Garmin Nuvi 255WT GPS Navigation (4.3in, Text To Speech, Lifetime Traffic Updates)

Reviews

1. I really like this unit

   by jack

   I bought this at best buy about a year or so ago and have found it very useful. The best setting for clarity of voice is the Australian English lady, I find this voice the easiest to understand. The traffic feature is interesting and I think I have to check the manual to see how best to use it as of yet have not found it that important but as I stated I need a bit more info on it’s proper use.
   
   Generally everything else about this is very intuitive and easy to use and I can’t really live without this, even on trips I know the route, as it alerts me to turns etc in case I get distracted.
   
   A GPS makes a wonderful gift and it really takes the stress out of finding places and reading maps etc.
   
   The maps are not perfect however so occasionally you may find a route that you know is not the fastest or a mistake, but this is probably true of any data base and I find the device so useful that it’s not a big deal at all.
   
   I like the bigger screen but the smaller screen is OK to. My wife has our first GPS, the garmin 360, and she loves it. I just had the data base updated last fall I think when amazon had a sale of 70.00 I think for the lifetime updates. The 360 we’ve had for a few years and it works perfectly.
   
   If you’re on the fence about getting a gps just check the reviews on amazon and find one that is 4 starts or better and go for it. I think this one got 3 1/2 stars but don’t agree with that. It’s a great unit but there may be ones that are less expensive. I bought this for about $130 so it was a good deal at the time. Check out amazon’s list of most popular radar detectors and you’ll find a good deal on something that is highly rated.

2. familiarity with product is important

   by Ian Flemming

   I have owned this product for 1 1/2 years and am quite pleased with the performance. It was purchased new at Best Buy and have had zero issues with freezing or overcast reception issues in Ohio. Purchased the lifetime map upgrade recently and have found corrected information in my local area, new streets, restaurants etc. Although my area shows traffic on main roads I have never seen it work until a trip to San Antonio, TX where it did advise me of some delays on one of the highways out of town. I am pleased overall with the performance and accuracy. The proper settings for your driving needs are very important when setting up the gps. I’m not sure why people need to start over for typos. The upper right shows a pencil eraser to remove double entries or misspelled words. It is not as good as my factory unit built into another car, but the portability and substantial cost difference make up for it’s shortcomings.

3. Very disapointed in Garmin.

   by George Willcock

   I gave this 1 star because 0 stars was not an option. I purchased this gps in 11/09 and have had to replace it 3 times all because of the same problem. After about 1 month of use they will loose signal on a clear day and not be able to get it back for days. The traffic is unreliable. The features are not very good. I have an older Garmin that works fine. I would look for another model.

4. Unit freezes when recalculating

   by David R. Szeles

   Unit is almost useless. Constantly freezes when doing recalculations. In contact with Garmin but so far no fix. Speaker is tinny but discernible. Going back to Best Buy if the situation doesn’t improve. When it works, it works well. When it’s frozen…:(

5. Good algorithm but features suck!

   by Mike_brazil

   I am going to compare this GPS to the most basic Tomtom (an old One 3rd generation) because this is the one I had before and, in a way, it makes some sense…

   I just got a Garmin 255WT yesterday and had the chance to play with it extensively. In some aspects it is not a bad GPS, but in others it is lagging considerably behind Tomtom’s simplest’s and cheapest models. Yes, Garmin does has some nice attributes, as for instance, a good screen size (4.3 inches), a good algorithm (the software that calculate the route) and a good mounting system, specially when compared to Tomtom One 3rd Generation (the current equivalent model to the One that Tomtom sells cost only US$60 now). Nevertheless, I am not satisfied at all with the Garmin and think that this GPS is not in condition to compete even with the most basic Tomtom. The features which my old, cheapest, completely no frills Tomtom had, and which I think are highly missed on the Garmin are:

   1) Customizable map screen (which allows you to choose which information to show)
   
   2) Customizable map color schemes (just in case you get tired of the standard color scheme)
   
   3) Volume control on the the map screen
   
   4) Excellent search engine
   
   5) Different color schemes for night and day

   This may sound little things but, believe me, they do make a huge difference. The search engine, which on Tomtom allows you to input city and state for every search and is much faster than the Garmin lame search engine is one of the points which is specially frustrating on my new GPS. Furthermore, the touch screen on the Garmin is not as responsive as the Tomtom screen. Last, one should keep in mind that I am comparing a US$180 unit to a US$60!!!! Probably if you compare a US$200 Tomtom (which nowadays come with free map updates for life) the differences should be even bigger.

