Garmin nüvi 275/275T 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
Features
- Bright, 3.5-inch diagonal color QVGA TFT touchscreen with 320 x 240 pixels and white backlight
- Sleek, ultra-thin design fits easily in pocket
- Preloaded with City Navigator North America NT and Europe NT
- Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling
- NOTE: Model number on the box is 275T because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 275 as the “T” in 275T refers to the additional component
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 1 x 3 x 4 inches
- Weight: 1 pounds
Garmin nüvi 275/275T 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic3.9022556390977133
Very useful
It’s a very useful gps. I liked very much. I used it in United Kindom and always take me where i wanted. Even it was cloudy never loose the signal.
Excellent all around GPS
I used the Nuvi 275T in Germany and USA. I very much like having multiple maps in one device and the traffic feature prepaid for life. The maps in Germany were pretty good except the level of detail fell short especially on a couple US military installations I visited and when looking for small side street addresses. The estimated arrival time also was off unless you consistently drive 5-10 mph over the posted speed limit. The speaker volume is weak and the control is via touch screen making it hard to adjust while driving at speed when the wind noise increases with speed (as on the Autobahn). I preferred a manual dial on the side similar to my old Pilot C550.
Works great in US and in Italy
Just used the 275t extensively in Italy. It was fantastic. Even in Milan and Florence it worked without a problem. In Venice we even put it in pedestrian mode and it helped when we were lost on foot. The key though is to make sure that you have the settings right. When driving I made sure I chose shortest time, not shortest distance. That kept us to the main roads in most cases. I think some bad experiences could be from improper settings. And in pedestrian mode you had to switch it to shortest distance otherwise it would take you on a long route. But it found all streets that I needed. Had no trouble with roundabouts. The little graphic would let you visualize which exit to take. One tip that was very helpful, I used Google Earth to obtain precise GPS coordinates and then input those coordinates in as favorites before we left. This saved lots of time. For instance on Google Earth I found the parking lot of the Levanto train station and used those coordinates. In Italy we pulled into that parking lot and it said we had arrived. Very precise and much easier to input than addresses. The street names that it told us to turn onto in Italy were almost useless because street signs are a rarity. But we just turned when it told us to turn and we had no problem. Another thing that I was amazed at was the traffic feature worked all over Italy. One time it rerouted us around a huge delay on the Autostrada near Venice. The traffic feature worked just like it does in the US. Overall, highly recommend the unit if you are going to be driving in Italy.
In Croatia & Slovenia: Sometimes Worked but Not Very Well – Split was a disaster
I purchased the Garmin nuvi 275T for a car trip through Croatia and Slovenia in May 2010. I’m technically proficient and downloaded the latest firmware and map updates to City Navigator® Europe NT just before departure. The Garmin website states that there is full coverage of both countries.
Navigation in Croatia and Slovenia is especially challenging because Slavic names are complicated, the roads often change names, street names have various spellings and perhaps only 10-20% of the intersections are marked, often viewable only if you are on foot as the markings may be in stone on a building or occasionally on the pavement.
Botton line: Did not work at all in Split (0 out of 12); worked, but not very well, in Opatija, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Bled.
Pros:
1. We were able to locate satellites everywhere, although it required emailing tech support from Dubrovnik and doing a master reset, which was easy. Sometimes I would have to authorize “continue trying” but within 5 minutes it would always find a satellite.
2. You could see the streets approaching so you knew your turnoff, even if you didn’t know the street pronunciation.
Cons:
1. Map coverage is not complete, despite what the Garmin website says. The city of Split, Croatia (Croatia’s second largest city) may be an extreme example because it has many small streets that are not on Garmin’s map (the Garmin map is provided by Navteq). I estimate that at least 50% of the small hotels and restaurants in Split are on unmapped streets. In contrast Google maps uses a different map provider and has all of the streets. That means (1) Garmin can’t find your destination and (2) if you go down an unmapped street Garmin doesn’t know how to get you out until it sees you on a mapped street.
