Pros: Ease of use, clear display
Cons: Old maps
The bottom line: Perfect entry level GPS. Not bogged down with useless features.
This is the first GPS I’ve had so I can’t compare it to another manufacturer or model. In a nutshell, the Garmin nüvi 200W is a simple to use GPS with a big, clear display. The menus and buttons were intuitive. At no point have I needed to reference the manual. I found the POI (points of interest) to be an interesting feature although I haven’t needed to use it yet. The directions, however, need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Entering a designation is very simple and straight forward. After the GPS boots up (about 1 minute) an initial screen appears asking if you want to enter an address or a wide array of points of interest such as restaurants, shopping, etc. All entries are entered though the touch screen and each entry will take you to the logical next step. Once the information is entered, the GPS needs to lock onto the satellites. This has taken between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. After that it’s a matter of following the displayed map and/or listening to the directions.

I’m happy with the large display. It’s bright, clear and easy to read at a glance since, after all, you’re driving. At the same time, you’re getting verbal commands. The street names are displayed on the screen but not verbalized. With a touch of the screen you can pan, zoom in or out with relative ease to get the big picture of where you’re going. If you stray off the recommended path, the GPS will quickly recalculate an alternate plan.

Don’t expect the directions to be perfect. This only knows what was entered for its map. I’ve found that, out of the box, it won’t recognize recent road changes, say within the last 4 or 5 years. There are updates available from the Garmin website but I don’t know what they entail. It’ll also make some dumb assumptions. I had to take a loop between highways which had an exit and entrance ramp on the inside of the loop circumference. It saw this as a shorter route by a few feet so had me get off and back on the loop.

I did a bit of research before buying a GPS and am happy with my choice. It’s simple, easy to use and I haven’t found a glaring lack of features. It’s not a $700 GPS but nor did I want to spend $700.