Faster Time vs Shorter Distance

What did you have selected under Settings> Navigation> Avoidances? You might have had a selection there that caused a route to not take a particular road you expected it would.

From my experience, selecting "Shorter Distance" will take you the shortest distance by road, using your avoidance selections, and will be quite literal about it - if it means getting off an interstate and onto a US or State highway to save a half mile, that's what it will do rather than keep you on an interstate - but if you select "Fastest Route" - it will prefer Interstates and US, then state highways before going to county routes and city streets.

...is not synonymous with shortest traveling time. It's been my experience that it means 'higher speeds available to drive.'

I did a trip today to a neighboring city. Going 'fastest route' the nuvi took me on a route 120 miles and 2 1/3 hours long, using interstate and state highway. Coming back I set my own route by going only on state highways - and distance was about 110 miles, and 1 2/3 hours.

I've found that misnomer of 'fastest route' - to surface on other journeys of mine. In one instance it wanted to take me on a 150 mile detour first going far south of where I needed to go and then far north, just to keep me on interstate highways. I again chose state highways and saved a lot of miles, and the time was a bit shorter too even going thru several congested cities with stop lights galore.

My 2 cents of advice: look at where the route takes you, by getting out a map and see if it makes any sense. If it doesn't, over ride the route, and put in your own routing, such as by offering it intersecting highway routes to steer you a more sensible way.

The gadgets have chips, not brains.

GC

Thank You!

I just made it a habit to check both ways if Im not sure

to get directions to the place you are going. The route is only as good as the map and may not be the best way to go. Still, we just used fastest route this weekend and found a great new way to get from point A to point B. It was a great, untraveled 2 lane paved road that probably shaved 15 minutes off the trip time. We would have never noticed it without the Nuvi.

I have issues where I have tried both and at times it wants to divert me in a horseshoe around the road that I am already on... I have none to switches thrown to avoid the route. What I have found some times is you just have to drive what your gut tells you is right and then wait for.....

RECALCULATING!!

Squatch

My sister lives in a college town...and her Nuvi 350, and my 660 seem to avoid one particular major street because it bisects the campus....when an obvious route would take you down this major street, both our Nuvis will prefer minor city streets around the edge of the campus proper.

Sometimes, the things things are just weird, and yes, you go where you want to go, and be nagged by 'recalculating' until it catches up with what you know to be sanity.

i just got my gps today...and appreciate the info about shortest/fastest