2. Points of interest for hotels and restaurants are very limited to only a few majors, so entering the address (if it is mapped) is then required.
3. We would carefully follow Garmin’s instructions, which are both verbal and graphic (you see the turn approaching on the map), but then we would hear “recalculating”, meaning that we made a mistake.
4. When things got really frustrating, I would try to identify our location on a printed map but due to the small screen size and low resolution we would see one street name, but rarely an intersecting street name, making it impossible to get a fix. Zooming out to get a very rough fix, such as how many kilometers from the coast or major freeway would take perhaps 20 “zoom out’s”.
5. Even when Garmin knew the destination, it would often choose the worst route, one that was blocked off or a wrong-way street. I also noticed that in the U.S. doing a test drive near my home before leaving. It would frequently take us off the major roads onto a series of narrow alleys. In comparison the Google map showed that we could have stuck with the major roads without a problem.
7. If you make even a single character mistake in an address, you have re-enter the entire address over again rather than fix the one character.
8. If you want to go to a particular restaurant, Garmin Points of Interest offer you a choice of restaurants by type of food, not by restaurant name.
9. Garmin doesn’t tell you how far away a destination is, so you can drive many kilometers before you realize Garmin is taking you to the wrong address. In Trogir we had a restaurant name but not its address, but we knew we were close. We got lucky when we saw it listed in Garmin. After driving a couple kilometers we realized Garmin had another restaurant in mind far away.
10. This device includes two pre-loaded maps (US and Europe), which you are supposed to update for free within 60 days of getting the Garmin, but the update is free for only one of the two maps.
works for me
i am happy with this gps. not many gps’s have USA and europe and thats why i bought this model.
havent tried it in europe but im sure it would work fine over there. amazing how accurate the different accents and voices sound. i dont need any more bells or whistles on a gps and i like the small size. just make sure the free map update is for either USA or Europe not both.
convenient and easy to use
+ small size, easy to use product.
- It is not as slim and nice as other brands I saw tough.
- allows to update only one map although it contains Us and Europe.
- I would consider a larger size screen to see better next time. This product does not have lane assistance and I consider that would also be helpful.
Trip to Italy
I bought this for a two week trip to Italy. It was only a little more expensive than buying the data base for one of my current but out of date GPS units. I didn’t have high expectations and even these were not met. I consistently got routed the wrong way and the unit would recalculate. Numerous roundabouts weren’t on it. It would tell me to turn right when it actually meant the second right. the road would curve to the left or right with a road entering from the side. It wanted me to take the side road but didn’t say a word. Then I’d have to figure out a way to get back on course. Towards the end I navigated by road sign and used it as a general guide to when to expect turns. It did get me to a shopping center one rainy day but had no clue how to get me back on the highway. I’ve used it back in the USA and have been more happy with it. On a recent trip to North Carolina it got me there and back and I used POI several times with great success. It is a pretty amazing device considering it is the size of a deck of cards and holds millions of POI.
Love my Nuvi 275T
I bought this solely for multiple business trips to Germany and France where I needed to do a lot of driving. It was the lowest priced unit that had both European and North American maps included. It came with one free map upgrade (I didn’t try to call and get both), so I upgraded the European maps upon receipt of the unit. Quick summary, just buy it, worked great and saved me from getting lost quite a few times, plus I was able to explore and use it much more effectively than a map to find suitable new routes and detours when needed. I’ve only used it once in the USA, and it performed fine, I just don’t really need a GPS where I live. In France I found that it very precisely located traffic cameras, and the speed limit warnings on screen were very useful along with current vehicle speed. I noticed once or twice (in 500 miles) new construction that didn’t agree with the maps (even though they were 2011 updates), but nothing that caused any problems. It would be nice if the maps included toll booths, such as a warning that a toll booth is ahead… but that is only a minor issue. The unit I bought included FM traffic updates, and this seemed to work automatically in Germany and the severity of the delay and the time delay is displayed. It seemed to work well, but I haven’t noticed it working anywhere else (since it probably only works in large urban areas) I’ve not tried this feature in the USA. I found it very convenient to pre-program using google maps all my hotels and way points, so I could just bring them up quickly as favorites… saves a lot of typing. There is a lot it can do that I haven’t even explored. A bargain.
