Garmin Nuvi 760 Review
Garmin has established a solid reputation for their automobile GPS navigation units. The Nuvi 700 series is no exception. The Nuvi 760 retains all the positive aspects of previous versions such as simple design and very intuitive interface and adds live traffic via Traffic Message Channel. Also, text-to-speech and hands free calling via Bluetooth. Most importantly, the Nuvi 760 delivers accurate and precise routing. Some navigation units give routes that are not very optimal or logical. Not so with Nuvi 760.
Screen
Garmin Nuvi 760 comes equipped with 4.3 inch touchscreen with anti-glare that changes brightness according to night and day. The anti-glare treatment is particularly important as it would be hard to read the screen in bright environment. I had no problem reading the screen in bright or dark conditions.
Ease of Use
The user interface is very easy and simple to use. You don't have to navigate through maze of sub menus to get the device up and running. The setting up of the device in the vehicle was remarkably simple. The windshield mounting kit had no problem holding the unit in its place. After plugging in the power cord, the Nuvi 760 took less than 20 seconds to acquire satellite. The built-in FM transmitter was especially useful. You can relay the music and GPS voice prompts through your car's stereo system. Nuvi 760's speakers are adequate but it's much better to have the prompts come through your car's stereo system.
Reliability
I had chance to use the unit in Tampa metro area for about 20 miles. The text-to-speech was really nice with very few mistakes in naming the streets. The route calculation was precise and you can have the unit avoid highways or toll roads. The unit had no problem with losing signal. However, I did not drive in area with high rise buildings or in an area with obstruction to the satellites. I missed few turns on purpose and the unit recalculated routes without problem. The traffic updates were nice as one road did have construction. I was able move around that area. Again, you have to be in the area that has traffic broadcast. You can visit Garmin's website to see if you live in area that has TMC traffic updates.
Battery Life
With internal battery with stated running time of 5 hours, you can use it as personal GPS unit or use it in another vehicle. You will most likely get less than 5 hours depending on the usage. I got solid 2.5 hours on heavy usage.
Features
The Nuvi 760 comes pre-loaded with City Navigator NT maps for entire North American including Canada and Puerto Rico. It also comes with over 6 million points of interest that include ATM, attractions, hotels, restaurants, and gas stations. The unit is capable of live traffic update right out of the box. It has integrated FM traffic receiver that uses TMC Clear Channel. The first three months is included with purchase. Make sure you are in the metro area that is capable of receiving traffic alerts as it is limited to select metro areas. Nuvi 760 also integrates Bluetooth support and media playback. If you travel a lot in unknown areas, this unit has "Where am I?" feature. This feature displays nearest address and intersection as well as emergency locations like police station and hospitals. The Bluetooth connectivity is pretty nice feature if you have a phone that supports the Bluetooth function.
Expandability
Garmin continually updates their product with new maps and firmware updates. The updated map and the traffic service will cost you extra.
Pros
- Nice 4.3 inch screen
- "Where Am I" feature
- Good routing and direction
- Easy to use
- Good rerouting
Cons
- Cost
- Map updates cost extra
- Battery life
Want to compare this model to other Nuvi models? Click here to download Excel spreadsheet.
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Gilsson 12V Cigarette Lighter Adapter for Garmin GPS Nuvi 650 660 750 755 760 765 775 885 855 850 Zumo StreetPilot C550 List Price: $24.95 Sale Price: Too low to display Used From: $14.99 Average Rating: |
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This site contains the personal opinions of various authors and contributors to this website. The opinions in these articles and reviews are offered in good faith, but also come with no guarantees or warranties.
Good directions, poor interface, poor features
This is my first GPS device. The 760 has lot of features but leaves a lot to be desired in most of the features except the basic one which is giving directions
1) The directions are reasonable most of the time except once it gave lousy directions when I was in Florida and wanted to go to a place in Tampa from Daytona Beach. Followed directions from Iphone which has google maps and it was accurate and saved lot of time
2) The search for point of interest (POI) is very lousy. Google maps in Iphone has a lot better search. All you need for search is one window where you can enter the place and give you relevant addresses and not just within 4 mile radius all the time. I have stopped using POI in 760. Can’t believe that a 4th generation GPS from Garmin would be so bad in search
3) Speakers are useless and hence there is no point having bluetooth for hands free operation.
4) FM is useless and hence no point putting MP3s
Overall lots of features in 760 but nothing besides the basic direction is useful. Someone please make a good GPS for $250
great product
I purchased this unit before taking a trip with my son to Vegas. It delivered as promised for that trip, but sense then I have used it to find all kinds of stuff, incuding areas in my home town that I didn’t even know was there. The only downside I can think of is how long it takes to download and update the latest maps. Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator
Love my Garmin!
