Garmin nüvi 200W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

I bought this GPS for a road trip from South Carolina to Utah. It was so easy to use. I followed all of "Garmin's" instructions and didn't miss a turn. So easy to use. I love this product.

Overall Four Stars - I purchased this unit because I was going on a trip up north and do not like to drive in unfamiliar locations. This kind of activity is kept to a minimum, which is why I bought this lower priced GPS unit.

During my trips so far, this unit has been very helpful and I have gotten everywhere I had hoped for without any trouble.

This unit has a large screen ("W" for wide) and is very intuitive and easy to use.

You are able to see the following while on a trip:
Overall route plan with voice prompts with zoom functions - Direction, Street Name and Distance only. Does not voice street names (Main Map Screen)
Time - To destination (Main Map Screen)
How many miles to your destination (Sub-screen)
Speeds (Current and Average) (Sub-screen)
Time - Moving, Stopped (Sub-screen)
Turn by turn directions with mini maps (Sub-Screen)


You are able to search a variety of categories for Points of Interest (Spell Location, Fuel, Food, Transit, Lodging, Shopping, Bank/ATM, Parking) and after a tap or two, have the route ready to go.

You are even able to create Favorites to be able to quickly obtain a destination in the future.

If you do not know the address or if the location is not in the unit's database, you can easily drag/zoom the map to manually find the location and make it your destination.

The unit can recalculate your route quickly if you miss a turn or if there is a "Detour" (Button available on main map screen).

However, there are some issues that I find to be annoying at times, but acceptable due to the low price of the item (More $ = more options/features).

As some people have stated on here, sometimes it can take a minute or two to acquire a satellite signal, but it does not happen that frequently.

I assume that it may have difficulty due to being in motion at those times. I know that sounds wierd, but would it not be easier to plan your route or find you if you were stationary? Give it the short amount of time that it needs, as you should not already be driving somewhere if you don't know how to get there.

The initial start-up load time is about 30 seconds. Again, not a huge amount of time, and more costly units should be faster.

The unit plans some awkward routes sometimes. You can select in your preferences a "Faster Route" or "Shorter Distance," but for me, most of the time they seem to be about the same.

In one instance, I have personally chosen the route that is faster, but slightly longer, and the unit would rather I drive down main street of a nearby typical small city with more traffic lights and lower overall speeds (Either of the above settings).

Again, other more expensive units direct you based on speed limits and traffic patterns, but this is the less expensive option that I am happy with based on how I use it (Around town).

If I were to travel somewhere I was unfamiliar with, then I would be happy with any directions the unit gave me to get where I was going. That is the point of a GPS! If I traveled often to unknown areas, then I would spend more money on a unit with all of the bells and whistles.

Lastly, some have mentioned that the map updates cost about $69 (Once a year). I was not aware of this when I bought it. Paying for updates would not be so bad if they were around $10-15. With the cost of technology coming down all of the time, it might not make sense to pay that much for an update, as not much should change in that amount of time.

Most of these issues that I speak of are solved in units that cost much more, but not at a price point I was comfortable with.

Remember, always pay attention to what you are doing when driving and do not give your GPS blind trust. You do not want to be that person who drives into the lake because your GPS told you to!

Four Stars!

Great time saver and safer than my previous methods of navigation,allowing me to actually watch the road rather than look at map books while driving.Love it!Easy to use and very accurate.

This is our second Garmin. We love them both! The wide screen on this model is an asset and the product comes with great support. Well worth the money.

I have already bought like 4 of these and I have to say that they have all worked perfectly well. As I would be using it primarily in Latin America I had been told that the Garmin 200w was the one that worked best. I don't know whether it is, in fact, the best one or not, but I cannot imagine any possible improvements.