Seems Good – more info about what’s in package
I have just received this and updated the maps. I had to choose between updating the European or N.American maps – the process was clear and went smoothly. I think it would be reasonable to allow purchaser to update both maps, but it was clearly stated on the website that only one would be free and they do offer 10% off the second update.
This package includes a computer cable, vehicle charger and windscreen mount as well as an adhesive dashboard mount, which was not clearly stated in the product details.
I haven’t used it much, but it found a satellite and calibrated quickly, startup instructions are clear, and I’m looking forward to using it in Europe in a couple of weeks to test out the maps.
A Champ in Italy
The 275T was invaluable, accurate, and easy to use on the convoluted streets of Italy. This unit is an extremely good value and was able to hang onto satellite signals even the middle of small towns in Italy where the streets were extremely narrow and buildings on both sides were tall and left only a narrow view to the sky. The small screen was just the right size and didn’t need to be any bigger. Car use was fantastic, walking use was not very good.
Pros:
1) Quick acquisition of satellites.
2) Easy to use.
3) Extremely accurate–even with estimated times of arrival.
4) Clear and precise graphics and voice instructions.
Cons:
1) Basic hardcopy manual included (better online manual)
2) Poor pedestrian (walking) use.
GPS
I am very pleased with the Garmin 275T and purchased it because it contains maps for Europe.
Living in the shadow of its older Nuvi brothers
I bought this for a trip that I’ll be taking overaseas… I’ve tested the product and even searched for places I’ll be staying overseas while here in Chicago and it seems to have find all nearby restaurants and locations ready to go.
So I currently have 2 Nuvi 350 devices from Garmin and I love them. I took all three on a test drive and there are some differences. The Nuvi 275 (and I’m guessing the 2XX series) is definitely a lot faster in calculating and telling you were to turn (on a 45 mph road, it’ll tell you about 0.1 miles quicker) and it recalculates quickly if you miss a turn. The voice isn’t as soft but you can change that as I’ll talk about below.
Positives: In general, the Nuvi 275 is small and sleek. The traffic receiver is a blast to see and I haven’t had any trouble using the traffic receiver. Use your common sense and turn on the radio just to double check but its a great feature. Also, I love the ecoRoute feature and the driving challenge which allows you to drive conservatively, save some cash while driving by avoiding breaking too fast or accelerating too fast and keep you within a speed range that allows you to do your best for your wallet and the planet. It’s pocket sized and again pretty sleek. It has maps of Europe and North America which is pretty awesome. After I registered my GPS, I got an e-mail from Garmin and they sent me a 10% off coupon for any accessory so I decided to buy the package lifetime maps for Europe and America (note: it costs about 150 and with the 10% off came to about 145 with taxes and everything… i figured for another 50 bucks why not get lifetime maps of europe while I’m at it)
Couple of perceived negatives. No more dings before the voice comes on (I missed that a lot at first). The default female American English voice that comes on with the Nuvi kind of sounds like a dictator… short, quick, and harsh… I changed my to a female Australian voice which is a lot more easier on the ears and havent complained since. Thirdly, on the 200 series (unlike the 300 series) you can’t load custom POIs like redlight alerts with custom sounds with MP3s but there is a workaround to that allows you to get your sounds with wav files. (google the workaround) So that’s fixed.
