GPS best buys

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Published: May 29, 2008

New GPS navigation systems are filling the shelves as more and more people rely on them to get where they need to go. Sales hit $2.5 billion last year. But Consumer Reports finds newer isn’t always better.

It recently tested one of the newest and most unique systems, the $400 Dash Express. It promises to give you real-time traffic conditions by communicating with other Dash users on the road.

Here’s how it works: If you’re driving to work and a Dash Express user ahead of you encounters a traffic problem, that information will be displayed on the screen, and at the touch of a button you can reroute around the traffic problem.

It sounds like a great idea. But Consumer Reports says that there are simply not enough Dash drivers on the road right now to relay this kind of real-time traffic information back to each other.

And the Dash’s traffic information costs about twice what other GPS companies charge—$10 to $13 a month.

Consumer Reports has now tested almost 50 GPS units, paying close attention to how easy it is to enter the destination and how helpful the directions are. For instance, telling you the name of the street you’re going to turn on is really useful.

Two GPS systems that offer this helpful feature were named Best Buys—both made by Garmin.

The Garmin Nuvi 260 costs $300. And, for $50 more, the Garmin Nuvi 350 gives you the option to subscribe to standard traffic information.

There’s a third Consumer Reports Best Buy. It only tells you to turn right or left, rather than naming the street. But at $200, it’s still a good deal. It’s the TomTom One 3rd Edition.

Consumer Reports has no commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor appearing on this Web site.