Garmin is a leading manufacturer of GPS-based navigation systems for automotive, marine, aviation and outdoor purposes. The GPS series of Garmin handhelds has been around for a while, with the GPS III+ being one of the company's best sellers. Garmin skipped the GPS IV designation, however, and went right to GPS V, which we've found to be much improved over the GPS III+.
Truly a handheld at 5.0 x 2.3 x 1.6 inches and only 9 ounces with batteries, it easily slips into a jacket pocket. The screen is black and white with four shades of gray and 256 x 160 resolution for excellent contrast. A great feature of the GPS V is its ability to be used either vertically or horizontally. No other portable GPS has this feature.
Garmin's auto GPS units can either stand alone with a built-in base map of all the country's major roads or in conjunction with computer-based software. The software adds a whole new dimension to GPS-based navigation in your vehicle. On the computer, you can create routes, set waypoints or favorite places and do all your planning. Most hardwired NAV systems can't do this.A new mapping system using MapSource City Select software allows you to fit a great deal more info into the GPS V's standard 19 MB memory. The mapping software for the United States is split into 10 regions and you get just one regional unlock code with your purchase; the others are available for a fee. We found MapSource to be up to date and fairly easy to use. Out on the road, the GPS V can sit on the dash because it isn't big enough to block your forward view. Of course, this compact size means the GPS V's screen is a bit small.
Things we like about the GPS V * Compact size * Clearly marked controls control * Quick sa
Before hitting the road, upload the area map, some routes and some waypoints at home. Once on the road, the GPS V works just great. The screen is good enough to make out any landmark or street and the unit beeps to alert you of an upcoming turn. It then switches from the map screen to display a large picture of what's coming next, like a right turn on Main Street.
A new feature to the GPS V is WAAS or Wide Area Augmentation System. Basically, WAAS is a system of ground-based signaling stations that have known locations. Using what the GPS says is your location and what the known location of a WAAS station is, you're able to get up to five times more accuracy with WAAS than just GPS alone. The unit's accuracy can get within 10 feet.
Navigating a route is simple. If it's an already-programmed route, calculation is quick. Infinitely programmable, you can display only the sequence of turns, the map with just the next turn or the map with up to four small info fields like speed, ETA, direction and lots more.
It's very rare the GPS V doesn't give you enough notice for an upcoming turn. Only when you had to make a turn and then an immediate turn would it be a little too close. Otherwise, it even tells you to get in the right-hand lane for a right turn in 1,500 feet and then gives successive warnings until the turn is made.
Using the "Find" button for addresses takes some getting used to because entering things like East 5th Street could be E 5 St. or East 5th or East Fifth. But in the end, we figured it out with the assistance of Garmin's friendly tech department. The GPS V's "Points of Interest" could use some updating, however. During our test we tried to find a Costco warehouse store, but one wouldn't come up, no matter what heading we used. Oddly enough, we finally found one under ATMs.If you want navigation for your car, but don't have $2,500 or more to spend on a dedicated in-dash system, then you need to look at a system like this. The GPS V will run you about $500 and comes with everything you need.
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