   One last note, if the best route is the only thing that matters for you, Garmin is not a bad option. My old Tomtom would suggest some very strange routes very frequently and it would get lost on my block every single time (i.e. it would make me go around the block to get to my home, even when all I had to do was to keep going straight).

   All in all, I would not buy this GPS and would go for any Tomtom.

6. A Great “Middle of the line” GPS

   by Jeff Kimble

   I bought this to replace my failing Nuvi 350 because I’ve always liked Garmin products and my old one was getting outdated, slow, and starting to crash.

   This one caught my eye because of two major features that I thought would be extremely helpful and fix two of my major complaints with the original nuvi.

   1) Traffic – this is really quite lame. AFTER I bought it, and after some time trying to get in touch with Garmin, I learned that there are only about 20-25 cities that the traffic works in. You can purchase a Premium subscription as an add on but who wants to spend more money after spending money? Aside, even the premium map is extremely limited […]

   2) The ability to locate itself with “hotfix”. While it DOES do this a lot better than my old one, the 350 was notoriously slow for its day and my girlfriend’s Magellan can locate itself just as fast, if not faster. By all means, the fix time is plenty acceptable and usually is about the same amount of time it takes you to enter in your destination.

   All in all, it’s a great GPS unit with a very vsible, large screen that makes it great to use. It’s never given me problems, it’s pretty thin, and I enjoy it. You can download new “vehicles” and voices for free as well and this model supports some of the cooler ones.

   One more thing to keep in mind as well is you get one free “map update” when you register your GPS. Try to hold off as the GPS comes loaded with updated maps. Maps can run a small fortune, especially when compared to the unit. I’m sure that’s the idea, though.

   If you’re looking for a very basic, clear speaking, “meat and potatoes” unit, this does a spectacular job.

7. Fairly Good GPS

   by Melanie Nguyen

   The GPS works fairly well. I bought the Garmin Nuvi 255wt (with traffic alert). It tells you about traffic when you plug in the car charger adapter; yes, you have to have it plugged in physically in order to receive traffic info. I also like how it has an “EcoRoute” function that allows you enter in your car info and thus save on fuel.

   Two things I don’t like about this GPS:
   
   1) You cannot enter in zip code in place of city. You have to enter in a city, which sometimes, the letters in a city might be quite long to type, which could be a small annoyance if you’re in a hurry.

   2) It takes you to small roads/streets, which often times requires a left turn at a stop sign, with traffic (nearest you) heading to the right. For me, this is a problem. I’d rather have the GPS take me to bigger/main streets where I can make a left turn at a traffic signal. For other people, this might not be that big of an issue. I’ve used Magellan Maestro 4040, and this type of situation definitely doesn’t occur with them.

8. Unit freezes when recalculating

   by A. Ijaz

   The unit freezes when reclaculating. Do a search and find out this is a common problem on this model with no fix.

9. Excellent GPS Unit

   by Anon

   I bought this out of necessity when I found myself on the road for a weekend with poor knowledge of the area. I had not done much research and went into a local store where this was on sale. I was very impressed. This is a high quality device. Traffic receiver is an excellent. Garmin support is good. I have since bought a higher end Garmin GPS unit (the 765WT). However after 3 months this one has held up well as navigates the same. Lane/junction assist isn’t a perfected technology on the more expensive units – I would not recommend you buy them just for this function. That said, the 255WT is not a perfect product – the device will occasionally freeze or have difficulty locating satellites when exiting from a covered garaged. This happens too with the higher end 7-series. The cord-mount placement in the 2-series is annoying, which is one reason I like the 7-series. The 255WT has a better selection of pleasant voices in my opinion. This device does not come with bluetooth, which I will say works quite nicely on the 765WT. If you are considering this unit (or the 265WT) versus the 7-series units, I suggest you get the cheapest unit with the options you need.

