GARMIN Nuvi 255W 4.3 Inch Auto Navigator. With its easy to use touchscreen, voice guidance that speaks street names, preloaded maps of North America and its widescreen display, the affordable nuvi 255W delivers directions on the go wherever life takes you. For an additional cost savings, check out nuvi 205W which offers less map coverage at a lower price.
Garmin's nüvi 255W improvesupon its 200-series predecessors by adding top-of-the-line features such as FM traffic updates or MSN Direct content to an entry-level line. But Garmin is also introducing some significant improvements with this new series, like a predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock, a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and an exciting new photo navigation feature. The 255W adds complete maps for North America and Text-to-Speech, so you get turn by turn spoken directions with the real names of streets (e.g. "turn left in 50 feet at Nebraska Way", rather than merely "turn left in 50 feet"). The 255W also offers a wide 4.3-inch (diagonal) screen that displays 70% more of the road around you.
The nüvi 2x5 models all sport the slim design that Garmin introduced with the 200-series last year, so they all fit comfortably in your pocket or purse, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that makes them convenient for navigation by car or foot.All of the models include useful travel tools like a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.
Important Product Information: This device features a "screen lock" feature. This is a standard feature on all nüvi 2x5 and 7x5 Garmin units. If you slide the "Power" key to the right, it will lock the screen and prevent any accidental touches. Once the screen lock feature is engaged, the screen will go black/gray after about 15 seconds to save power on the device. To unlock the screen, just slide the "Power" key to the center position. This feature is really targeted for "Pedestrian" mode so that a user can put the device in his or her pocket/purse and quickly unlock the screen instead of powering on/off continuously. For more information, see page 5 of the product manual.
Key Features/Benefits for all 2x5 Series Navigators
- New -- HotFix (Long Term Ephemeris Prediction) finds satellites faster (Learn more)
- New -- Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Basemap shows 3D shaded terrain features (Learn more)
- New -- Faster 333 Mhz processor offers faster, smoother map drawing and vehicle icon motion through turns
- New -- Redesigned user interface offers more information (Learn more)
- New -- Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them. (Learn more)
- New -- Add Enhanced MSN Traffic and Content with the optional GDB 55 antenna and charger (Learn more)
- New -- Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest (Learn more)
- New -- Automatic Time Zone Transition
- Text-to-Speech gives directions with real street names
- 4.3-inch Widescreen shows you more of what's around you as you drive (Learn more)
- Memory Card Slots so you can add maps and travel guides, or store photos (MicroSD card slot on 3.5-inch units; SD card slot on 4.3-inch units)
- Preloaded Maps with Navteq data of North America + Hawaii + Puerto Rico, including 6.5 million searchable points of interest (Learn more)
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for easy portability (up to 4 hours per charge)
- Custom Vehicle Icons let you personalize your navigator (Learn more)
- Integrated Antenna for a slim form factor
- Where Am I? -- instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby (Learn More)
What's in the Box
nüvi 255W, Preloaded City Navigator NT for North America or Europe (full coverage), Vehicle suction cup mount, Vehicle power cable, Dashboard disc, Quick start manual
Which nüvi is Best for You?:
Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators
Learn More
One of Garmin's key product philosophies is to make extremely complex technology easy to use for anyone right out of the box, and perhaps nowhere is that better exemplified than in the user interface for Garmin's portable navigation devices.
Garmin's interface is a key to their success part of what makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map updates as you navigate.
This year, Garmin has redesigned its interface to include much more useful information.
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Old Interface
 | New Interface 
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| Your GPS device locks onto transmissions from a dedicated network of Satellites in order to determine its position. Until the device gets a "lock" on three satellites, it can't effectively navigate, so decreasing the time it takes for your device to get "satellite lock" is always a goal of GPS manufacturers. With Garmin's new HotFix technology, your Garmin GPS remembers the position of all satellites it is tracking when you turn it off, and calculates their movements in order to predict where they should be the next time you turn it on. This gives the device an idea of where it should look for satellites, and dramatically decreases the time it takes for your Garmin to get its position and start navigating. HotFix can predict satellite positions for up to 3 days after the device was last turned off.
Using Garmin’s unique Web site — Garmin Connect Photos — users can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google’s Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide.
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| Using Garmin’s unique Web site — Garmin Connect Photos — users can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google’s Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide.
- Choose from Panoramio's collection of photos from around the world.
- Easy to use interface displays photos on Google Maps.
- Search for photos by location name or map area boundary.
- Transfer photos directly from Garmin Connect to device with the Garmin Communicator.
- View photos in Google Earth.
- Supports Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+ on Windows and Mac.
