Best New Features

is a "must have" feature for me and would justify an upgrade from a nuvi 255.

If you are happy with your 255, kept it. Compare it with other units on the Garmin site.

from a 350, 360, 370, 255w and a 765t. Lane assist is the best! Like cellphones, you don't know the value of it until you start using one. All are great, and the 255wt is very good. If you don't need to spend the $$$ don't do it...just a thought.

Love 'em all

I agree with JMKTIRD. Lane assist on my 765t is the best! Me being unfamiliar with Minneapolis, the lane assist going from Maple Grove to Cottage Grove would have been a bear if I didnt know which lane to be in for the exits!

It is more a gadget than anything else, but I like 3D building view. It is so nice to see. Not that much useful though.

Flip, I have a 255LM and have been looking for an update as well. What I have discovered is: There are issues with Route Planning on the 23xx and the 37xx series, bluetooth works well, just be sure the unit has the necessary chip; voice activation/speech recognition has issues with background noise and lack of zoom; and lane assist/junction view are great if you live in a covered area.

Owners of units other than the 255 series have been able to flash their units with different firmware to add features such as lane assist. However, up to this point I have not been able to find an alternate firmware for the 255.

The cost of any one feature is not worth it to me. I would just want more later.

I will probably upgrade to the 2360 after a new firmware update after reading that Garmin has indicated that it will improve the multi-stop route planning issues in the first quarter of 2011. The combination of bluetooth, route planning, and lane assist with junction view will make it easier for me to part with $$$.

Flip - do you currently own a smartphone or plan to purchase one in the near future? If so, I'd recommend looking at the gps apps currently available for smartphones.

Do you own stock in cell companies?

Lane assist no question. Junction view is nice but its limited to certain areas. Lane assist really covers it just as well with more areas showing it. Also like the traffic service.

I'm in a similar situation. I have a Nuvi 370 that has been (mostly) working fine, but have been looking into upgrading. I'm driving execs around the NYC area and need any advantage I can find. My boss has a Garmin (not sure of model) with lane assist - I used it once and like it! The 2 features not on my 370 that I am really intersted in are lane assist and routing.

Anyony have the 37** series? Curious how you like the traffic trends.

Mark

My 765T will be the last dedicated PND I will own. When Garmin catches up to it's competitors in the smartphone GPS dept. including a docking station that frees you from cell service, I will probally retire my 765.

I've been using my Nuvi 255WT for two years now. Still works great. It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the more expensive and newer models (I don't need or want them)but one feature that would make it "perfect" for me would be the Lane Assist feature.

I don't need bluetooth, I have a nice stereo so I don't need to play mp3's through a gps, I don't need (or want the extra ads) the traffic assist which costs more and from what I've read, isn't all that great or available in all areas.

For the price and "useability" the 255WT fits the bill nicely.

Garmin Makes a unit called Nulink 1695 about $379.00 at Amazon it has been out about 5 months it's traffic is done over an internet connection (Google)which gives you quicker traffic information.There is a subscription but it gives you weather,when flights will be in and you can check gas prices.TomTom has a similar unit coming out in the spring it is the go 2505m will sell for about $349.00 not on the TomTom web site yet,this comes with a three month subscription.

I just purchased a new Droid 2 Global smartphone which I find to be more than adequate for navigation.

I actually prefer it to my dedicated GPS.

I would want, at a minimum, all of the features that are in my 2610 and 2720 plus many of the features of Garmin's current lineup. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen.

has really spoiled me. I really love that feature on my 1390 Nuvi. It also has Junction View, which is the primary reason I choose this model. But, like other's have state it isn't available except in certain areas. A trip from Nebraska to Colorado it did not appear even once.

Like to see wifi being standard on newer gps's.

Garmin will release new Nuvi with WiFi built-in soon, and also Google search.

Without a doubt. Also like the speed limits and will like them more when more are added.

The 3760 is a great upgrade over my old 350. There are a few things I don't like in 3760, but overall there is a lot more I do like.

I do like trafficTrends. My old 350 would constantly tell me to get route 9 (a crowded highway with lights) here in Boston, in order to save a minute or two in time, instead of taking a limited-access highway which is almost always faster during rush hour. It no longer does this during the day. But if I'm driving at home at 2am, it will suggest it.

Sometimes there's just no good alternate route to the traffic here in Boston. I leave the traffic receiver on for information, but I don't have traffic avoidances set.

Overall the routing and time estimates are a *lot* better, since it takes traffic and speed limits into account. The amount of times it instructs me to take a really weird exit off a highway, just to get right back on one exit later, is vastly reduced.

I have a 750 and 755T. Both have lane assist and storable routes. For me, these 2 feature are a must have.

If you are driving a large vehicle;;;
Lane assist and junction view is a must have feature!

and I would hate to give up mp3 player (which it handled larger playlists though)

Lane assist and a bigger clearer display on the 1490 convinced me. Even works in Canada.

Do you mean Lane Assist, or Junction View (the pretty pictures)?

Lane assist is definately a nice feature when in a new area.

If it is not broken keep it until it breaks or you cannot live with it any longer.

Good luck to all.

Do you mean Lane Assist, or Junction View (the pretty pictures)?

Both

Yes, both are darn handy.

if you don't go that far the smart phone GPS is excellent but is the battery killer. Android phones are the same price as Mid grade GPS, but you have full internet and a phone, (if you live in a mid-to-big city)and if not well you still have a phone.

This whole statement is filled with qualifiers. I have no such problems with my rig. No 'if's', it just works.