Also, I found the menu on the 350 to be a little easier to find things such as POI and restaurants b/c there were 6 icons per screen instead of 2 to 4 icons. I don’t like having to scroll too much while driving but that’s what you have to do on the 200 series. Other gripes: I have maps for Europe and North America but for whatever reason, the maps of Mexico aren’t complete with POIs…went onto the lifetime maps page and they specifically mention that Mexico isn’t included (I thought Mexico was part of North America but I guess Garmin doesn’t)
Here’s the biggest difference. When I first got my Nuvi 350, I loved it. It was a conversation starter. It was something new. It was bigger than the 275 and it kind of sat on my dashboard centerstage. It was supposed to be big and noticed. I think the nuvi 200 series might not get as much love because its about the same size but you hardly notice it. It kind of blends in with your car due to the small size and that is kind of the way its supposed to work. It’s a double edged sword. Now I forget that I have it on and I think that kind of takes some of the fun out of it. I know that might not make sense to a lot of the readers here, but I guess you’re supposed to be focused more on the road anyway.
I would take off .5 stars simply because it blends into the background too well but since I can’t I’m going to give it 5 stars. Hope everyone found this review helpful.
GPS – Garmin 275
We had a Magellan and liked it, but chose the Garmin this time since it has the
Europe maps also and Magellan didn’t seem to offer that. The Garmin is fine, finds the satellite much faster and starts off right away. We sort of miss the “ding-ding” when it’s time to turn, but the directions are good. It’s a little less clear about when to change lanes on the freeway, but with the two of us in the car it’s fine. We like the fact that it can be used by battery, too. All in all, I’d say we are happy with this product. (We have a GPS system in the car, but it is a pain…you can’t enter anything when the car is going, no touch screen, that’s why we decided to buy a portable model.)
Worked great on a trip to France/Italy
I bought this unit in preparation for a trip to the wine country of southern France and northern Italy. As this unit was the only affordable one that had European and North American maps, it seemed like an obvious choice. However, I was troubled by some of the reviews that reported difficulty getting a signal in parts of Europe, especially in Italy. Well, I just got back from my trip and the unit worked perfectly the entire time I was overseas. I never had trouble getting a signal and the maps were truly amazing – they recognized every little one-lane country road that I drove on. Before I left, I pre-loaded all my destinations, hotel addresses, etc. using google maps, so it was incredibly easy to navigate to where I wanted to go. There were a few occasions when the unit had me take a wrong turn, but that wasn’t a big deal, especially since the unit readjusts the route immediately. Overall, this unit greatly exceeded my expectations and did an excellent job navigating me through unfamiliar, confusing territory.
Nuvi GPS
Pros: Easy to use. Bluetooth connectivity. Lists points of interest and restaurants along with phone numbers – a very convenient feature. Live traffic.
Cons: Sometimes takes a while to search things. Sometimes does not automatically update the state and place it is at after air travel.
no bang for the buck
I bought this GPS to replace a TomTom 910 GO that was stolen in Belgium a couple of months ago expressly because it came loaded with European maps as well as US & Canada. Further, the reviews were favorable for the device overall. It’s very possible I just got the one in so many that came off the production line with a real sour disposition and attitude. Mine refused to connect to satellites right out of the box and then when it finally did — some hours, not minutes later — it actually worked fine for about two weeks and then opted to get cranky again to the point it finally just quit and refused to do anything. Tech support over email was helpful to try to get it started again but alas, that failed as well. It insisted on showing me in the middle of lakes at incorrect speeds and traveling in wrong directions. I returned it and will replace it with another TomTom as I have very high confidence in their products, especially the ones that come equipped with European and US maps.
Drive off a cliff with this one!
We purchased this unit as we were going to Greece and wanted to travel around by car. This unit was constantly getting “lost” and telling us to go every which way but the right way. On two separate occasions, it directed us to take a turn right off a cliff!
We understood that we were traveling in some pretty rugged areas and figured it would be better in Athens but that was not the case. It got us lost there also and almost cost us another day’s car rental fee by doing so.
I hope it’s better in the USA as it was worse than useless in Greece even tho it did show every cart path and dirt road. I would highly recommend that anyone using this in Greece should invest in a map and trust that first.
Nice UI, but so-so directions and maps
We had an old Magellan which needed updating, so I bought this one for my Wife for XMAS. The good is that the User Interface is much easier to use than our 4 year old Magellan. Things are easy to find, that’s the best part.
