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Garmin nuvi 660: **** (4 Stars)
A GPS unit makes road trips more enjoyable, more safe, and more fun. In the annals of useful inventions, it ranks up there with the wheel, the bread slicer, and the washing machine. If you are in the market for a GPS — and if you own an RV, you should be — then the Garmin nuvi 660 is a brilliant choice.
Is this the perfect GPS? “Perfect” is a loaded term, but this little device makes a strong claim to the title. In the final analysis, it’s almost perfect…
Keeping with tradition, let’s start with the bad news first. It’s almost unfair to discuss this unit’s weaknesses up front, since it has so few. It does so many things so well, it’s easy to lose count. But here are three things that I don’t like about the Garmin:
1. The FM Transmitter has a few problems, especially in urban areas. The goal of this feature is to broadcast the GPS audio to your stereo’s FM receiver, so you get the GPS audio over your vehicle speakers. It’s a great idea in theory, but it frequently gets interference from local radio stations that are competing for your ears. In fairness to the Garmin, all FM transmitters have similar issues. The 660’s does as good a job as any.
2. There are occasional point-of-interest problems. It’s probably not Garmin’s fault, but in the ever-changing American travel landscape, Panera Breads are reproducing like rabbits. And they seem to hop from location-to-location on the map just as fast. The Garmin has a substantial database of restaurants and stores, but there are those (rare, but annoying) times when you may be led to a dead end.
3. There are occasional Bluetooth woes. The Garmin syncs with your cellphone allowing hands-free communication. But sometimes it may sound as if you are speaking through a megaphone, in a wind tunnel, during an F4 tornado.
Next, a sampling of the good news. There’s a lot to love about this GPS. For the sake of brevity, here are ten things I like about the Garmin:
10. The touch screen display is large, beautiful, and viewable from many angles and in broad daylight.
9. The SD card slot allows easy customization and expansion of content. You can load your GPS with digital media like audiobooks, music, photos. You can place a photo of your family on the start-up screen, which is kind of nice.
8. Firmware upgrades are available. Simply connect your GPS to a PC and (after installing Garmin software) it will connect to the mothership and download software updates. Garmin seems to be active in upgrading the firmware, so that maps draw faster and overall performance is improved. They also offer additional speech voices, all at no extra charge.
7. This GPS offers Bluetooth integration, so you can chat on your cellphone hands-free. It easily syncs with your cell phone and imports your contacts. When it works — and it usually works just fine — it’s brilliant!
6. The audiobook reader is fantastic for extended RV trips. Last year Kristy and I drove some 15,000 miles with audiobooks delivering the in flight entertainment. A great book really makes long hours on the road melt away.
5. The TTS (Text-to-Speech) feature is helpful and fun. Quite simply, this means the GPS will say street names and whatever else you happen to type. Instead of just saying, “Turn right,” it will say, “Turn right on Main Street.”
4. Thanks to fast satellite location, the boot-up process lasts but a few seconds. This GPS has excellent range, and even seems to find satellites indoors.
3. There’s an excellent database of points-of-interest here. On an extended RV trip, you will discover that these points-of-interest are crucial. Want to find the nearest Wal-Mart to stop for the night? This baby will lead you there, turn by turn. Sure, it gets a few wrong from time-to-time. But it usually is spot on.
2. Garmin includes a lovely leather case with the Nuvi 660. At first I thought we would ignore the case, but it has actually come in very handy. One of the benefits of a portable GPS is…portability. So you will appreciate the case more than you expect.
1. The price is right. When it debuted, the Nuvi 660 cost a bundle, with an MSRP clocking in at over a grand. But today you can find them for a third of that price. The Nuvi 660 regularly goes for $350 and up. And in case you are wondering, there are no subscription fees to the basic GPS services. (Garmin does offer a subscription-based traffic alert system, but it’s not necessary.)
To be blunt: I love this GPS! Garmin has gotten so much so right with this “travel assistant” that it seems crazy to nitpick. If you are planning an extended RV road trip of any kind, you will appreciate having this puppy on board. Especially if you are a man who refuses to stop and ask for directions.
Garmin nuvi 660: **** (4 Stars)
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