Garmin Nuvi 200 Review

My Review of the Garmin Nuvi 200

As a writer, I really enjoy sharing information with the public about all types of products.  As a traveler I sometimes struggle with direction so I thought that a review on the Garmin Nuvi 200 would be a great idea.  I think that most of us get lost along the way occasionally but I think I was an exception to the rule!

No matter where I went, near or far, I felt like I needed some good direction and turn by turn support or else I was lost in no time.  I, like many other people, thought that all GPS systems where created equal.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  Upon extensive review here is some great information that I found out about one particular Garmin product.

Why I liked the Garmin Nuvi 200

• Ease of use
• Great price
• SD card slot
• Color selection
• No flip-up antenna
• Easy mounting
• Points of interest category
• Great sound quality

Ease of use – and the list goes on…

The product easy to navigate and manoeuvre so that you are spending less time setting it and more time travelling to where you need to be?  If you are looking to purchase a Garmin that is easy to use then this is one of the better models in the Garmin collection.

Perhaps one of the better features of the Garmin Nuvi 200 is the new and improved screen.  It comes with a 3.5” touch screen but the screen is brighter than any of the other models produced by the manufacturer.  With this new and improved screen the white is really white and no matter how bright the sunlight is you can still read your screen.  Moreover, the screen can be viewed from a wider viewing angle so you don’t have to be looking at it straight on to read where you are going.

Reasonable price for an overall great product

The Garmin Nuvi 200 is a great price compared to other Garmin’s on the market.  This is because some of the features and functions are not as great as with other products from the same manufacturer.  This doesn’t typically seem to hinder anyone’s opinions of this product because it still offers a great quality for a fairly reasonable price.  It is great for those who do not travel as frequently and looking to stay within a smaller budget.

SD card slot

Another great feature of the Garmin Nuvi 200 is the SD card slot that is located on the left side of the device rather than the right side.  Many people prefer the SD card slot location to be on the right side because it makes it easier to reach while driving.  Those who place their GPS on the left-side of their windscreen may find this a difficult task.  The slot is great for those who have an mp3 player.  However, this particular Garmin does not play audio, but it does provide customers an option to view photos.

Say goodbye to the antenna

The Garmin Nuvi 200 also got rid of the GPS antenna that flipped up.  Getting rid of the flip-up antenna allows the design of the product to be much more practical because that little antenna could obstruct your line of sight while driving.  However, not having the flip-up style antenna means that you cannot disable the GPS system which makes recalculating a route harder than necessary.  With Garmin’s GPS systems you can only recalculate your route based on your current location unless you disable the GPS device.

Easy to mount

The Garmin Nuvi 200 comes equipped with a suction cup mount which is perhaps the best way to mount your Garmin to the dashboard.  The suction cup mount adheres beautifully to the dash so you have no worries about the Garmin falling off while you are driving.  Some people find that the mount is not as useful as other styles of mounts because the power cord doesn’t attach directly to it.

However, with this particular model the power cord plugs directly into the device rather than the power cord connecting to the mount itself.  For some people this is a drawback because when you unhook the GPS device you have a power cord lying around in the car.  Others don’t mind it because it is easier to take the device in the house while leaving the mount in the car.

Finding Your Way With Your New Garmin

With the Garmin Nuvi 200 you can choose to navigate to a specific address or you can find a Point of Interest.  With the Points of Interest option you will have 20 different categories to choose from and some of those categories will be divided into sub-categories making it easier to narrow down your search selection.

With the 200 you will only be able to see four results at a time but each result will contain the street address for each point of interest.  In addition, if you click on the result you want the phone number will be displayed along with the name of the town and the option to click the Go button for instant directions or the save button to save it to your favorites.

Quality of Sound

A big feature of the Garmin Nuvi 200 is the fact that you get verbal directions in addition to written directions.  As you are driving a voice will tell you when to turn up ahead or how many feet to travel.  The speaker on the Nuvi 200 is loud enough for most to hear while traveling with the radio on at a normal level.  The instructions are clear and the voice is also clear enough to decipher.

What others are saying

• “I was really surprised by how easy it was to use.”
• “Very user-friendly while remaining highly functional.”
• “JPEG picture viewer, a calculator, a currency converter, a unit converter, and a world clock…”

Complaints

There are a few complaints on this particular product.  Some found that the map updates where not free for this particular model.  Others felt that the product did not provide them with accurate directions on more than one occasion.  However, the reviews that I read seemed to be more favourable for the Nuvi 200.

Where to purchase?

The Nuvi 200 is a product that can be found in many locations.  It is found on Amazon for a reasonable price and very competitive to other retailers online and in stores. Click here to see it.

Overall the Garmin Nuvi 200 is a great choice for somebody who is looking for a basic GPS device.  It doesn’t come with a ton of fancy extra features but it has everything that you need to get from point A to point B without getting lost at a very reasonable price.