10. Traffic sensing is a great feature (but it’s not 100% perfect)

    by A. Benenson

    I’m only going to review the free traffic feature. There are 4 things about this “T” (traffic) version of the GPS that make it different from a regular non-traffic GPS.

    1. There’s a lump on the power cord which is the traffic receiver antenna. In order to use the traffic feature, you have to power the GPS with the cord plugged into your car’s lighter socket. If there’s no power coming through the cord, the traffic functions are disabled and won’t show up (although you can still use regular GPS functions with the unit’s built-in battery).

    2. There’s a little round traffic icon on the screen. It’s green if there are no traffic problems on your route, or yellow or red if there are (along with the distance to it and projected time delay). If you touch the icon it’ll give you options to show traffic on your route, or other nearby traffic, or route around it. If you really get stuck in traffic (red icon), the unit will automatically try to find a new route for you without you even asking.

    3. Sometimes, small ads show up on the GPS screen – (said ads are paying for your free traffic). They’re only a line or two of text and don’t cover up much of the screen, so I don’t find them a bother at all.

    4. The GPS takes current traffic conditions into account when planning a route (it took a couple of weeks before I realized this). For instance, twice last week I had it route me from home to work; the first time I traveled at rush hour and it gave me a route that put me on a secondary road to avoid a well-known slow spot on the freeway. The second time I traveled at midday and it gave me a more direct route instead.

    5. Although the unit accounts for traffic when it plans a route, it doesn’t recalculate the route later if traffic improves; this means you may be driving out of your way to avoid a bottleneck that’s gone by the time you would have reached it. To avoid this, I ask the unit to recalculate my route a few minutes before I hit the spot on my commute where things sometimes (but not always) start to slow down. Doing this helps shave a few minutes off my commute once or twice a week.

    So how well does all this work?

    On balance, it’s great! It’s helped me avoid getting stuck in traffic dozens of times, which probably adds up to saving several hours of time in the 8 or 9 months I’ve had it so far. However, it’s not foolproof; it occasionally warns about traffic ahead which never materializes; and once or twice it has failed to warn about traffic and consequently I got stuck in a jam.

    To sum up:

    This traffic capability (even if it’s not perfect), has really changed how I use my GPS. With my old GPS, I only used it on the rare occasions when I was driving somewhere unfamiliar. But now I use my GPS nearly all the time, except on short trips in my neighborhood.

    UPDATE:

    10 months after purchasing (and light use – less than once week on average), the power cord has broken; I have to wiggle it to get the unit to get powered, and traffic isn’t working at all. I can feel the wire’s become disconnected under the insulation near where it plugs into the cigarette lighter. I haven’t been abusing the cord at all; I’m not coiling it tightly or closing doors on it or yanking on it.

11. Worth The Investment

    by Suz

    I just got a new job that has a lot of traveling involved. I had to invest in a GPS unit (first time buyer). I bought the Garmin brand because it was recommended by the store clerk. I had done a lot of research online and asked people what products they used. Of course I got mixed reviews. Going on the word of the sales clerk and some people that already had it I bought the Garmin nuvi 255WT. I went on my first trip without using my trusted Google Maps for the first time. Lets just say I will never use Google Maps again lol. This unit took 20 minutes off a trip that normally takes me about an hour and 20 minutes. I was so happy I decided to re-name it lol (Garmin gives the voice a name). If you decide to buy this you will be so happy you did. I’m no expert and I’m not going to get any lengthier then this but this is a very good investment.

12. Not great as i expected

    by Giridhar Kumar

    Touch screen is not very responsive
    
    The traffic is not working
    
    I am not satisfied with this
    
    Not worth for the price
    
    Garmin has disappointed me
    
    It has many features, but after buying, i dont need all those

13. a downgrade in many ways

    by K. Henry

    In reading reviews, many folks seem to compare a gps device to having no gps at all. In that respect, practically all devices would deserve 4-5 stars. I received this device as a replace to my old, slow, and very large (but quite good) garmin streetpilot III. So here’s my issues:
    
    - It produces a route quickly but the algorithm places a heavy weight on large streets, so much that I sometimes get some awkward, unnecessary turns in my routes that cost me time.
    
