellan is concerned, Consumer Reports chose the Maestro 4250 as one of their top GPS units. I think the Maestro 4250 is without doubt one of the best deals on the market. It’s got the wide screen and a number of other great features. All this for only around $250!

Consumer Reports didn’t mention a number of other great top GPS units that are just as worthy as these are. For information on them, you’ll have to refer yourself to an informative website.

By: Rick Cole