Garmin nüvi 270 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $325.00 You Save: $324.99 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $111.99 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 270 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Good GPS for what you pay.
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Nuvi 270 some weeks ago and I used it for my last vacation from Alabama to Orlando. I ended up buying the 270 after some investigation and comparisons on the net. Keep in mind that this model is discontinued in the Garmin web site, however is still on sale in many stores and you can still get support in the Garmin web site and the best of all is the only GPS under $200 you can get with maps of USA, Canada and Europe included! The maps are clean and clear, amazing detail and the turn-by-turn navigation is good enough. Note, this GPS does not tell the street names when you are navigating but you can easily look at the names on screen. It is easy to look for destination points but you have to review the route that is calulated because it won't be the most efficient. I think the alghoritm finds the shortest routes and it does not care if it takes you on a small low speed roads instead of a highway. There are some options you can configure but I have not found how to avoid that. Very important note: When you are browsing the map reviewing the route you touch and drag on the screen, every time you do this a point is created on the map and when you want to go back to the navigation view the GPS asks you is you want this point to be the new destination or if you want it to be an intermediate point, there is no option to discard it!!! This cost me one extra hour in my last trip. The manual you download from the official wbs site is extremely simple and does not explain these important details. In conclusion, good GPS for what you pay and I am not sure if expensire Garmin products solve these issues anyway...Customer Review: GPS With European Maps
Summary: 5 Stars
The Garmin GPS was a godsend on our trip to Europe. If you have ever driven into cities or small towns in Europe you will know how difficult it is to navigate, while trying to read foreign street signs, dodging motor scooters and bicylists, finding the right exit out of a around-about all the while being pushed along by the very aggressive drivers behind you. But with the GPS most of that stress goes away as you know when and where to turn and you drive through towns like a native. I was very impressed that even going through the miles long tunnels of the alps the GPS must be programmed to keep the unit tracking without a satellite signal because several minutes later coming out of the tunnel it still provides instructions. I purchased the pricier model 270 because of the factory installed European maps. If you purchased a GPS with only North America maps and had to load the European maps the cost of those maps would be another $250. It's less money to get the 270 or 370 with maps already loaded. The windshield mounting is excellent and worked well in the rental car. The Nuvi series GPS is convenient enough in size to be carried in the pocket for walking around the cities. But it does not work as well for pedestrian purposes because it cannot keep bearings well as you tend to rotate the device and it looses it sense of direction. I read all the reviews on GPS's and chose the Garmin because of it's higher ratings for search engine, ease of use and maps. You will immediately become an expert user even without reading instructions with this device. It is literally that easy to use.Customer Review: Check a map before you go
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a commercial pilot and quite familiar with using GPS (including Garmin aviation products).
This is the second nuvi I have owned. I sent the first one back (which only had the USA / Canada maps) for the same reasons as highlighted in this review of the 270.
On vacation in the UK recently this unit proved (once again) to be very inconsistent in calculating routes. There is only two options (fastest and shortest) but the unit takes the route that it feels like taking and quite often it is the longest and slowest.
It does not seem to realize that a motorway has a 70 mph speed limit and an A road has a 60 mph speed limit (which often only averages about 40 mph due to roundabouts, traffic lights and congestion).
Occasionally the unit will suggest a turn off the route that it has calculated only to recalculate and send you back to the same route via a roundabout or u turn! Quite mad.
If you use this very basic unit I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the routes available before departure and keep a road atlas handy in the car. Of course this is probably good advice when using any electronic navigation aid. The unit is good value considering all the maps that it has installed, especially if you purchase a refurbished unit (which I didn't see until after I had ordered it).
The usual Amazon service was good, unfortunately however, I have gone past the 30 day return limit, so I have to keep this one. I doubt that I will use it much.
Customer Review: OMG
Summary: 5 Stars
This gadget revolutionized my recent driving trip in France!
I would never drive in Europe (or anywhere unknown, for that matter) without a GPS.
I put nearly 3000 miles on my rental car in three weeks and "The Girl" got me everywhere I needed to go. It even locates French "Lieu Dits" which are groups of country houses with no address. I was also able to enter coordinates of a friend's country house (again, no address) from Google Earth and I drove right to the front door!
It's not completely effortless and I would recommend having a paper map on hand in order to get a bird's eye view of your trip, but once you get the hang of it, the routes and guidance are practically flawless. And even if you make a bad turn or get confused, it still results in much less time behind the wheel that if you were using old fashioned navigation using a paper map.
I read many of the reviews here and never had a problem with satellite acquisition or bad directions. While some of the routes seemed counterintuitive, if you just let The Girl do her thing, you'll arrive at the programmed destination.
Added plusses: the speedometer which was more accurate than the car's; the traffic cam alerter; super accurate arrival time which is key in Europe where distance and time only vaguely related; the British voice option in English.
Disclaimer: I never used the GPS while walking.
Customer Review: worked great in Southern France
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this because of the Europe maps included. We plan to give it a workout in Southern France this summer. So far I've been comparing it with my garmin 250W that I purchased Oct 2007. The windshield looks pretty funny with them both mounted there but I have learned a few things too. The two are identical at directions in New England. They speak together most of the time and the displays vary very little. Speaking of "Very little" - I prefer the wide screen size of the 250w in the car because you see more info. I find it a bit easier to read the directions too. HOWEVER - The 250w cost $289 13 months ago with USA maps only. The new 270 cost $159 on Amazon With USA/Europe included . The minute I registered I was offered a free 2009 Garmin Europe update on the 270 for free. Not bad, and it will fit nicely in my shirt pocket in France. I believe that it is discontinued but with a free update it's a great $159 free shipping deal (I think it was $600 a few years ago). I have to laugh at some of the other reviews. No, it won't Say the street names/ No it won't do traffic alerts/No, it wont do bluetooth/ bet it won't tie your shoes either! If you want those features just pay for a more expensive model. This one is a huge bargain. Works great and won't break the bank.
Update June 2009 : We drove all over the Arles /Avignon/ Nimes/ Camarque area. It was flawless. What a great and useful tool. Superb.