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Garmin Nuvi 200 Widescreen Satellite Navigation System With UK Mapping | 
 enlarge | Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
Buy New: £101.24
Avg. Customer Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 81
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 6.4 x 3.4
MPN: 010-00656-12
Model: 010-00656-12
UPC: 753759072254
EAN: 0753759072254
ASIN: B000TUZVBY
Release Date: September 1, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
Not Perfect But It Gets Close July 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I haven't come across a perfect Sat Nav yet but the Nuvi 200W gets as close as is feasibly possible for a cheap basic machine. 100% better than the Navman S30 I bought earlier and immediately regretted.
The wide screen and generously sized keypad makes entering addresses a piece of cake. The intuitive software also makes this task very easy once you are familiar with it. This only takes a couple of goes so you are flying in no time.
The mapping and route calculation is top notch and it re-calculates in an instant if you go wrong. The screen is clear and bright and a pleasure to use.
I suppose my only niggles - otherwise it would have been five stars - is the lack of a 3 USB cable supplied in the box (how else are you supposed to get updates!! - get a grip Garmin!!) and the fact that the Safety Camera alerts often continue 'bonging' well past the end of the restricted zone.
 Use this sat nav or get lost June 24, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
But sometimes getting lost will be less frustrating. Not for you if you if you are in a hurry as it often takes over 10 minutes to "acquire satellites" and until it does, you're on your own. Occasionally it will send you on a little (mile or two) detour presumably because it thinks a road is closed. Its estimates of your arrival time seems to assume no other traffic and all traffic lights at green. It is certainly easy to use but not well laid out. Your information is on two pages when the important stuff could be on one. And your screen will sometimes be repeatedly replaced with a speed camera warning. When you use the map mode it does not allow for your movement so before long you will disappear off the edge. On the plus side you could probably safely leave it on display in your car and no one would steal it. that's worth one of the stars. The other two are because it does what it is supposed to: it dreams up a route to where you want to go. But TomTom does it better and faster
Quick Reviews! June 15, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
The Garmin Nuvi 200 is a reliable, easy to set up and use, and relatively cheap GPS for your car. The screen is large, and the bright enough to make viewing simple, and the autonomous female voice is very clear, if a little disturbing. She may not be the best companion for a long journey in the dark, but she'll help you if and when you have no idea where you're going. The grpahics on screen are colourful and clear, and an added bonus is that it reminds me of various old Spectrum games- the little car flying about the little roads can be fun for strange passengers like myself.
The Garmin Nuvi is pre-loaded with UK and Irisk maps. I live in Northern Ireland, and as such most driving trips involve travelling from city to small town to country wilderness within an hour. Nuvi copes better than I expected with driving through the countryside, even recognising the names of roads which have long since lost their signs, the names of which only locals recall. it copes equally well with towns, choosing the simplest route, and has come in very handy a few times when there has been a diversion on route, and i've had to put my trust in it to find another way. The only difficulty it has seems to be with the city, although problem is probably too strict a word. As i live in the city, i know the best route for each occasion. Garmin will repeatedly tell me to go a different way, one which I know would be longer and slower. The voice then will become irratating as it tells you to take every forthcoming left turn, when you know you want to drive straight on. She will then re-calculate quickly when she realises you are arguing with her. Obviously this problem can be solved by turning the volume off. When i took it to England, and no notion of where to go, this was much better than a car sized map, and it had no problems. I imagine though in more of the larger and built up city areas, it may struggle choosing the best route. Though when you don't know the route, you can be guaranteed, the Nuvi will get you to where you want to go.
The touch screen interface is simple to use, and there are various menus and options to surf through; You can save your favourite destinations, you can search for the nearest shops, hotels, airports, and petrol stations. As well as this, the Nuvi will tell you when there is a safety camera lurking- very handy. The Nuvi comes with a decent battery life, although i just use the lighter in the car all the time, and a nice carry case would have been good had it been included. All in all, the Nuvi is one of the best Sat Navs on the market, as it does what it is meant to with little hassle. It hasn't given me any problems yet. One final word of note: With i presume all Sat Navs, once you have set your destination, it gives you your estimated arrival time. There is a wonderful temptation to 'beat' your time as if it really is a game, shaving off a minute here or there. We all know we do it, it's tempting, but probaly not the best way to drive...
 Good first choice May 29, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Had this Garmin 200W for a month now and although only used a few times yet so far very pleased with it. I chose the wider screen version which makes directions clearer to see and much easier to programme the easy to use touch screen. Difficult to practice with indoors and I initially set it up in the garden, but it is quick to locate satellites once in car. On first journey I followed directed route to coast, but on way home took our usual short cut and Garmin recalculated new route very quickly after only travelling some 10 yards from junction.
Was pleasantly surprised that as well as warning of fixed speed cameras also warned when in areas used by mobile cameras which is a very good point.
As I did not want to mount to windscreen and the dashboard in both our Vectra and MR2 cars is not flat I subsequently bought a "bean bag" type mount (confusingly titled by Amazon as Nuvi Series, StreetPilot c5XX Series) and this is a highly recommended mount far better than the suction one supplied as standard.
Pity that you have to buy leather case, AC charger and USB cable separately - but that is like most products these days.
Overall an excellent product with so much built-in information, and well pleased with my first choice of SatNav.
Update: Just returned from holiday and used Garmin 200W more frequently to visit castles, gardens and other local attractions from holiday cottage with no problems. Good screen layout shows rivers, parks etc as well as roads which is reassuring. Like the way you can adjust zoom to suit speed of travelling. Estimated time of arrival fairly accurate.
Still rate as 5 star.
Not perfect, but very good May 28, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is my first Satnav, which I've now used for a few days. Overall, it is easy to use, packed with useful features, accurate, and excellent value.
I particularly like;
-The clear large screen which has less gawdey colours than many rivals. -The beeping speed zone alerts.
-The clear voiced turn directions.
-The quick and accurate address search facility.
-The accuracy of the map when driving.
-The notification of pedestrians on the road on roads without pavements. -The MPH and direction travelling indication (when just driving and not following calculated route.)
-The way you can scroll across the screen (when stationery and not necessarily in the vehicle) with your finger to study an area in your chosen magnification. If you are bored and like maps, this is a great way to pass the time, and just learn about different areas of the country.
I dislike:
-The occasional overextended inaccuracy of the speed zones, when it nags me by beeping to slow down, when I've reached the national speed limit (60mph) zone.
-The way it is not psychic, and always nags me to go back on the route it wants rather than guessing my (better informed) alternative. This reminds me of a nagging wife.
-It gets confused when not on a main road, such as in a carpark. It then relocates you to the nearest bit of road in error.
After a week, I find the following;
-I'm slowing down, driving at the speed limit more and unlikely to accrue further penalty points. It is worth the cost for this alone, and is making me a more responsible driver.
-I'm getting tailgaters behind me who don't know or care about the limit and are a real pain, and will no doubt get hit by points on their license in due course, just like I used to before I got my Garmin!.
-Getting to know and discover the local area a lot better, by learning road names from the map and spotting shortcut roads which I didn't know existed.
-I'm enjoying driving more.
Conclusion; Excellent device to have, remarkable value, not perfect but close. Can't imagine life without one and will never buy another paper map.
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