Reviews for Garmin nüvi 255W GPSVehicle, 4.3” LCD - MPN: 0100071820 
By member:
emme1956_3233424748
- Sep 6, 2008
GPS 225W VehicleStrengths: All the places I was looking for were on there where I could find easily. I also like the qwerty keyboard Weakness: I do not particularly like the voice of the GPS I really like the GPS except for the voice of the text to message. I like that it has my speed and the speed limit on the first screen. I recently took a trip through Tennessee and was able to find everything I was looking for. 93% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
bgjlane
- Oct 12, 2008
Garmin 255WStrengths: Easy to use. Very accurate. Weakness: None yet. I wanted a GPS that was simple to use, and I didn't need advanced features. I'd read mixed reviews of this model and was uncertain about my purchase. Fortunately, this model is just what I wanted. We've just returned from a trip to Edisto Beach, SC, and we used "Hattie" to navigate the entire trip. We had no problems, but users should be aware that she never suggests turning around when a turn is missed; she recalculates and this new path is sometimes out of the way. We learned that quickly and compensated. We're very happy with the Garmin 255W. It's simple and accurate. No additional accessories were needed, and having this GPS made traveling so much easier. We were skeptical at first, but now we're set for our next trip. 92% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By anonymous - Nov 24, 2008
I will recommendStrengths: Quick hook onto satellites, Clear voice, Speak street names Weakness: No Bluetooth connection I used this product on my trip to detroit from Chicago. Worked perfectly fine. Used the highway locator for eating joints too was excellent.Didn't have traffic update subscription. But used my mind and on way back myself avoided the state highway and took interstate by going via a different route. In downtown it takes time for it to recalculate and since streets are quite nearby I frequently miss them and pass them by the time it speaks up. But will definitely recommend this product to everyone. 79% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
WmJaSaylor
- Jan 24, 2009
Garmin Nuvi 255WStrengths: Easy to use Weakness: Navigation, Speed Limits, Map Accuracy I live in rural Texas and 90% of the posted speed limits disagree with the 255W. Usually the 255W is 5 to 15 mph high! Many streets that have been renamed for over two years still have the old name. On a trip from Dallas to Houston on I-45 about half way the 255W routed me off freeway then right back on. On a trip from Dallas to my home in Gun Barrel City in Kemp Texas the 255W routes me the correct way but tells me to take the wrong road. My house is located on Pakuna Drive the 255W has the right address when you touch the car icon but the map has the old street name Mohican Drive. I would not recommend this unit! 79% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By anonymous - Jul 24, 2008
Garmin Nuvi 255W GPSStrengths: design, lightness and widescreen Weakness: it should come with a 12-volt cigarette lighter adapter... It should come with a 12-volt cigarette lighter adapter and maps other than just North America and Europe. 79% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
jobjohnny
- Jul 30, 2008
A little wonderStrengths: Fast processor, great screen, easy to use and TOPO! Weakness: No MP3 Player or FM Transmitter I just received this GPS and it is excellent! I'm glad I waited for the newer model since this one has many upgrades including a redesigned GUI, faster processor and most importantly (to me), Topo maps. The accuracy is great and it locks onto satellites fairly quickly. All in all I really dont have any complaints since I wouldn't use it for an MP3 player or use the FM transmitter. I feel the internal speaker is just fine. 75% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
Wheelz51
- Sep 4, 2009
DisappointedStrengths: Grabs satellite fast Many POIs Easy mount Easy setup Weakness: Inaccurate Voice stinks On/Off/Volume in awkward position I purchased the Garmin because of a great deal from Tiger Direct. It's easy to use & setup right out of the box. Turned the unit on and found that I lived one street over. =( Not a good sign. So, I drove around a bit thinking it just needed to acclimate to the area. Didn't help. Updated maps from Garmin & still inaccurate. Took a 3-hour up the interstate to meet a friend. 255W was more than a mile off of our meeting place. The unit was great on the freeway except for the very annoying voice. I thought Garmin was supposed to be the best in the GPS business. My previous brand X GPS was more accurate than this. Best thing about the 255W is that it snags a satellite super fast. We're headed out on a 700 mile vacation. If it continues as is, I'll try Tom-Tom or Magellan. Disappointed! =( 67% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By anonymous - Apr 20, 2009