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Shaded relief terrain maps show you when to expect hills, mountains, forests and other natural features. Topographic terrain maps are viewable when using the 2D "birds-eye" view.
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tching to try out a new restaurant, or setting off on a road trip to locate the best toffee apples on the east coast? Now, it's easy to search for locations on Google Maps or Mapquest, then transfer the addresses directly to your Garmin GPS navigator.
- Hook up your Garmin to the computer via it's USB port
- Search for the location you want
- Click the Send link in the info window for the address. That will bring up a popup "Send to" form.
- Pick GPS, then pick Garmin and hit the "Send" button.
The address will instantly transfer to your Garmin device, The point will be saved as one of your favorites, and you can navigate to it or view it on a map just like with any other favorite. The process does require a small plugin, which you can get at Garmin's website at http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3739. You can send business addresses to your Garmin device from these countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. |
Search for the location you want.
| Pick "Send to GPS".
| Go!
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MSN Direct Enhanced Traffic and Content  | With an optional receiver, you can access enhanced dynamic content from the MSN Direct service. Check the weather, avoid traffic backups, compare local gas prices, get enhanced movie listings, stock information, news and local events when you travel with your unit. Even plan trips from the convenience of your computer, via Windows Live Local, and wirelessly send custom to your nüvi.
Check out a full description of MSN Direct content features, or a coverage map for MSN Direct services.
A 3-month subscription to MSN Direct is included with the receiver. After that, subscription fees are $49.95 per year, or $129.95 for a lifetime subscription. |
FM Traffic 
| With an optional receiver, you can get alerts from TMC Clear Channel about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you'll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you're forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nüvi's sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.
In most areas, TMC Clear Channel traffic broadcasts are continuous — there's no waiting for scheduled traffic news updates or random alerts. Because traffic broadcasts are received via a "silent" FM data channel, you can still listen to music or news programming on your car radio without interference from incoming FM traffic data transmissions.
A 3-month subscription to TMC Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network is included with the receiver. For more information on subscription fees, coverage in individual cities, and traffic data networks in the United Kingdom and Europe, check the Garmin website.
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The super-bright, 4.3-inch (diagonal) touchscreen display gives is anti-glare for ease of viewing during the day and automatically changes its color profile for easy viewing at night or in dim light. It offers 2d or 3D perspective views.
The widescreen format gives you 70% more actual screen area than a 3.5-inch screen. Primarily this translates into a better view of the area through which you are driving. This is especially useful in showing you what parks, restaurants, ATM, gas stations, etc. are nearby, or in letting you know whether a detour is a good idea. Also, the device itself is larger, meaning controls on the screen are more widely spaced and somewhat easier to push. |
Wider screen lets you see more of what's around. Compare these actual size views of a 3-inch (diagonal) screen
| and a 4.3-inch diagonal widescreen
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Where Am I?
On any nüvi (including this one), you can just tap "Where Am I?" to find the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations, nearest address and intersection. Also see your exact latitude and longitude coordinates.
nüvi accepts custom points of interest (POIs). View larger.
| The nüvi comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps for all of North America, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, including a hefty POI database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. Garmin gets its map data from NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.
In addition, nüvi accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs Important note about map updates: Due to our high volume of sales, almost every Garmin portable GPS navigator sold by Amazon.com will come with the most recent map version. If you ever do need a map update, you can purchase one from Amazon.com at our Garmin Store. |
Garmin's patent pending theft prevention system that disables the unit from performing any functions until the user types in a specific 4-digit PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location
Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer.
| Navigation is just the beginning. The nüvi 2x5 models features travel tools including a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.
This device is compatible with optional content plug-ins available via microSD card, such as the Garmin Travel Guides and Garmin SaversGuide provide detailed data for attractions and information on nearby merchants offering discounts, so you can customize nüvi for your travel needs. For Accessory Map Cards and Travel Guides the Units Feature: a MicroSD Card Slot on the 3.5 inch Units, and an SD Card Slot on the 4.3 inch Units.
Garmin has also added the ability for customers to add custom points of interest (POI’s) from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras.
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Custom vehicle icons let you ride in style, at least inside your GPS.
See more icon option | All Garmin nüvis support configurable vehicle icons. These fun, customized car-shaped icons come in a variety of colors to add a personal touch to your vehicle's position on the map. |
Notes
- Optional software for language translation, detailed travel guides, and savings programs allow you to customize your nüvi to fit your travel needs
- Like most USB Mass Storage Devices, the nüvi is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me.