    - I find the traffic feature to be practically worthless. (This is not necessarily Garmin’s ‘fault’ but perhaps the traffic reporting technology) Sometimes the device reports traffic delays and there is none. Othertimes, the device reports no traffic and there is a large jam. Regardless, I had to turn this feature off because it gave me routes around imaginary traffic.
    
    - On the main map screen or the turn-by-turn screen, you can not see time to destination (only time to next turn and arrival time). You can get to the time to destination by clicking through a few screen but it’s not convenient.
    
    - arrival time is always too optimistic for street routes. the algorithm needs to factor in more time for stoplights.
    
    - Previous text entries are not kept once you’ve completed a search. This is a big step backwards from my old streetpilot. Often times, I find that I need to return to the map for a minute or I need to update a search or I mistyped a name. Instead of being able to update a few characters, I have to start over – typing from scratch. It’s just an unnecessary step backwards.
    
    - Main map does not display adequate details. There are less streetnames and features displayed on the map as you’re driving. Just a few streetnames show up, so you can’t get a good enough sense as to what’s around you.
    
    - I’m not impressed with the 3-d mapping. I know a lot of devices tout this now but it’s just not as helpful as 2-D. Yeah, it looks like a cool first-person video game, but you don’t get as good a view of what’s around you. It is pretty good for freeway off-ramps but that’s it.

    So, if you just want a gps and are not picky, this one will give you a route (as they ALL do) but it’s certainly not a great gps.

14. More delicate then older models

    by Edward K. Lincoln

    This has some great features. The turn by turn direcions and traffic updater features are really cool. The base works better then older models. I have two complaintsl. 1.) It is WAY more delicate then older models. The slim profile and big touch screen look cool but mean the screen is easily broken. If you buy this, buy the service plan, keep the receipt, and buy a case for it. Do not keep it in the car or a briefcase. Mine broke very quickly. 2.) The web updater to update the maps is a memory hog that can only be used if you have a very new, top of the line computer. My old Mac can’t handle it, nor can my new laptop.

15. Works well, but there’s things you need to know, especially about traffic updates

    by R. Leslie

    This is a very nice GPS. It works well and is easy to use. I recommend it to anyone who asks me about GPS’s.

    Things you need to know:
    
    1. This is a “wierd” model from Garmin. You won’t find the 255WT on their website. The box is labeled 255WT, but it’s marked 255W on the unit itself. It’s basically a 255W with the TMC traffic receiver included via the vehicle power cord; that’s what makes this unit a 255WT – an additional peice of hardware.

    Any Garmin GPS that is TMC traffic compatible can use that device to receive traffic updates.

    It’s very similar to the 265WT, but this model does not have Bluetooth.

    2. If you buy from an auction site, Garmin will not warranty it. (It can be registered, though.)

    3. You need to register it. The problem is, it does not come with a USB cable to connect it to your computer. The cable can be picked up any where like Best Buy, Radio Shack, possibly Wal-Mart, etc.

    Once you’ve got the cable and the unit connected to your computer, go to my.garmin dot com. Once registered, click the My Dashboard tab, this will tell you what’s available to update.

    You only get one free map update.

    To get your free update, you must download the update within 90 days of first use.

    4. One of the biggest advantages of this unit vs. the 255W is the free lifetime traffic. A lot of GPS’s offer traffic information, but charge quite a bit more for that option. This unit comes with the FM Traffic Message Channel (TMC) receiver which it uses to get information broadcast over FM radio frequencies.
    
    Important things to know about the traffic feature on this GPS:

    You must have the GPS connected to your car charger for it to receive the traffic information.

    The power cord/car charger doubles as the traffic receiver. It would be nice to be able to see if there’s any traffic on your route before leaving. While a bit annoying, at least it doesn’t require an additional antenna. I have a Sony GPS that requires the power cord, plus an additional antenna to get traffic, so there’s cords dangling all over the place.

