Customer Ratings & Reviews

I like the size and ease of use of my new Garmin 255W. My previous GPS (a Magellan) was about 12 years old, and is a giant thing. It worked amazingly well, but would never fit in my pocket! I think the tools and screens and features are well designed. I did go to the Garmin site to download the latest map set, and it was over 2 gigs of information. It wasn't apparent that it even downloaded, it wouldn't open, and when I finally got it working, it takes a looooooong time to update. But, overall, not a horrible experience, just not a fun hour to spend watching things spin.

I bought this GPS during black Friday and still think it was a good buy. It helped me learn the backroads durig traffic hours and saved me time getting home several times. I found out the traffic option wasn't always accurate. It would tell me there is traffic ahead only to find that the roads were clear. I would say it is correct about 50% of the time, so I just ignore that function now. The suction cup lost suction after a few days and it dropped to my center console...now the voice navigation sometimes skips and cuts out, so I recommend reseating every couple days.

I got this GPS as a Christmas gift. It functions well! It's very easy to use, the POI database is very handy for my area and the unit performs admirably. The display is very bright and clear, the voice prompts are clear and useful and the device is overall a high quality unit. I have used it every day since I received it for locations close and far. The traffic feature seems to work as well. My only gripes are how long it takes to initially acquire satellite data and that it does not have a USB cable included. I've spent almost 10 minutes on a few events waiting for the initial satellite acquisition to complete. Also, the lack of the USB cable is petty and should be included to allow the user to at least update the unit. Overall, these are small gripes for an otherwise decent unit.

My reservations goes to the last Garmin i used always got disconnected in the middle of a programm journey, leaving you in the middle of no where.

I am biased in my review of the 255WT, since I owned a Garmin Street Pilot for years that I loved, and it is no longer in production. Therefore, I must adapt to the newer models with some undesirable traits, in comparision. Pros: choice between abc or qwerty keyboard, easy to use. Cons: no emergency vehicle setting, missing some locations that were found on the Street Pilot even after updating the map, no external volume control. Overall, it's a good deal and it will get the job done for the most part. I also own a Tom Tom which pales in comparison to any Garmin.

Garmin makes a great GPS. I have one, and purchased this one for my parents. The value for the price I paid at Best Buy is excellent! The unit is very user-friendly once you get it set in your home state! It makes a great gift.

This is a great GPS, my husband loves it. The one thing that was difficult and we are still working through is all the features, all the instructions are on the GPS itself, it would be nice to have a paper instruction manual.

Picked this up for under $100. Easy to use. Great features for my sister she loves it. Had the older model for wife and she picked it up and figured it out right away.

My husband and I both received a Garmin 255WT for Christmas and absolutely love them. They are extremely easy to use and come with a ton of options. I only wish that I had more places I needed to go so I could use mine more.

i bought this as a gift for my wife and she (as well as i) love it. it is light weight and you dont have to press hard on the touch screen. it has the latest maps and you get a 60 day free map update. it shows what the speed limit is on the road or highway you are on and it show the speed that you are traveling at. you can also download different car symbols and you can change the voices. it even estimates how much gas you waste traveling to your destinations. you can even put a picture of your destination on it and when you get there it comes out on the screen.the only minor drawback is that if you put the volume past 70 (at least on the one i got) the voice gets distorted ....(the speaker vibrates ) This product is fun... if you get one, i dont believe you'll be disappointed

This is my first every GPS. I am having fun playing around with this GPS. I love that I can create my on maps and add stuff that is important to me (family members houses, church buildings, and things that r not already on the map system). The system allows u to save ur coordinates, this is useful for places that r not already on the map (summer camp locations), and for places u visit that r not properly located on the map. The maps for our area of Northwest AL r off in several ways. The corrections you make in your area can be sent in for review for future updates on future map releases. The directions must be looked at rather then just heard. It often times says "north" when it is "south" and vice versa. It also calls roads by old road names from days gone by.

I used it on a long trip right after buying it and it almost never failed me. I never had trouble getting a signal and I was satisfied with the voice and the screen is very clear. There were a couple of mistakes but not big ones. Once when making a run to Mcdonalds while on vacation it said that McDonalds was ahead on the right but it was on the left. No big deal, it's kind of hard to miss the golden arches. At least it got me to the location. Another time while traveling between Charlotte and Myrtle Beach it list the wrong speed limit on a section of road. It said it was 45 but the posted speed limit was 60. I wasn't relying on it for speed limits any. I bought it at best buy for $179 but now I see they are selling it for $219. Glad I got it when I did.

Had a hand held Garmin GPS for years and it always helped me find my spots of interest and feel this will be something the girl friend will enjoy for years to come. Already talking about taking it on our Harley trips.

I recieved my Garmin as a Christmas present this year(my parents are the best parents ever). Garmy is my co-piolit now where ever I go. The only thing that Garmy has done that annoyed me was that one of the ways it took me got me stuck at a Railroad Crossing not once but twice. How awesome would it be if the GPS's could account for trains? overall I am very happy with my garmin. It is so nice that it says street names and shows you the street name you are going to be turning on to. There is also an Eco Route function and you can see how much your trip is costing you in gas, your highest/lowest speed/your average speed/how long you have been driving and how long you have been stopped. Just overall great product and I woud recommend it to anyone! :)

I've only used this a couple of times since purchase. It was accurate except for one address..it said I was at my destination a few hundred feet before I actually was. I like that it gives street names, the screen is easy to see and read. Previous GPS units I've used gave more info right on screen such as remaining time to destination, remaining miles, things like that. But the GPS is overall a good product based on the short time I've had it.

having experience with previous Garmin units, this unit is woefully lacking in simple functionality. i.e. connecting power cord to mount, so when you snap unit into mount it is connected to power, not having to fumble around with heavy , cumbersome, power cord. Lacking street detail (street names). Compared to previous Garmin unit, Very disappointing!!!

This product is sleek, stylish and has many useful features. Seeing that it was on sale for $79.99 on Best Buy's website, I clicked on it and added it to my cart. When I added it to my cart it kept ringing up as $99.00, so I called customer service and due to my trouble I wound up getting it for $69.99. I gave my Garmin Street Pilot to my mom, and I now own a brand new sleek Nuvi, for less than it would cost to update the maps on my old one. Excellent product! Excellent, customer service!

The 4.3 view screen is great. It was easy to set up and downloading new maps was a cinch. What is really disappointing is the poor sound quality. The voice prompts are too low even when you use the maximum volume setting. Even worse you do set the volume above 80% the voice is muffled. I am seriously thinking about returning this unit and trying another brand.

I had Garmin 660 before I got the 255wt. The 660 had a clearer speaker then the 2255wt. When at %70 the 255wt is hard to hear, at %100 it sounds like someone is talking the Tin Foil. I exchanged one already thinking it was a bad unit, Now I think its just the speaker they are using on the 255wt. I am thinking of returning it and getting a different GPS from some other company. Time will tell I have time to return it after taking it out on a long trip over the weekend with a driver of 200+ miles from home. I will see how it goes, but as of now it does not look to good.

Type in one word and this unit will find closest place in descending order. You must spell well however. Appleebee won't get you to Applebees. I would highly recommend this unit to tech challenged first timers.