Note: All nüvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations.
| Screen
Size
inches
(w x h)
| Included Maps
| Text-to-Speech
(Directions in
Real Street
Names)
| Traffic
| Bluetooth
| Media
| 3D Terrain
Maps
| Photo
Navigation
| FM Transmitter
(audio through
car stereo
system) | Multi-
Point
Routing
| Battery
life
(hours)
|
Cont. U.S.,
Hawaii, and
Puerto Rico
| AK and
Canada
| Europe
|
| nüvi 200 | 2.8 x 2.1
|  |
|
|
|
|
| Photos
|
|
|
|
| up to 5
|
| nüvi 200w | 3.81 x 2.25
| |
|
|
|
|
| Photos
|
|
|
|
| up to 5 |
| nüvi 250 | 2.8 x 2.1
| | |
|
|
|
| Photos |
|
|
|
| up to 5 |
| nüvi 250w | 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
|
|
|
| Photos |
|
|
|
| up to 5 |
| nüvi 260 | 2.8 x 2.1
| | |
| |
|
| Photos |
|
|
|
| up to 5 |
| nüvi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| |
|
| Photos |
|
|
|
| up to 5 |
| nüvi 270 | 2.8 x 2.1
| | | |
|
|
| Photos |
|
|
|
| up to 5 |
| nüvi 205 | 2.8 x 2.1 | |
|
|
| MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos | | |
|
| up to 4
|
| nüvi 205W | 3.81 x 2.25 | |
|
|
| MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos | | |
|
| up to 4 |
| nüvi 255 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos | | |
|
| up to 4 |
nüvi 255W
| 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos | | |
|
| up to 4 |
| nüvi 350 | 2.8 x 2.1
| | |
| | FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos, MP3s
|
|
|
|
| up to 8
|
| nüvi 360 | 2.8 x 2.1
| | |
| | FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s |
|
|
|
| up to 8 |
| nüvi 370 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | FM (receiver
included)
| | Photos, MP3s |
|
|
|
| up to 8 |
| nüvi 650 | 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
| | FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos, MP3s |
|
|
|
| up to 7
|
nüvi 660
| 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
| | FM (receiver
included)
| | Photos, MP3s |
|
| |
| up to 7 |
nüvi 670
| 3.81 x 2.25
| | | | | FM (receiver
included) | | Photos, MP3s |
|
| |
| up to 7 |
| nüvi 680 | 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
| | MSN (receiver
included;
1-year free);
FM (with opt.
receiver)
| | Photos, MP3s |
|
| |
| up to 7 |
nüvi 750
| 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
| | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)
|
| Photos, MP3s |
|
| | | up to 5
|
| nüvi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
| | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s |
|
| | | up to 5 |
| nüvi 770 | 3.81 x 2.25
| | | | | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s |
|
| | | up to 5 |
| nüvi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
|
| MSN-enhanced
(receiver inc.;
3 months free)
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s |
|
| | | up to 5 |
nüvi 850
| 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
|
| MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos, MP3s |
|
| | | up to 4 |
nüvi 880
| 3.81 x 2.25 | | | |
| MSN-enhanced
(receiver inc.;
3 months free);
FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s |
|
| | | up to 4 |
nüvi 5000
| 4.5 x 2.7 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) |
|
|
|
| | | external
battery
only
|
Basic MSN Direct Content Features
|
| Traffic Reports
- Find the best route through traffic. Your GPS device uses MSN Direct traffic data to select the best route for you to avoid traffic congestion.
- Check traffic flow. Know at a glance where to expect slowdowns in traffic.
- Get accident warnings. Receive warnings about accidents, road closures, and construction in the area that may affect you.
|
 | Gas Prices
- Compare local gas prices. See a list of recent gas prices in your area and an indication of how recently the prices were reported.
- Find your way to the savings. Once you find the best price in your area, use your navigation system to guide you to the gas station.
|
 | Weather Reports
- Stay on top of current conditions. View the current weather conditions in your area, including today's high and low temperatures, chances of precipitation, and more.
- View the three-day forecast, Plan ahead by checking the three-day weather forecast for your area.
- Check weather in other cities. See current weather conditions in major cities across the country.
|
 | Movie Times
- Search for a movie. Find the theaters in your coverage area that are showing the movie you want to see.
- See which movies are playing. View which movies are playing in your coverage area or at your favorite theater.
- See show times and get directions. Once you find a show you want to see, check the show times and use your GPS device to guide you to the theater.
|
Enhanced MSN Direct Content
|
 | Web Favorites (Send custom destinations to your GPS with Live Search Maps)
- Powerful trip planning: Use Live Search Maps on your computer to look up an address, search for a business, or plan a trip
- Choose your favorite location, and then MSN Direct delivers the address, phone number, and more straight to your navigation system.