    You do not have to activate the traffic.

    It’s automatic. You’ll know you’re receiving traffic information if you see a little car icon in the upper left portion of the screen.

    At times, my traffic icon is very slow to display…sometimes as much as 10-15 minutes. I live on the outer edge of the coverage for my area, so that may contribute to the slowness. What I’ve found is if I leave it plugged in to the car charger (and the charger also plugged in and receiving power), the traffic icon is always there.
    
    There is MSN Direct traffic available for this unit as well. It costs extra, but has more features. But, according to their website, MSN Direct will cease operations on Jan 1, 2012.

    5. Once registered you can go to Garmins website and download customizations like different vehicle icons, voices, etc. Most custom voices don’t speak street names, though. They simply say, turn left in 200 feet.

    You can also download a free program from Garmin that allows you to record your own voice.

    Or, you can use a program to edit the Text to Speech (TTS) file in the unit. This allows you to keep the factory spoken street names but still change what the unit says. Simply “google” TTS voice editor, and you’ll see the link to download the application.

    Another cool site provides many custom vehicle icons for use:
    
    vehiclesforgarminnuvi dot com

    6. You can create/download your own POI’s. This allows you to create a list of custom business, etc, that you want to search on. An example would be BBQ restaurants, WalGreens, etc. There’s a very nice site where people build these files and you can download for free:
    
    POI-factory dot com.

    You can also create your own POI’s if you know the street address:
    
    poigenie.co.uk

    This is a very handy feature. The only thing I don’t like about it is that the custom POI’s are not “imbedded” into the factory POI’s, so searching for them requires a few more “clicks”, but no big deal.

    7. The suction cup mount will not mount to textured dash boards unless you use the supplied mounting disc. But that disc has an adhesive backing and is near impossible to remove once you stick it to the dash. I bought a vent mount off eBay that works great, the GPS is still near eye level and is more out of sight from peering eyes.

16. Great gps, confusing manual.

    by Pug Ster

    I brought this gps because many of my other gps’s have outdated maps which can’t update or have problems acquiring a satellite signal. This gps is excellent because maps are relatively recent and acquires a signal fairly quickly for a reasonable price. This gps doesn’t have the bells and whistles of other gps with its elaborate features, but just enough to get you going.

    One thing that I am annoyed about this gps is the confusing documentation. First of all, the gps doesn’t say that it is an 255wt, but it is an 255w. The manual have references of an 205w but references many other models. In fact, the only thing that references this gps as an 255wt is the box itself. I am guessing that since Garmin sells so many different models, they have an one-size fits all mentality in their manuals. Another thing is that you have to connect your gps to your computer and register in order to able to get traffic updates.

17. i had hard time with this model 255wt

    by Mohamed Asraui

    the first time i bout 255w from amazon.com it was good for 3 weeks then it started to say poor satelite reception or no satelite for 3 days then i returned it omeafter that i bought 255wt from best buy the problem it was the keyboard when you tape m n comes on what ever you tape the next one comes on i went to the store for exchange so the second one also the keyboard when you tape something by eror you can’t errase it so i went for the 3 one this time it was different wrong reception if u are in second ave it show you lexington the if it recognize the ave it doesn’t show the street and all the time ready to navigate when you spell the city always not found and no option as change of state or country so i hate the w series i’m about to purchase nuvi 755t from amazon if anay one has bad experience with this model number please let me know thanksGarmin Nuvi 255WT GPS Navigation (4.3in, Text To Speech, Lifetime Traffic Updates)Garmin Nuvi 255WT GPS Navigation (4.3in, Text To Speech, Lifetime Traffic Updates)

18. Didn’t work the first time I needed it to.

    by Music Maker

    As far as features go, I’m happy with this device. However, functionality before frills, I always say. Simply put, this device can’t find a signal in any type of inclement weather. Apparently, from all the positive reviews it’s getting on Amazon, not everyone has the same poor experience I’m having. I wish I could be counted among the many who find the Garmin reliable.

