13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
I expected better...
Date of Review: May 4, 2007
The Bottom Line: Spend $60 more and get the Garmin Nuvi 350
I had been researching handheld GPS units for several weeks, playing with them in stores and reading professional and user reviews on the internet. I had narrowed it down to the Magellan 2200T (available at CostCo for $300 + 6% tax) and the Garmin Nuvi350 (available at Buydig.com for $377). I had to drive around the Buffalo, NY area for a day, so I bought the Magellan model to test out.
The first thing I noticed was how heavy the Magellan unit is compared to the Garmin Nuvi that I'd played with at WalMart & Best Buy. The Magellan also is thicker and has bulkier feel to it. The 2200T screen is nice and bright, but I even at the lowest possible brightness setting, it was WAY too bright to safely use at night. That was a deal-breaker right there.
The navigation instructions were accurate enough, and they led me to where I needed to go. However, I didn't like how the upcoming street is overlayed on top of the map background. It was very difficult to read in the clutter of the map. I found the menus to be a bit cumbersome, especially considering Magellan's history in this business. Like other reviewers, I noticed the computer has a bit of lag in switching between menu screens and calculating new routes (from a missed turn, e.g.). For comparison, the Garmin unit which I now own is done recalculating a route well before the voice has even finished saying "recalculating".
I had to find a gas station in Buffalo for the rental car, so I checked for gas stations around my current location. Instead of just telling which ones were closest, it asked me which brand I wanted. This was silly, because I just needed the closest gas. I didn't want to have to check each brand and try to remember afterward which one was closest.
Finally, when I used the Magellan unit around my hometown of Boise, it constantly had me taking routes that were bad choices, i.e., had more stop lights, exited the freeway one exit too early, turned on back streets to accomplish the same thing as staying on the thoroughfare, etc.
Every single thing I disliked about the Magellan unit the Garmin Nuvi does very well. I'm very glad I chose to spend the extra $60 on the Garmin and highly recommend it.