- Visit Live Search Maps at http://maps.live.com.
|
 | Local Events
- See what's happening near you. Find nearby events to see what's happening in your area.
- Find the events that interest you. Browse events sorted by category.
- Search for an event. Get details about a particular event.
|
 | Stock Quotes
- Watch the stocks that interest you. Select stocks that you want to keep an eye on, and then see regularly updated stock prices and daily changes.
- Get a little more detail. Touch a stock in your list to see daily highs, lows, and trading volume.
|
 | News Headlines
- Browse the headlines at a glance. See breaking news and other major news stories of the day.
- Read more details. Select a headline to read all the details about the news story on your navigation system.
|
|
|
MSN Direct Coverage Map
|
Get detailed info for your Zip Code at the MSN Direct website.
|
- 4.3 Inch Auto Navigator with Anti Theft Feature
- Voice Prompted Turn by Turn Directions
- With HotFix, It Calculates Your Position Faster to Get You There Quicker
- Compatible with Optional Enhanced MSN Direct Content
- JPEG Picture Viewer, World Travel Clock, Currency Converter, Calculator and More
nv:Condition^New|Type^Automotive|Waypoints^1000|Display^Color|Display^TFT|Screen Size^4.3"|Touch Screen^Yes|Voice^Yes (Voice Prompt)|Expansion Slots^SD Card|Battery Type^Rechargeable lithium-ion|Battery Life^4 hours
Dimensions
- Height: 0.8''
- Length: 4.8''
- Width: 2.8''
- Weight: 1.24 lbs
bought a nuvi 255w from best buy with free lifetime traffic.traffic no longer comes up and does NOT work anymore.Received message with a number on it while we were driving and no longer worked from that day.Icons are not on my model any more………
Bought this for my husband and he is loving it. Only issue is battery life. Wish it was longer for our long trips.
Excellent gps navigation unit. 255w is an upgrade for me.
find your way
great navigator for reasonable price. i have a hard time finding places so it has been a blessing for me to aid finding an address and to stop bothering my family for detailed directions to everything.
Great GPS, better than I imagined.
Works just like the product review states. Even comes with speed limit indicator when driving on highways or interstate. Only wish Garmin made more voices to use with GPS.
Garmin makes the best GPS !!
The Garmin 255W far surpasses the older versions of the widescreen GPS they have made. The 3D birds eye view is great. And I love the speed limit display, cause many times it is not posted on the streets, and you do not notice speed traps until a cop pulls you over. I have not tried to use it in Canada, but it is supposed to have maps for there too. The 4.3 inch screen is great, I would not buy anything smaller. The favorites are good to have also. If you need to search for a hotel, bank, ATM, restaurent, etc. in an area, it will give you the address and phone number as well. I used to always get lost, but now it is not a problem. I would highly recommend this GPS to a friend.
Garmin nüvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
I love it
This is my second GPS. The first one I had was a TomTom. This Garmin is perfect. Very easy to use. If you do not like the voice, register your Garmin and change the voice. Also you can change your little car icon. You can even change the icon to a heart, a plane, a bike and so on. Unlike the TomTom you can down load an updated map from the website. I wanted a Garmin in the first place but recieved TomTom as a gift. The TomTom started having problems from the beginning. I am very pleased with the Garmin, at least so far.
Excellent product
This is my second Garmin GPS. The first one was a nuvi 200W. I decided to purchase one for my other car when the prices got cheaper. Works like it is supposed to, I have never missed a turn. The text-to-speech directions need some getting used to, especially if you’ve owned one with canned generic directions that doesn’t announce street names (my wife’s picky, she doesn’t like the voice). Recommended.
A Technological Wonder
This is my first GPS, and i am thrilled with it’s performance! I often drive alone, and it is very relaxing to have “someone” speaking turn-by-turn directions as the road appears on the screen–MUCH safer than trying to use a map. As a Christian, I literally do thank God for this unit! Incredible performance at a reasonable price.
Garmin 255w
Bought the Garmin 255w for a trip to San Diego. During the trip, I kept saying to my wife “this GPS system is worth it’s weight in gold”. This is my first GPS system and we were very pleased with it. There was one time where we were looking for a Albertsons grocery store and the system took us to a gated residential community. The grocery store was near-by though. The system was very easy to use and to program our favorite spots before our trip. The volume of the navigator was good. If I couldn’t take a certain road (due to police redirecting traffic because of an accident) the GPS system quickly recalculated. The only negative that I can think of is sometimes when I would look for a point of interest it would say how many miles away but once we started out for the desination the miles would change to a longer destination. I don’t know if the original miles were “as the crow flys” and once you start then it calculates the road miles. Normally I would be in my hotel room doing the search and Garmin would have my car indicator off the road map system. Very happy with they purchase so far.