    I live in Buffalo, NY; If a GPS is only going to work in clear skies, I may as well go back to paper maps. Furthermore, if ALL GPS crapped out in cloudy, rainy, or snowy weather, I’d say “Meh, par for the course,” and leave it at that. I have, however, stood side-by-side with my friend who owns a TomTom, on just such a dreary, snowy afternoon. We did a comparison; her TomTom found a full-strength signal in less than ten seconds. My Garmin didn’t find a signal AT ALL. After 20 minutes (literally) I gave up and switched the device off in disgust. She also informed me of a recent experience, driving in a full white-out blizzard, throughout which her TomTom functioned perfectly.

    Bottom line; nice features, but first and foremost a GPS should provide reliable, accurate navigation, time after time. The heck with weather conditions, if the TomTom can do it, so should the Garmin be able to. I am trading in my Garmin for a device I can count on.

19. 255W=Good, Traffic=Not So Good (for me)

    by ChurchOfJesusChrist.Net

    This is a 255W with a proprietary Traffic receiver built into the power cable. It looks like an extra cord running the length of the device, but there is also a mirochip in it which communicates with the GPS unit to activate the feature. Without that extra bit of hardware, this unit is the same as any 255W. So that means you’re stuck on using the cigarette lighter power cord which comes with the unit, or the Traffic feature will not be accessible.

    Any of the 2×5/2×5W units can either use the FM Traffic receiver/cord or the MSN receiver/cord… the receivers are quite expensive to purchase separately… these “T” kits include that extra piece of hardware, but be careful to know whether you’re purchasing an MSN kit or a normal Traffic (only) kit. MSN kits are still labeled as “T” for traffic, because traffic info is available through MSN, but it’s different (most people say worse, or at least less info) than the normal FM traffic (and MSN for GPS is being shut down at the end of 2011). If you’re looking at a kit which has “MSN” on its packaging, it includes the MSN receiver, NOT the standard FM Traffic-only receiver. The FM Traffic-only receiver requires no activation and works for the life of the equipment. The MSN kit requires activation, and is then only a 9 month “trial”, after which it’s fifty semi-anually until the service gets shuts off completely nationwide. Many people don’t use GPS devices that long, so depending on your needs, one or the other could be better for you.

    At the end of the day, I’m glad I chose the Traffic-only (non-MSN) version, but only because I got it on a great deal where it was barely more than a normal bare 255W.

    The way I see it, any review for a 255WT has to be broken down into two components: the 255W receiver (which comes in the box), and the Traffic receiver feature. There are many reviews on the 255W.

    For me, writing a review on an otherwise heavily-reviewed product, it’s important for me to include information others aren’t posting. To that end, I’ll repost a modified comment I made in Timothy B. Riley’s Amazon review of the 285WT, and then point you at a forum answer I gave to someone.

    - Traffic and MSN are only available in certain metro areas, and those areas are not identical. Garmin’s website has coverage maps for these. So if you don’t drive through metro areas or go on road trips, such a feature might not even work for you.

    - MSN or FM Traffic feature (depending on which receiver comes in your package/kit, if any) are activated with separate, proprietary cables euphamistically called “receivers”. They are thicker or chunkier than normal GPS power cables. You’re stuck using these cigarette lighter cables if you want that extra feature enabled. If you want to show off the Traffic feature, say, indoors on Christmas morning, you’d better have a 12V cigarette lighter power supply handy, or be ready to go out to the car–because a standard wall-outlet mini-USB charger will only power the unit, but not enable the extra Traffic feature. Logically, if you’re on battery power, no cable, no traffic either.

    - Either ‘receiver’/cable can apparently be used in any 2×5/2×5W model. The “T” and “MSN” models include their respective receiver/special power cable in the packaging. That explains why the hardware never says “T” or “MSN” on it, just the packaging. Because the actual GPS unit IS the same.

    - The ‘receivers’ are available as separate purchases, but are expensive (see the Garmin GTM 25 receiver cable). It’s cheaper to buy it as a package deal with the GPS, if you want it.

    - The ‘Traffic’ feature will not show up in Settings until and unless you plug in the receiver. Until then, it’s a ‘hidden feature’ or at least capability of all 2×5/2×5W models. The same goes for MSN. If you use a standard GPS power cord, the feature disappears or does not show up.