And I have no such problems with my smartphone. No 'if's', it just works.

Whatever floats yer boat...

I, too, like Lane Assist. Since I'm a "Music Freak", I still like an MP3 Player.

I for one have had experience using my Garmin and my smartphone GPS app. The smartphone does provide a powerful convenience, but as an earlier poster said -- kills the battery pretty bad and the phone gets hot -- so its not what I'd get for a long trip.

Probably the one thing I wish I could do is stream my Pandora to my Garmin 765T and redirect that into the FM radio.

1000 is not enough for me, for what I use them for.
POI's won't work for me, since you can't individually delete them on the fly.

If they came out with a car unit that had 2000 or more waypoints, I'd be at the store.

Sounds like lane assist is high on the list of cool new things followed closely by a smart phone as a second or back up unit. I have used Garmin mobile xt for years and agree it is a great portable second unit. Just remember to keep it plugged in!

Thanks... all in all it sure sounds like I'm not missing a whole lot with my 255wt which I do really like!

I am due for a new smart phone and might investigate my GPS options with a new phone.

Flip

Lane assist, lifetime maps, lifetime traffic, multipoint routing, and bluetooth were features I was looking for. This lead me to the 1490LMT to replace my 750

As for a smartphone, what happens if you lose your cell signal? Does the GPS on a smartphone stop working? I occasionally travel to mountainous areas for work where the signal is weak or non existent. This might be a downside to relying on a smartphone depending on your location.

Like others, I really like the lane assist feature. Junction view is also quite nice but it's not used often. I do get to Atlanta quite a bit though and, especially around the Atlanta airport, Junction view is very handy.

I read a review of the 2360 last night which complained that junction view, when it does appear, takes over the whole screen and covers the block with the white arrows of the lane assist feature and the distance to the next turn.

This review said the problem was solved by using a unit with dual orientation in the portrait orientation, where the junction view appears on the top half of the screen and the map (with lane assist and distance to next turn) in the bottom half.

For those who already have lane assist with junction view:
(1) Is this true?
(2) When does junction view appear and how long does it remain on screen?
(3) How long after it goes off does the map,lane assist, and distance to next turn re-appear?
(4) Do you find this to be an annoyance? a safety issue?

1. Yes

2. Junction View (JV) appears when approaching a supported (in the database) highway/freeway junction. It stays on-screen for 13 seconds (not user-configurable)

3. Immediately after the JV's 13 second screen time

4. Yes, in a way as it blocks the next turn indicator for the full 13 seconds unless you intervene with a screen-press cancellation . If JVs are spaced closely together as is the case here in SoCal/Los Angeles, the 13 seconds of one JV may overlap the 13 seconds of the next JV and obscure the next turn indicator for the entire time. The only way around this is to divert your attention to the GPS to cancel (with a screen press) the JV.

There is a way to totally disable the JV feature by simply renaming the JV file on the unit with a different file extension so the unit thinks there is no JV file...D3060010A.JCV can easily be renamed to D3060010A.JCV.disabled to disable it. I'm sure it's not supported by Garmin but it does work to get rid of the JV.

Of course it is first and formost a GPS. But after that my favorite feature is bluetooth for the telephone.

Of course it is first and formost a GPS. But after that my favorite feature is bluetooth for the telephone.

@DorkusNimrod - Quick and great answers to my questions! Thank you very much!

My new (for Christmas) NUVI 295W does NOT have lane assist (so I guess I don't know what I'm missing). I find the "keep left" or "Keep right" directions are pretty good.

Anyone want to convince me about the merits of lane assist?

I find the lane assist and voice commands to be worth an upgrade if you don't have them.

Imagine you are south of Atlanta on I-85 heading north. Which lane(s) do you need to be in to go north on I-285?

Imagine yourself a few miles further north on I-285 when you approach where it intersects with I-20. Which lane(s) will allow you to continue north on I-285? Suppose you wanted to transition to I-20? Do multiple lanes exit onto I-20 West or I-20 East or only one lane for each?

Go further north on I-285. You need to turn off I-285 on to I-75 North toward Chattanooga. Which lane(s) do you need to be in to make the transition? (Hint: It is not the left or right lanes!)

You could also follow I-85 through Atlanta. Look at all the ramps that enter and exit. Lanes are added and lanes are taken away. You will need to be toward the right to make some exits and toward the left to make others. Exits are sometimes close together. You don't want to move over too quickly or you might find yourself in an "exit only" lane before your destination.

Lane assist would be very helpful in these circumstances, especially if you do not regularly drive in a large metropolitan area or along a particular route in a large city.

Edit: Of course, if you don't drive in large metro areas, lane assist might not be worth much to you.

Dedicated GPS should have all those extra goodies I believe, that's what should make dedicated units different from smart phone GPS'.

have to agree with selfruler, in large cities where you are unfamiliar how lanes end and which you need to be in makes Lane Assist not only useful but can help you be a safer driver by giving plenty of notice of where you need to be. Just knowing you need to "turn left or right" doesn't tell you all you need to know. This can help make sure you don't need to suddenly move over. Also have seen roads other than interstates have lanes that suddenly end before you need to "turn right" and you have to make a quick lane change.

I was able to update my 255W that I bought in canada with a S3 board to an alternative firmware(SG.MY v2.30) . It took me a while to find all the necessary files though. After the firmware update, Lane Assist was available in North America Maps, but Junction View was only available in Asia Maps.

Upgrading to alternative firmware can be risky as you can brick your gps if something went wrong, or when you dont follow the instructions. Many users tried to upgrade, but have their gps's bricked.