Find streets you didn't know existed!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Clear image with zoom in and out features - easy to use

Cons: Display does not indicate direction or total miles to destination

The Bottom Line: 

The only reason I don't give it five stars is that I would like to see direction and total distance to destination on the navigation screen. 

Author's Review
This item was a Christmas gift to ourselves, but we now wish we had waited until after Christmas since the prices have plummeted.

Our town is not laid out in a grid since we are in the foothills of a mountain range, but has many winding and curving streets.  Even though we have lived here many years, we still often need to stop and think about the best way to get from point A to point B.  We decided to try a GPS to help us find the most direct route.

After researching various products, we settled on the Garmin nuvi 255 since it seemed to have the basic features we wanted without a lot of extra "bells and whistles".  When we took it out of the box, the battery was totally down, so it had to be charged before we could even turn it on.  Once the battery came to life, the GPS was very easy to set up and use.  I feel that my 5 year old grandson could probably have figured it out in seconds.

There are very clear icons to direct usage and find information.  Put in your home address and no matter where you are, you can just press the "home" icon and you will immediately have directions to your house.  The image is in 3D and the spoken directions give you ample warning about upcoming turns and which side of the road you need to watch for your destination.

Many restaurants, churches, gas stations, points of interest and more are already loaded into the Garmin, so if you are looking for a particular restaurant just press the icon and a list of restaurants in your vicinity will pop up.  You will even have options of food type when you look for a restaurant.

We have had fun with this product and have discovered streets we have never before used and routes that are better and faster than the ones we have taken for many years. 

My only disappointment with the Garmin nuvi 255 is that the display screen does not show the total miles to your destination (only shows the miles to your next turn), nor does it indicate what direction you are traveling.  This information is included on other screens, but does not show on the navigation screen as you are traveling.  It does, however, estimate your arrival time and this changes if traffic slows you down or you are stopped often by traffic lights.