    - The ‘Traffic” (only) models do not require a subscription, and are ad-supported. Therefore, Garmin doesn’t care about getting you to register the NON-msn (traffic only) feature–if you have the hardware, great: we can spam you. So far, I’ve only seen Best Western ads (pressing the ad for me pulls up a search of all the closest Best Wetern hotels). Some find them intrusive, others not. I haven’t found them very annoying, but then again, I haven’t found the Traffic feature very useful! If I want to, I can turn off the entire Traffic function, which will kill the pop-ups too. Another easy way to turn off the traffic function is to use a non-traffic-receiver power cord!

    - I plugged the ‘Traffic receiver’ into an older Garmin 260 (last number ends with 0, not 5, indicating old hardware version), and the unit actually had a pop-up, “feature not recognized” or something to that effect. That shows me that there is a powered microchip in the receiver, not just an antenna. So maybe it really is a ‘receiver’. Older GPS models used to have the receiver hardware built into them, and you’d just attach a separate antenna. I guess people complained about the number of cables (2) and how ‘hard’ that was, so Garmin came up with this integrated/separate approach with just one cable. Personally, I would’ve preferred the old ways, and be able to use any USB/power cable I want, and still have traffic. Oh well. At least non-Traffic power cables work, the Traffic feature will just be missing. I do admit, it does pick up the signal well. Even out in the boonies (near a major metro area), in my home, I was able to pull up traffic data for my city (I have a wall-powered cigarette lighter outlet–handier than you’d think).

    - The ‘receiver’ is a chunky cord compared to a standard GPS cable. Garmins also only seem to provide right-angle (downward) cables, which works fine when mounted to their suction cup, but is maddening when trying to sit the unit on a solid/flat surface, ESPECIALLY because they insist on making the usb connector at the bottom too! I end up having to really bend the cable backwards to not ‘leg up’ on the left side, being pushed up by the cord sticking downard in the back, and toppling it forward. It’s ridiculous. If you want to use traffic, you have to use their cable. Previously, I was using my Mio’s straight usb cable, which works better when I go “mount-free” with my Garmin (sitting on a ledge near my dash in my car).

    - Apparently, you can’t use FM Traffic-only and MSN receivers at the same time, due to them requiring separate receiver cables. The rationale is that MSN ‘includes’ traffic, but the traffic data is not the same source (reported to be less information and more sparse). For the record though, all the traffic alerts I’ve seen so far (a couple weeks) on my Traffic-only version (255WT) have been wrong 100% of the time in 2 weeks–announcing traffic when there’s no problem, and missing a huge (albeit very fresh) accident. However, this is only for one big stretch of road on my commute, where there’s a lot of construction (I think construction zones are announced as ‘traffic’, even if traffic is fast–which can get repetitious). It did accurately show a construction zone on the Traffic map, but it doesn’t audibly alert me when I go through it, so I don’t know. Especially in areas with lots of construction, it doesn’t really matter if traffic is backed up in those areas, because there’s really no other way around.

    - As a sidenote, these (and all car?) GPS devices include built-in lithium-ion batteries. It’s not necessary to fully charge before you use it. It’s best to have it powered when you first turn it on so you don’t drain the battery to empty, but the li-ion battery will probably come partially charged, so just turning it on to demonstrate it a few minutes isn’t really bad.

    If you found the above helpful, I’d recommend you visit an answer I wrote to a post entitled, “should i get the 260W or the 255W or the 285W/WT???”, permalinked here:
    
    [...]

    Trying to wrap it up, I’m still not sure of the best way to USE the traffic data. For instance, when it says “traffic ahead”, you’re too close to find a way around anyway. Plus, it’s wrong so often, that you get into the ‘cry wolf’ scenario that you may learn to not react to it. Both of those are hits to Traffic’s usefulness. So, instead of relying on real-time voice prompts, maybe using the “Traffic Map” is best–perhaps check it out before beginning your drive? Or pull over before you get too far into a new city? But that too would take extra time, and you may end up losing time overall. It would definitely be worth a scan before heading out to the airport. That is one time I could see it’s useful. Another would be sightseeing around DC or some other metro area you’re not familiar with. Not surprisingly, airports and DC (sometimes simultaneously) are the most common positive real-life examples given by users. That doesn’t describe 99% of my driving.