I love this garmin…esp the bluetooth feature when im driving and the fun feature of getting to change the car and upload new maps!…however i wish it told me it came with the suction cup mount and the adapter…but great buy!!
solid electronic device
Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator
Very solid unit and worth the money…
Parent’s peace of mind
Excellent product and price. This Garmin give’s us as parent’s confidence in that our college student can maneuver around a city she is not familiar with, with no problems at all. The widescreen is a great visual, easy to read and understand. One other great feature is the bluetooth, she is able to call home or 911 for that matter just by saying it out loud. The service, the price and the product are just hard to beat. Love the peace of mind it gives us.
garmin GPS
My first Garmin was stolen. I used Amazon to review all of the choices and settled on this particular Garmin for MY needs. Shipment was very prompt and the product has worked nicely since I received it. The price was right and the product is what I was looking for. I do NOT use a Bluetooth so have no idea how it may work so check any GPS out for YOUR needs. I am totally happy.
a whole new world has opened…
What did we ever do before the days of electronic gadgets? cell phones, mp3 players, laptops, pdas/blackberry, etc…. and now GPS.
since getting this GPS, it has saved me so many trips back home to figure out where to go next. if i make a wrong turn or veer off course, it recalculates in seconds. it is accurate down to a few feet of your actual position.
not only will it tell you exactly where you are, but will also tell you how fast you are moving, what your average speed is, what your estimated time of arrival is, point you towards the closest restaurant, bank, gas station or one of hundreds of other points of interest.
i feel like its a whole new world out there with my new toy.
my one and only critique is that it can sometimes feel like it take a little long to turn on and acquire satellites.
otherwise, this is fantastic!!!!
Very pleased with Garmin Nuvi 760
I am writing this review, because reading the reviews of others on Amazon helped me make my decision to choose this model.
I have used other GPS devices, including Magellan (Hertz Never-Lost)
The Garmin Nuvi 760 is extremely easy to use. The entry of addresses, etc. is easier than the GPS which is in Lexus autos. The voice commands are very well done and accurate. The estimated time of arrival is given in the lower left side of the screen. I would have liked the number of miles to my destination. You will not make a mistake buying this product.
Sad customer
Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator
The unit worked great ,and was easy to use except that it failed after the 5th or 6th usage.!!
I have ordered a replacement.
ONLY 8 PAGE BOOKLET WITH GARMIN GPS
THE GARMIN 760 GARMIN CAME WITH AN 8 PAGE BOOKLET WITH INFORMATION ON HOW TO INSTALL AND READ THE GPS NOTHING ELSE. I DONT LIKE THE VOICE ON THE GPS BUT DON’T KNOW IF I CAN CHANGE IT. I HAVE NO WAY TO CONTACT GARMIN. NO PHONE NUMBER– THE WEB ADDRESS GOES TO SALES.
Nuvi 760
Arrived on time
Great GPS. Its my first GPS and its everything it promised. The hands free could use a bit more volume. Easy to use and great battery life, screen looks great. I love the rerouting function, its nice to get a new rout automatically when you miss a turn.
Y purchased her Mexican maps but they need to be up dated, recent developments don’t appear and it keeps telling you to go into streets in the wrong way so be careful.
All in all a great GPS
horrible!!
The item was never sent to me. I sent an email to the seller who never responded.
Good with problems
A long time ago I had a Garmin Nuvi 350. It was perfect. It got stolen. I thought I’d get a TomTom (920T) out of curiosity. It was horrible and really made me miss the Garmin.
I think the software is really what makes Garmins great. Simple and effective. I still haven’t seen a better way of displaying results (for example gas stations). It knows which direction you’re going and shows the gas station by distance and arrow and it updates as you drive. Brilliant!
So I thought that since I liked the 350 so much, I would get the 760. It gotta be better right? Well not really.
I think the software is great again.
The hardware is the problem:
-The speaker is tiny i.e. tinny and not as loud.
-It no longer comes with a case or wall charger (like the 350 did).
-It really needs a faster processor. It can’t talk and keep up with maps at the same time.
-It’s just slow enough that if you miss a turn and starts “recalculating” and by the time it tells you what to do next it’s a tiny bit too late and you miss the next turn so it has to recalculate again and by the time it’s done it’s just slow enough that you miss the next turn and it has to recalculate again, etc…
I don’t know if all newer Garmins are like this and if someone has a suggestion for a better model I’d be glad if they let me know.
