Customer Reviews

Garmin nüvi 265/265T 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

5 star:		(125)
4 star:		(118)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

This is a review of my first stand alone GPS unit. I have used iGuidance on my PPC with a bluetooth receiver in the past. The reason I purchased the 265t is for the "integrated FM traffic receiver" with the lifetime subscription. The integrated FM traffic receiver is one of my main gripes because it's not actually integrated into the unit itself. It's integrated into the power cable by an unsightly tumor that runs long about 3 inches along the length of the cable. So if you're in between cars and need the traffic capability, you can't forget the power cable. Other than the power cable, it's a nice simple looking unit.

The screen is clear and visible except for the most extreme angles of glare in which you might need to adjust it just a touch. The screen is very responsive when panning around the screen and even has a fairly accurate mouse pointer function if you want to get to a particular place on the map. The icons are clear and the tracking is smooth. The only improvements I could wish for is if the displaying information was able to be configured. Sometimes I just like to be ignorant of the speed limit and would rather like to know the distance to my destination rather than the ETA without having to keep tapping at the screen. A little arrow pointing north would also be nice.

Compared to my old iBlue receiver and iGuidance software the 265t locks onto satellites eons faster to get you going on the road ASAP. The FM receiver does warn you of upcoming traffic with a little icon in the upper left corner with an expected delay time but I can't comment on it's diverting capabilities yet, even with a recent traffic heavy trip from NY to Toronto. Some areas just don't have the traffic information when you need it which isn't the fault of the unit, but the lack of coverage of the traffic reporting area.

One difference I would like to point out where iGuidance may have better function over this nuvi is that you can detour around specific roads in the route list, whereas detouring with nuvi is perhaps oversimplified. Once you hit detour, you're at the mercy of the unit.

Overall, it's a fun little gps. It's pocketable, functional, not too gimmicky, and has more POI than I imagined. There might be a few more menus you wish you didn't have to go through, but for the most part it's organized and has outstanding search capability.

This is my 4th Garmin GPS and I love it! The other writer mentioned the extra "tumor" for about 3 inches. If that bothers you, well I am NOT that anal and it is hardly even obvious. Who cares about the power cable any way? The unit's screen is clear, bright, easy to read. Lot's of improvements. Considered the 265WT but frankly just prefer the smaller screen for walking or riding a bike, just fits in pockets better and still large enough to see easily in an automobile. I agree that the start-up is FAST-FAST. A great improvement over several previous Garmin models. I highly recommend this one!
**I have now used this for a few weeks. The screen is actually brighter and the colors much more vivid than previous models I have owned. Up-to-date locations and the voice is an improvement over prior models as well, much easier to understand street names and names of saved people\locations. For the money-you can't go wrong. When I go to Europe again in the future I am getting the 275 model which is the same as this but has maps for Europe as well. Again, I do prefer the 3.5" vs. the 4.3" screen size. It's very easy to see in the car and so compact for walking, hiking etc. Garmin keeps making improvements and this little unit is a GREAT value, highly-highly recommend it.
***OK, I have used this for months now and it has NEVER gotten me lost, never. Previous models at least got me lost once. I am more than pleased I made the investment in this little puppy. Fast, easy to see (even in bright conditions, better than prior Garmins I had). It's worth the extra bucks to get this vs. others, well worth it and I could not be more pleased now.

I live in San Jose CA and drive in the bay area of San Francisco.

I have had the unit about 2 weeks now.

Any gps unit that you buy today should lock on in seconds, give accurate directions, have a display that is not confusing and have a simple menu navigation system. It does all of these things well except give accurate directions.

My other gps the Tom Tom 130 does everything mentioned above well, but lacks the traffic feature so I will return it. But it always gives very good directions 100% of the time. I just wish it had the traffic capability and I would keep it.

The directions that the Nuvi 265 gives are accurate most of the time, but occasionally gives strange non optimized directions. I don't know if it is because of the traffic component or not. The directions that are not the best only lose about 5-10 minutes at the most.

The unit's philosophy is to have a minimalist view of everything. It only displays what you need to know based on the route you are taking.

My other complaint is that it takes about 5-10 minutes to access the traffic information. There is also no direct way to look at the traffic map. For example if your destination does not involve using the traffic feature, it won't display the traffic map. I wish I could just go to the traffic map directly.