    I got the “WT” version for just a small amount more than I could find the “W”-only version. Therefore, there’s no loss–it’s just an extra feature I can use or not use, at my whim. However, I usually see Amazon’s “WT” price disproportionately higher than the 255W or even 265W. The funny thing is, you can often find “extra features” models such as the 265W, 265WT, 285W and 285WT on sale for not much more than the 255W. Any of these is a 255W with its own mix of Bluetooth/Traffic/MSN. Unless you have a special need, in my opinion neither MSN, Bluetooth, nor Traffic are worth paying a big amount more for. But if you get them at a bargain relative to a plain 255W, go for it.
    

20. Nuvi 255WT a downgrade compared to older units

    by slacke techy

    I thought I was upgrading GPS units when I bought the Nuvi 255WT. I had owned two different Garmin models, the nuvi 350 and the StreetPilot 500 series.

    After a couple week’s worth of using the 255WT, I’m probably ready to take it back. I’ve been very frustrated by its problems and mapping issues — but there are some pluses and minuses between the two units.

    Pros:
    
    1. The unit locks on to the satellites FAST. The old nuvi 350 sometimes took several minutes to get a satellite lock. I could be several blocks down the road before I would get the map working. The nuvi 255 is very fast, and usually is locked on to the satellites before I get to the end of the driveway.
    
    2. Nice display. It certainly helps to have the bigger display and the colors are crisp and easy to read.
    
    3. The traffic feature is nice (if you live in one of the metropolitan areas covered for traffic). The unit shows traffic quickly and has been fairly accurate. While the local AM radio station gives traffic every 10 minutes with more details, the Garmin info seems to be showing traffic problems accurately.
    
    4. Routing for trips seems to be OK. I haven’t had the GPS take me off a route that wasn’t expected.
    
    5. The “where am I” feature is nice for quickly finding important things at your location. This is a nice touch compared to the old nuvi 350.

    —- however, the problems are also numerous—-

    Problems:
    
    1. The windshield mounting bracket is OK, but the power cord attaches to the back of the Garmin instead of to the bracket as it did for the old nuvi 350. This makes quick removal of the unit into the glovebox more of a hassle. They should have just kept the power adapter on the bracket and made a quick release for the bracket like that had on the older units. I think this ‘older’ system is still on some of the 700 series Garmins.
    
    2. ALL of the newer Garmins have changed their display so that the green banner on the map shows the road you’re currently driving on, and no longer shows upcoming cross streets. I thought this was just a design issue with the 2oo series units, but apparently none of the new Garmins have the useful feature of showing cross streets. It is rumored that Garmin was forced to remove this feature. I know what road I’m driving on, but it was very helpful to have cross streets displayed as you approached.
    
    3. The map shows street names for streets only about 50% of the time. This makes it hard to to know what streets you’ve just passed. It seems to make no difference whether you’ve got the map zoomed in or set to ‘maximum detail’, you just don’t see the information shown on the map.
    
    4. The Garmin 255 I’ve tested has been prone to frequently powering up with no traffic working. When you’d go to tools–>settings–>traffic, the traffic icon would just simply be missing. If you’d power the unit off and let it restart, it might come on the next time.
    
    5. The whole unit freezes up frequenly. I have this happen when I go to the traffic map and then try and return to the street map, and nothing works. Again, I have to unplug the Garmin to get it to reset. One time the whole unit locked up totally at the screen which warns you about operating the device while driving. The unit wouldn’t shut off and I had to get on Garmins web site to find out how to do a master reset.
    
    6. Points of interest are sort of a hit or miss, with long time restaurants in the area still not being listed, and places that never existed showing up in the database. One would think they could have done better just getting a local phone book listing!!

    Final verdict:
    
    If you’ve got an older nuvi, you probably won’t find this to be worthy of upgrading. If this is a new unit for you, make sure that you’ve purchased from a dealer that allows returns and will replace defective merchandise.