Gps Top Contenders For Automobile Use?

[+LaneO]

GPS Top Contenders for Automobile Use?

 

The choices in GPS units for automobile use seem staggering to me. I could really use some guidance to the top models to consider. I probably have left out some key areas but my intended use and preferences are as follows;

• Use primarily for road map routing / driving within home region. Occasional out of state trips.
  
• Easy input of street addresses & trip waypoints. Multiple address routing a plus.
  
• Should have excellent voice routing instructions with wrong turn correction.
  
• Gobs of memory to eliminate / reduce changing of regional maps.
  
• Easy firmware and map upgrades.
  
• Mobile enough to swap from car to car. The lighter the better.
  
• Large color screen easily read day or night.
  
• Reliable, top quality hardware desired.
  
• Cost... whatever. I want to get a unit I will be pleased with the first go around.
  

Thanks for your opinion.

Edited September 14, 2005 by lstout

[+IVxIV]

Lowrance iWay 100m

 

It's the ONLY rugged handheld autorouting GPSr on the market that has voice prompting capability. Dual processors makes for FAST auto-rerouting if you miss your turn, and MMC/SD card capability makes for tons of storage space.

[BilgeRat]

You might look at this one, too. http://www.garmin.com/products/sp330/ I like my 60c, but if I was going to buy a hassle free unit for my wife, I think I'd get this one.

Tom

[lumpynose]

Lowrance iWay 100m

 

It's the ONLY rugged handheld autorouting GPSr on the market that has voice prompting capability. Dual processors makes for FAST auto-rerouting if you miss your turn, and MMC/SD card capability makes for tons of storage space.

I wish Lowrance had color displays. They otherwise look outstanding.

[+jncojayx9]

Try a Magellan Roadmate. I had one of these for a short time, works really well, turn by turn directions with voice and sound notifications. Mobile enough to move from car to car, easy to input addresses with the touch screen. Pretty durable too didnt feel too heavy or too light.

[bigmutt]

the StreetPilot2720 has all the requirements you listed, and some nice features not found in the RoadMate 700: like the 3-D view is much nicer than the "trueview" found on the 700, 6 million POI(instead of 2 million), a WQVGA automatically-adjusting screen for prevailing light conditions, and best of all, a real-time traffic update (and re-routing) feature that's really slick if you drive in congested city traffic alot. similar to the 700, it has its entire database (about 1.6 gb) built-in and touch-screen entry for everything, very easy.

 

what more could you want?

[+Renegade Knight]

All three, Magellan, Garmin, Lowrance make great auto based GPSs.

 

Based on what you want limit your search to the ones with the following features.

 

Hard drive based. They hold maps for the entire USA.

Touch Screen. Address lookup etc. is a bit easier with the bigger interface.

 

That will narrow down the field.

Then pick the one that fits your car swappig criteria the best.

Edited September 14, 2005 by Renegade Knight

[+GOT GPS?]

The one with the best display, still is the Map276C GPS, with 480x320 pixels for high resolution viewing while driving.

I wish the 276C had used the SD memory card, instead of the expensive Garmin memory cards, that only go to 256 megabytes.

[vinniet]

Not sure if this qualifies with what you want.... I would recomend the TomTom product. They have several units and the software is excelent. I have a Palm Zire 72 with the GPS package which came with software, palm mount, charger, and Palm Zire 72.

 

The TomTom software is excelent and they have released a major update with maps they gave away for free.

 

Either unit, the Palm or TomTom Go, is a good choice.

[+apersson850]

Garmin iQue.

[+tflight]

Depending on if you want some really advanced fancy features you might also want to hold out for the anticipated Garmin StreetPilot 7200.

[+Sputnik 57]

Since no one has given you the same answer twice, and since it hasn't yet been mentioned, I'll recommend the Quest, or for more memory, the Quest2.

[+Jeeters]

Large color screen easily read day or night.

Magellan's upcoming Explorist XL is supposed to have a 3.5" color screen - largest (i believe) for any consumer handheld. Supposed to out in "September", whatever that means.

 

http://www.magellangps.com/en/news/release...ease.asp?id=394

 

http://www.magellangps.com/en/products/pro...asp?PRODID=1113

[+briansnat]

The Garmin Quest 2 fills every one of your criteria. Hey, ya can even take it out and find a cache or two with it.

[+LaneO]

Thanks everyone for the input. Looks like I have several specs now to read over. Choosing just one may be even harder than I first thought.

 

About the new Street Pilot 7200, specs indicate it will have a built in XM receiver. Does XM and GPS utilize the same or close frequency bands? The reason I ask is because my autos have OEM XM and it would be cool if an antenna splitter could be utilized to share the exiting permanently mounted XM antenna with a GPSr that accepts an external antenna input. My autos are listed as those that have signal restrictive glass windshields. Am I in luck? Any thoughts???

[peter]

Does XM and GPS utilize the same or close frequency bands?

No, they're both microwave, but the GPS civilian frequency is around 1.5 GHz and XM is up above 2.3 GHz.