What I like about the traffic is that it does route around problems and it gives warnings about slowdowns ahead, which is nice. So the traffic feature is nice to have and I wouldn't want a unit without it.

So my dilemma is that can I live with less than accurate directions some of the time in exchange for the free traffic that does work well when I am going through an area with traffic jams.

I am also considering the Dash Express and the Navigon 2200T which I may try out.
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UPDATE Nov 21 2008

I am upgrading my rating to 4.9 stars
For in depth review see this site.
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2008/11/garmin_nuvi_265wt_review.php

The reason is that while it gives inaccurate directions some of the time, it is only because I know a more direct route or I know that even though it gives a more direct route, those streets are slower, than a slightly longer way that I know through experience. So you buy a gps for when you DON'T KNOW where your going, not where you do know where your going.

The traffic functionality does pop up right away during rush hour, (within a few minutes). If shows you problems and how far they are away. You can see a traffic map by going through a few screens and unzooming. It also shows a yellow or red colored line next to the road if you are in a traffic jam and when it will end. So overall it works really well. I also read that Navteq traffic (the free FM) works better than MSN paid service according to this site.
http://www.gpsreview.net/traffic/

I read here that Dash is no longer selling new units, although on their site it shows that they do, they cut 50% of their staff and want to focus on selling their traffic software to other companies. See this page and scroll down.
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/

I am getting the Navigon 2200T to try out but consumer reports rates it very low, compared to the 265WT. In fact the only other serious competitor to the 265, on consumer reports, for the price is the Garmin Nuvi 760, its an older model, which costs about the same as the 265, but you have to pay for traffic at $10 a month and it has some other extra features, none of which I would use.

My only real complaint is the non qwerty keyboard, which bugs me. The only reason that they don't have it is to get you to buy the 265WT which does have it. So the trade of might be to get the 265WT just for qwerty keyboard. I also like the fact that you can transfer addresses directly from Mapquest or Google maps through the computer cable, which is nice.

Sure if it was perfect it could have reality view lane selector, 3-D maps, voice recognition, historical traffic info, directions to which side of the street, instant Dash Express like traffic interface, ipod connection, fm to car radio input, better cell phone integration(I don't use this), XM satellite reception and everything else you can think of.

But for now it does have very good traffic options, good directions, very fast response time, nice responsive touch screen, and a very affordable price which is now $40 less than I paid only 2 weeks ago $239.

So someone show me how you can get something better for the price or close to it.

I purchased this for my mother. Fortunately, I was able to get it working for her. The traffic receiver didn't work out of the box. The included instructions didn't include registering on-line or downloading the required updates. My mother would not have known how to do this on her own.

I succesfully registered the device with Garmin.com and downloaded the firmware and software updates. After a couple restarts of the device, it recognized the FM traffic receiver and worked flawlessly.

Overall, it's a great GPS. However, I'm disappointed that Garmin doesn't provide decent instructions about downloading updates.

I had a Garmin c320 for a few years that I was mostly happy with, but I was ready to upgrade after hearing about some of the new features. Here are the highlights that, in my opinion, make this GPS the best bang for your buck.

* Like all Garmins, the interface is designed for ease of use. My grandparents use a Garmin. However, if you are looking for customization, you might want to consider a TomTom.
* The routing engine is very good. Caveat: Be wary that the points of interest (POI) addresses may be inaccurate. If you have a specific address, enter it!
* The 265T is much quicker at getting a satellite lock when turning on than my c320. Starting from power on, usually about 10-15 seconds vs. 1-2 minutes before.
* The traffic service is free (ad-supported). Other makes and models require a subscription, which I'm not a big fan of. The ads are unobtrusive and appear only on startup and on arriving at your destination.
* Text to speech
* The new interface is much more helpful, specifically, the upcoming turn direction indicator.

The higher end Garmin features, such as lane assist, 3-D building view, mp3 player, etc. seem superfluous to me. Voice recognition would be cool, but the 855 and 885T models are very expensive. If you want a widescreen model, the 265WT is exactly the same except for a bigger screen. Still, I don't have any problem reading the 265T's screen and its approx. $50 cheaper.

