Review: Garmin Nuvi 200 GPS Navigation

I have absolutely no sense of direction. I seriously have been to Walmart and Target numerous times, but still I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to get there on my own, and I still don't get the difference between the frigging LIE and Sunrise Highway.

I should have put a GPS on my 'things to buy' list ages ago. Seeing that Christmas was coming up though, I figured I'd put one on my want list, and maybe someone in my family would buy it for me. If not, oh well.

Well I got one and I must say that I am so glad that I did! The Garmin Nuvi 200.

I honestly thought I could just do without it, but ever since getting it, I have been hitting up all of my favorite stores, on my own, without having to make numerous phone calls to my boyfriend to tell him I was lost, and come and help me get home. Not only that, the nifty little guy also routes out places of interest as well. Yep... that would be little hidden gems of stores I never even knew existed.

Out Of The Box:
 
Out of the box, the Garmin Nuvi 200 came with of course the GPS itself, which is a 3.5 inch touch screen with a silver frame. Its slim, sleek, and weight practically as much as my sidekick cell phone. Basically it's light, but not feather light.

Besides the actual GPS, in the box also came the mount, which comes in 2 pieces, but you easily snap them together.

The GPS device clicks into the mount, which is very hard getting the thing in. I had to work at it, and found that it would be a pain in the rear to remove the GPS this way. Instead when I bring the GPS along, I unhook the entire mount and shove it into a pouch to protect it from scratches, and theft!

In the box you will also find the adapter which plugs into the back of the unit, and into the car lighter slot.

My Use:
 
I thought the Garmin Nuvi 200 would be hard to use, but once I hooked it up in the car I was shocked at how easily the unit worked. I simply plugged it into my lighter slot, and it powered on as soon as I started the car. Next it took about 10 seconds to load maps, and from there I hit the 'where to' screen, and entered the address where I was headed.

I tested it out on my way in to work to see how on point the unit would be, and the little Garmin Nuvi 200 didn't miss a beat. The unit speaks directions to me, tells me when to turn, and shows a bright easy to follow map, and my cars location.

I had the ability to adjust the maps as well by zooming in and zooming out.

I did not at all experience any lag. Also when driving I decided to go a different route than what the Nuvi 200 suggested, and in less than 5 seconds the unit re-routed itself to the direction I was heading. I was very, very impressed. The Nuvi 200 also calculated at round about for the time I would arrive at my destination.

When I got back home, and turned the car off, the Nuvi 200 asked if I wanted to keep it on, or power it off. I powered it off by using the touch screen. You can also power the unit off by sliding the power button over, which is located at the top of the unit.

I loved the fact that the unit saved my recent trips, so I didn't have to re-program them back into the unit. It made routing my way easier and faster the next time around. In fact, 2 clicks of the touchscreen, and I was off.

There is also a slot for an SD card to the left of the unit. Personally I had no use for such a feature, but for those interested, it is there.

I did run into one mess up when it came to calculating my route to a local Target. Instead of telling me to take a left turn into the shopping area, it told me to go left. Thankfully I could clearly see that the store was on the left, and not on the right like the unit commanded.

Volume:
 
The volume on this little unit is loud, clear, and easy to understand. The factory setting comes with a woman speaking directions, but I am not sure if a mans voice could be used. At any rate I like the voice, as it is loud and I can listen to music and directions without missing the units speaking commands.

You can adjust the volume on the touchscreen with ease.

It's Impressive:
 
The Garmin Nuvi 200 is impressive. It loads fast, has no lag, and best of all is easy to see. In direct sunlight the screen can be seen without an issue.

Issue:
 
The only real major issue I had with the Garmin Nuvi 200 was the fact that I could not remove the actual unit from the mount with ease. Once it is clipped into place it stays there pretty solid. If you remove it, it is also very hard to click back into place. It makes getting in and out of the car annoying, because as suggested you should never leave the unit in the car, because it is prone to theft.

When I get out of the car I have to take the entire thing with me, which is annoying due to its mounts shape.

The mount is placed onto the windshield with ease thanks to the suction cup, which mounts the entire unit up in seconds. Once click of an attached clip, and the Garmin stays put. You can rotate the screen around as well to make it comfortable for your viewing, without being distracting.

The only thing that worries me is the lifespan of this suction cup, seeing that you can clearly see it has springs inside of it. I imagine it will likely crap out in a few months due to the non-stop removing, and placing it back onto the window.

Overall:
 
Although it has some minor issues, the Garmin Nuvi 200 is one of the best gifts I got this holiday. I have the freedom to roam without fearing getting lost.

I highly recommend this unit to those who are not so great with directions, or for those who hate reading old school paper maps when you are out of town. An absolute must have.