I really recommend Garmins and I would get them again. I just think this particular model isn’t the best.
4.5 Stars
I have owned the Nuvi 760 for about 10 months. I also own a Nuvi 350.
It is a great device and has performed well. Occasionally, it takes a bit long to find (“acquire”) satellites, and the find function when you spell the name of the POI you are seeking often takes a long time as well. But it is always accurate – anytime I second-guess it, it is right and I am wrong.
I like being able to patch it into my car stereo system, both for the voice directions and for playing MP3s. However, the FM transmitter function is frustrating – it works well just long enough to entice you and then it is staticy, fuzzy, and unlistenable. In my car I have taken to using a cassette adapter to plug it into the car stereo. A newer stereo with an input jack would be ideal. My wife’s car is newer and has a stereo with no cassette player but not new enough to have an input jack. Trips in those cars are frustrating.
Overall, great but don’t buy it for the FM transmitter.
great navigation aid
Easy to use, accurate, very versatile. Bluetooth isn’t always clear but still works well. Only wish is that when a route is programmed, the current speed could be displayed. After i got my 760, 3 friends also got them.
Beyond all expectations
This is a fun and a learning tool. Other than taking you to a destination without getting lost it also tells you the names of all the streets in your neighborhood. Easy to program,and crystal clear to see the directions if you turn off the voice. I use the bean bag mount instead of the suction cup mount because of advice from others. Good idea to put in on the floor when leaving the car in a parking lot.
GPS–I’m not sure I like them
This is the second Garmin GPS system I’ve had. The first was a NUVI 255 which got fried somehow. I upgraded to a NUVI 760. I used it in Canada and it took me right past the exit I needed to get off at. After going around in circles for 45 minutes I finally found that exit again and the hotel I was looking for was right there. It also kept saying, “recalculating” over and over and over.
When I got home I downloaded the latest maps and now I can’t type a city in without it jumping to 2 unknown cities.
Therefore, I’m not too crazy about these things. They won’t obey!
nuvi 760 GREAT
The Garmin Nuvi 760 is fantastic, no complaints. And the price is unbeatable! You won’t be sorry!!!!!
BUY ONE!!!
I bought this for a trip to Toronto and it saved my life! Easy to use and accurate!
First GPS
The only thing that would have made it better, is if it came with a case to put it in. I had to go buy one before I could really start using it.
Nice GPS
I previously owned a Garmin nüvi 200 which was adequate. However, I wanted something that announced street names and had a larger screen. The announced street names comes in very handy in a strange town where there may be multiple streets in the immediate vicinity of your turn. I haven’t found any downside to the Garmin nüvi 760 yet with the possible exception of optional annual map upgrades at ~$65.00. As with all GPS units they are no substitute for first hand knowledge and are only as good as the information loaded into them hence the annual map upgrades. I have used all the main features bluetooth, mp3 player, photo viewer, and they all worked flawlessly. This GPS is the best money I ever spent.
Good Purchase
I am pleased with my purchase.
However, the “favorites” function usually leads me to a different place other than the one intended. I have just learned not to use that feature.
Garmin
good product, happy with it. The only snag is that new exits on highways, and new developments are still not incorporated in the system. Tends to fall off the dashboard at times. Would recommend this product.
Great device…
I found this Nuvi well-designed and well-constructed. It seems rugged and has held up well so far although I have only had it a short time. Besides doing a great job of telling me where I am and how to get to where I want to go, the other two things I like are its MP3 capability which is compatible with Audible audiobooks, and its Bluetooth link to my phone which makes it into a hands-free phone, especially useful in the car. I listen to a a lot of audio books and this is a great player for those.
Make sure you get it with the manufacturer’s automobile power adaptor and mount as that makes it much easier to use.
Things I wish they would improve are:
1. Faster boot-up time.
2. Always visible power level signal and/or longer battery life.
3. Built-in speaker.
4. Ability to use as MP3 while charging at home.
5. Direct Icon to MP3 player from Map screen.
Good upgrade
We had originally bought a nuvi 255 but wanted the added features of the 760. When it arrived, we were pleased from the start. The 760 bluetooth capabilities worked smoothly and the MP3 player was clear as a bell through my car speakers. It is certainly worth the cost to anyone who travels. It actually warned me that I was approaching a wreck 7 miles ahead and I easily avoided the backup. The routing feature is great too as well as the hands free dialing. No more fumbling for the phone when it rings in the car.