P.S. I would highly recommend getting the Garmin Friction Mount as well. This will prevent suction cup rings on your windshield, to reduce your profile for theft.

This is my first GPS, but I am very happy with the 265T's performance. Used it on a recent vacation to San Diego and it worked great...didn't use a map once.

Directions were precise, easy to understand and when I tried to outguess the GPS I was usually wrong, but the unit quickly (very quickly actually) recalculated and got me going in the right direction.

With the spoken street names you may not need the widescreen model. I used the 265T in a rented Toyota 4Runner and my 3 series BMW and I could easily read the screen in both vehicles.
Pros:
Small and easy to transport...kept it in my back pocket when I was out of the car.
Calculates/recalculates very fast.
Love the "where am I" feature. Makes finding a gas station near the rental car return location very convenient.
The traffic feature makes this a great everyday GPS. (I'll provide a traffic specific update in a couple of weeks.)
Cons:
The software updates right out of the box can be a little confusing and you need a computer with Internet access to download the updates. Most have Internet access, but I'm sure some don't. Keep that in mind if you're buying this as a gift.
Some directions were delivered a bit late...mostly downtown driving in compact areas. It helps if you drive a little slower.

Overall great little (big enough) GPS. Amazon was awesome as always. I asked for and received a $40 credit when the unit went on sale a week after I ordered mine. Can't beat AMAZON and I wonder how much longer the brick and mortar stores can survive.

UPDATE (7 Jan): Traffic Feature
After about a week using the traffic feature I've arrived at two conclusion.
1. Although FM traffic in my area advertises traffic flow and incidents (big difference with more info available at the FM traffic website), the Nuvi is much better at reporting incidents. It will give me incident data for most of my metro area in addition to any incidents en route.
2. Traffic flow is hit/miss. I encounter two areas in my daily afternoon commute that I know are usually bumper to bumper for 5-10 minutes...the Nuvi has not reported either of these. So either the traffic reports are very good and they recognize routine and typical traffic flow back-ups or they are very bad and miss them. Either way, it's worth the $200 price of admission. ALSO, I've noticed that the Nuvi will remember your preferred way home and to work and will default to the route when you enter your destination...nice feature.

This portable GPS navigator by Garmin really comes in handy when you're trying to find your way around in unfamiliar territory. It used to be, of course, that you had to read a map--or try to find someone who would take the time to give you street directions. I remember so many times as a kid the frustration my parents felt when they had taken us on a long road trip to visit relatives and by accident they got lost after making a wrong turn onto the wrong highway. No more of this aggravation! Once it's juiced up and attached to your windshield you'll be ready to go!

There are many bells and whistles that come with this device, but first and foremost this is a fine device that tells you which roads to take to get from point A to point B. You get your choice of a man's voice or a woman's voice and there's a volume control, too. Other options actually include a British version of English and that's great. (It's not hard; for example, the British version will say "straight on" when they mean just go straight through an intersection). It's also remarkably easy to find directions once you merely type in the street address of your destination. You can zoom in on a map and zoom out with ease, too. If you have any concerns; don't worry--reading the manual for actually using this in your car is scarcely even necessary. Much like classic Windows software (excepting maybe the first few times you use Office 2007) it's all very intuitive and you won't be wasting time figuring out how to work this. I learned many of its main features simply fiddling with it rather briefly.

One thing that is absolutely wonderful is that you can easily save several addresses so that you can just scroll through the menu until you find the desired destination--and then just press one button to get the GPS up to par almost instantly, telling you which roads to take! It's an incredible little device that really does so much considering how small it is.

The extra special bells and whistles include notices about traffic jams up ahead. There are shaded terrain abilities; movie schedules and even weather reports included amongst the extras!

Overall, this GPS navigator by Garmin is excellent. In addition to all the plusses I mentioned above, the colors on the display are crisp and the display is extremely easy to read. It's all very intuitive. I highly recommend this product!

Own a Nuvi 360 for more than a year and am very happy with it. This time wants to try one with free traffic which is the only reason of getting the 265T, do not want the 4" model.