Great Product
GPS units have come a long way since I first used one several years ago, and this Garmin 255W is great.
GPS
Just returned from a road trip to Bar Harbor, ME and used my Garmin up and back. It was really amazing not to have to worry that we were going the wrong way. It performed 100% and sure makes driving a breeze.
Great Product!
This GPS unit lives up to all of its accolades! It’s a cinch to use, very quick, and accurate. The large 4.3 inch screen is an added benefit. I highly recommend the Garmin Nuvi 255W!
Happy with it
I love having a GPS. My only complaints so far is that the gps loses satellite reception often and confuses itself. Also, some of the points of interests listed, no longer exist. I also wish the device would tell you when you needed to get into a certain lane. now that would be really helpful. Other than my few complaints, i have been loving every minute spent using the gps.
Good, but we’re looking for additional features
Bought this for my wife, and, in the three days we owned it, it worked well.
Then we realised that we need to be able to create custom routes (ie: using back roads that my wife prefers because it’s “prettier”). You *can* do this, but only by creating via points every time you set off, there is no facility to store a custom route and recall it at a later point in time.
So, we returned it and bought a 765 instead.
PROS
- picked up satellite signal quickly and with strong signal
- routes were accurate and fast
- nice selection of voices to read out directions
- fast redraw
- I liked the user interface
CONS
- Really very shabby registration process
- Software that is generic, meaning, for us, that it allowed you to create custom routes without consideration for the ability of the device that you had plugged into your computer.
One star off because it didn’t have the features we were looking for, and the shoddy registration process.
Has fits like a teenager
The unit looks and sounds like other reviews reported. Good graphics, good voice commands with lots of language choices. I use a sand bag dash top holder so the Garmin is easy to hide when I leave the car – it is light weight and slim. My only issue came during the first week when the Nuvi got ahead of me. I was slowed in traffic but the GPS “thought” I was going normal speed. It got about one mile ahead of me and was giving me turn directions long before I arrived at the intersection. I couldn’t get it to stop! Only because I know the street grids and numbering system in that city was I able to find my destination. I spanked “Lynn” and put her to bed (turned off the GPS) and when she got up the next day she was a good girl.
My first GPS
What a great GPS unit. It was very useful in my trip to WA, OR and MO. I keep it in my car all the time and its very useful.
A gem in the Garmin 205 series. Much better than 7xx series!
I switched to the Nuvi 255W after the screen on my Nuvi 760 got cracked. I was hesitant to buy another Garmin, since my experience with the 760 and my wife’s experience with her 660 hasn’t been that great. But since we already had the auto accessories and USB cable for the Nuvi line, so I browsed the Garmin web site and came across this unit. At a price point of under $200, this unit it turning out to be a hidden gem. This unit still suffers form the usual Garmin mapping issues (like no wild cards for street names and no smart list to help you find the spelling of streets — you have to type it in EXACTLY as it appears in the Garmin map system or you’re SOL).
Overall, the 255w has all the same core features as the 760 and 660 except:
> No bluetooth
> No FM transmitter
> No automatic routing based on a series of waypoints (e.g., for deliveries or going to multiple garage sales)
> No lane help
But I think that’s about it! I found that I never used these features anyway, so the 255w is like a more expensive model without those extra frills. Here are the advantages of the 255w as I see them (although the newer 7xx series may now have some of these as well:
> Same screen size as the other 4.3″ Nuvi models
> Much lighter in weight
> Better screen touch sensitivity
> Leaves the “breadcrumb” trail (that you can hide) just like the 760
> Has an Eco mode to roughly calculate gas costs for your trip
> Has an optional icon that changes to show whether your driving style is saving or wasting gas
> The 255w has a DEM topographical base map in the background when you are in 2-D view (up until about the 4 km resolution). This is a very nice touch.
> More responsive that my old 760 (my old 760 really lagged), plus a better looking screen
> Half the cost of the 7xx+ series with the core features you probably need.
> With your savings, you can buy Lifetime map updates from the Garmin web site for $119!
> Links up flawlessly to my Mac using Garmin RoadTrip, WebUpdates, etc. But be sure to use Firefox. Garmin Communicator does not seem to work with Safari.
The bottom line is that Garmin does not appear to have skimped on this unit. It has all the core features and same quality build, just without the bluetooth and other high end features that you may never use anyway.