Horrible sound qualityStrengths: Maps, ease of use Weakness: Sound quality, features for the money First off, the sound is horrible on this model. At volumes of 60% or above, there is so much distortion that the voices sound like they are coming from a blown speaker. Its tolerable but HIGHLY annoying. If you research this product you'll find many others that have a big complaint with the sound. It seems to be caused by Garmin decreasing the file sizes and quality of the voice files. On previous models like the 350 and 360 the voice files were 100+mb. The files on these are like 14mb and you can tell the tonal range just isnt there. The sound is tolerable, but when you are hearing spoken directions a lot, it gets really annoying. 50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
Jsmithhunter
- Aug 18, 2008
Inaccurate mapStrengths: Light weight Weakness: Unreliable map, poor voice quality, poor readability Other reviewers must not have used this navigator long enough to experience its sub-par performance. The worst feature is its poor unreliable map. It does not know about one-way streets, and dead ends. In traffic in a city it is outright dangerous to rely on it. It also has very poor GPS resolution, worse than hundreds of feet. I know it sounds incredible, but this is the fact. I did not believe a friend who told me that and now I regret it. Do not go for the looks, go for what it does or does not do. Map quality is where the rubber meets the road. And this GPS just got a flat. Do not buy it, you will regret spending this much money. 49% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
reviewgist.com - Jan 23, 2010
ReviewGist for Garmin nuvi 255W GPS Vehicle 4 3 LCD
Navigation is Good according to 14 GPS Device experts. -- "excellent navigation and ease of use"-reviews.cnet.com -- "it a good performance score"-reviews.cnet.com -- "solid navigation"-gpslodge.com Read more to find expert opinions on more features like Display, Maps, Usability, etc. Top
productwiki.com - Jul 29, 2009
Garmin Nuvi 255W
The Garmin Nuvi 255W is the 4.3" widescreen version of the Garmin Nuvi 255 released in March, 2008 with retail price of $299.99. The 255W is the successor to the Garmin Nuvi 250W released in 2005. The 255W features several minor software updates over the predecessor including a QWERTY keyboard interface, detour routing, text-to-speech reading of street name, and updated 2009 North American maps.... Top
TopTenREVIEWS.com - Mar 30, 2009
Garmin Nuvi 255W
Garmin Nuvi 255W receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 1.88 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #44 navigation GPS of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer features, market value, and a product's... Top
bestcovery.com - Mar 9, 2009
Best In-Car Portable GPS under $200
Bestcovery experts have rated the Garmin nuvi 255W GPS as the #1 Best In-Car Portable GPS under $200. This product has also been ranked as the Best GPS. Bestcovery's experts recommend the best products and services for a particular need based on extensive research and evaluations. Click below to see Bestcovery's full review of this product. Top
testseek.com - Dec 18, 2008
Garmin Nuvi 255W
Testseek.com has collected 6 expert reviews for Garmin Nuvi 255W and the average expert rating is 82 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions. Top 
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Huge upgrade to my previous StreetPilot c320 and...
Strengths: Dirt cheap, faster refreshing time, larger screen, newer POIs, more convenient features, fast locking.
Weakness: Slow response to touch, no physical volume control, TTS sound is more compressed than previous generation GPS. Bad speaker.
Great buy in my opinion, it out-performs in most areas than my old StreetPilot c320 and c580, both cost three times the price of this gps when I bought them while they just came out.
This GPS have a much faster refreshing time than the previous generations, even faster than the 350 and 700 series, thus more accurate lock, especially at intersections where you have to make a decision whether to turn or not. The maps are the newest 2010 edition of City Navigator, a lot of the POIs that my old Garmin lack has all been added.. The widescreen is nice, but does not necessary add much usable areas. It locks well in the busy Chicago downtown areas as well.
Couple thing that needs improvement, the computing power seems can't catch up with the features offered, often when you press an icon or a letter, it takes at least 1-2 seconds for the menu to respond, or for the letter to show up on the screen, thus resulting a lot of typos and frustration while using the device. But it's manageable as long as you get used to not typing the letters so fast. The speaker also is of very poor quality, it vibrates on the windshield when volume is turn to about 80% and above. Also the TTS sound is so much more compressed than previous generation that it sound real fake and robotic,but at least it pronounces street names...
It does not have any unnecessary junk features such as bluetooth or mp3 players and FM transmitter, but it does excellent job at navigating around the town or cross country. Overall I would still recommend this to anyone who need a navigation device for their car.
97% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?