When having it side-by-side with 360, most of the time the 265T seems to make the announcement a second or two before the 360 says it. Though the 265T is also the same screen size, but it does look a bit smaller. And it's appearance also looks like the decades-old pager. Good thing is that it does not have the antenna flip. 1 draw back is that it has 3 lines of turn-by-turn display instead of the 4 lines on 360.

Traffic report is interesting but it's not real-time. Do not know what's the logic. While driving on busy freeway, every now and then it says traffic ahead. I realized the freeway was not free which means traffic was busy but I still could drive 65 MPH and there was no accident.
Pressing the traffic search icon showed yellow color on the route. When pressing further, it showed the spot where slow/busy traffic was. I don't rely on it but I take it as an advice.

1 thing bothers me is that in order to use the traffic report, we have to connect the provided car adapter (or power cord) which has the FM transmitter. What that means is if I use other USB cable to charge the GPS, I won't be getting the traffic report. Or if I just take the GPS to other car, I won't be getting the traffic report. Thinking along this line, I am interested in getting another car adapter. Looking up on the internet, I found out that special car adapter is sold for about $100 a piece but the 265T itself that comes with the adapter is selling for under $200.

Good to see the flip-up antenna is gone which makes it practical for people use it in pedestrian mode. It would be perfect if the traffic FM transmitter is built into the GPS device.

I have only used my first GPS for 3 days, but I already enjoy the great features
(1) Free traffic - It works surprisingly well for me in east SF bay area, it accurately and promptly reports conditions of 680 and 880. Even though I use 680 and 880 every day for commuting, I am often hit by traffics on 680 and 880, but today, 265T guided me correctly. This saves me time and money - I think those global warming guys should provide rebate for FM equipped GPS!
(2) Bluetooth - Works well with my Samsung Beat. It supports address book as well. The only problem is that the Beat always ask for accepting GPS or not even though security is off. I am still trying to find a way so that Beat accepts GPS without asking for confirmation(It always works if the phone tries to connect GPS, no question asked)
(3) GPS - Response time is very good. Speaker is loud enough for me.
The only problem I had with this unit is that there is a pixel always stays as dark blue at lower left corner. But Amazon staffs have been really helpful on resolving this issue. All in all, I am very happy with this unit and Amazon service.

Update: Overall still very good GPS. But now I have two minor issues:
(1)Like other reviewers mentioned, local travel time is off because it does not take traffic light delays into account. In the case of slight traffic on highway, it often results in wrong judgment(insisting to use local roads)
(2) GPS lock time had been very good, but somehow it became slower and slower. I had to perform firmware reinstall and it locks very quick again(within 10 seconds)

Update 2:
I did not see other reviewer mentioned often, but this device supports custom POI - The most useful one for me is Red light and Speed camera - It gives a warning when your car approaches these cameras!(You can select how far to alert) I found Trapster POI file very accurate and it is free! The CSV files can be easily modified. I would purchase GPS sooner if I knew today's GPS can support so many fancy features - Some are money saving features(It is particular useful for east bay area traveler, lots of cameras!)

Update 3: 12/10/2009
Up to 2 block inaccuracy around San Francisco Moscone center. I went to this area serveral times for meetings, this GPS never lost signals in this tough area, but it may show me on neighbour street. I suspect other GPS will have same problem because this is signal quality issue due to surrounded by tall buildings. I simply follow two rules in this situation:
A. Follow voice prompt for next turn - when it says keep left/right after turn, do keep left/right after the turn
B. The default 3D normal view shows about 3 blocks, if 2nd turn is 2 block within next turn, it will show up in the map. So after next turn, if GPS put you on wrong street or does not update map, do not panic, drive calmly, the GPS will catch up within 2 blocks. So you either know where is 2nd turn or GPS will tell you in time.
Following these two simple rules, I have not missed any turn yet.

Another suggestion is to use simple prompt for warnings. I used "Attention, Red light camera ahead" before, my colleague said it was cool the first time, but it soon became very annoying around Moscone center because there are so many camera.

This GPS is much more than just a GPS, I also use it as a bluetooth handsfree carkit for my BlackBerry and now my iPhone.
It's a smaller GPS than my earlier Garmen's with the most features.
This model comes with lifetime traffic and the only "price" is the small ads.
I also find the speed limit and my actual speed useful as this helps me to drive in the speed limit all the time.