However, we REALLY miss the Ding-Dong; time to turn, audible signal of the Magellan (same as you might have heard on the Hertz Neverlost, if you’ve rented a car with one). This omission is incredibly annoying if you are used to it, you have to continually look at the 275 to see where you are in relation to your turn. It does give spoken indications, but they seem random to me. “Turn in 500 feet” or whatever, well unless I look at my display I may take the wrong turn if there are a few options in a short distance. I don’t have calibrated eyes to know what is 200 feet. On the Magellan it dings right at the turn so you know you are correct, without having to look at the display. There might be a setting to add this ding I heard from somebody, but if so I can’t find it! Maybe on another unit?
The other annoying thing is the directions are occasionally REALLY stupid. This was true on my Magellan, I chalked it up to it’s vintage, figured a new unit would be much better, but has not turned out to be at all. You get a free map update for 60 days, and stupid me, I forgot to download it before the period expired, and I didn’t want to pay again. Plus Amazon says “We sell so many of these you will get fresh maps anyway” when you buy it. So I hope this is not the issue. I haven’t necessarily noticed errors in the Maps yet, it is just the directions which are stupid. The other day I was heading for the interstate to go north a few exits, and it told me not to take the ramp right in front of me, but to go up a mile or so and wiggle through some back roads to the next entrance. This was not a new hiway entrance. So I’ve learned to not trust it necessarily to get you there the most efficient way, but it will get you there eventually. Google or Mapquest is much more logical if you have time to plan your trip. Just use the GPS for local info, route detours, and arrival info.
Another useful feature, I find the speed limit sign posted on the 275 to be quite accurate, and helpful. It often changes EXACTLY when you pass a changing speed limit sign, amazing on how they know it! Doesn’t always find this on back roads, but is usually good on main roads and hiways.
The free traffic service on the 275 attracted me as well, living in Atlanta! It is OK, kinda like the radio traffic, usually probably true about 15-30 minutes ago, but not necessarily RIGHT NOW! Mediocre marks from me, maybe it will get better as technology gets better for however they report it.
Haven’t used the Euro maps yet, my daughter will when she goes to England in June for a few weeks. We occasionally travel over there, so I hope it works well, we’ll see!
my experience we the 275t
Feb 26th to March 9th 2010 we used the 275t all the time and it worked flawlessly in the pedestrian mode it took us all around London and Paris then we drove around Birmingham uk If i had to critique this product it would be that it definatly needs a water proof carrying case with transparent top so you can see the screen also I can’t belive they did not have a lanyard to put around your wrist as it would be very easy to drop when your hands are wet like walking around London, also some one could grab it out of your hand unless you look big and mean like me .So to any one bying this go straght to Wal-mart and buy the bodyglove a pda or blakberry case it does a great job and it has a velcro strap attachment and spring clip that you could attach a lanyard to. I do not understand why Garman would not put a lanyard or a place to attach one on this fantastic litle machine we would of been lost with out it. I would have given it 5 stars if it had had the water proof case and lanyard.
Excellent GPS Navigator!
Bought this device recently as my first GPS navigator system. I was attracted to the 275T by being able to use it both in North America and in Europe. My expectations were definetely fulfilled – the navigator calculates routes and recalculates changes very fast and reliably. I especially like the feature that the 275T automatically calculates a detour in case there is heavy traffic or traffic jams on the original route. This is done by a wire antenna attached to the power cord which receives the traffic radio signals. The device can be also used when walking/hiking or for other sort of transportation. The display is very clear, and the speaker sound is comprehensible, too. To operate the 275T is fairly simple and you get easily used to it. The device holder which comes with the device can be easily attached on the windshield.
I am only missing a bit the possibility to find a city by zip code, but typing the city and then the address worked fine for me so far. I substract one star from the overall rating due to the fact that the map upgrade is only possible for either North America OR Europe. This is disappointing since the 275T is made for using it with both maps in the first place. So you need to select where you use the GPS most of the time to upgrade the maps for this continent.
Recommendation: Highly recommended!