Customer Reviews

Nextar W3-01 3.5-Inch Touch Screen GPS Vehicle Navigator

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this recently, knowing nothing about any GPS models and the differences between them. I was attracted by the low price and decided I would take a chance. If it didn't work well, I would simply return it within the 30 days.

It didn't take long for the unit to establish my location (home). Figuring out how to use it took less than 10 minutes. Entering destination information is easy, simply tapping on the screen, and the unit allows you to store favorite locations. Voice instructions are clear and easy to follow and there have been no misdirections. Amongst a number of cool features, I like the fact that you can do a "demo" run - sort of like a trial run of the journey before driving - very cool! So far, no problems at all and I wish I had bought one earlier, instead of trying to follow printed MapQuest directions. I would like to come back and rereview once I have used this for longer.

One reason I have not given this 5 stars at this time, is that the mounting unit (which for some reason does not match the picture in the instructions) is a little short, which makes positioning in the car a little challenging. Not enough of a problem to bother me though.

Also a little troubling, is sometimes it doesn't recognize a street name, which means that you have to either be familiar with the area or experiment a little to help the unit pinpoint the exact location. I can do this in the state where I live. Not sure I could do this in other states though.

Overall, so far so good and, as it hasn't got me lost yet, I am very satisfied with performance and price.

I bought this on a Gold Box special for four reasons: the other reviewer had given it 4 stars, the manufacturers web site had this listed at $299, Amazon had the "date first available on Amazon" as May 2, 2008, and I knew this was the newer model to the W3, which I had purchased as a gift for a family member last year. So I incorrectly assumed the maps would be up to date.

Unfortunately, even though my house is 3 years old, my street is still not listed on the maps, so obviously the maps installed on this GPS are very, very old and useless to me. The date of manufacture as listed on the box is September 2007. Even my old GPS has my house and street on it.

I checked the Nextar web site, and they don't have updated maps for this GPS unit. Even if they did, they charge $50 for map updates, so I would recommend not buying this GPS.

Additionally, the Nextar W3 (prior model) that I gave as a Christmas gift to a family member last year broke after only 4 months of use.

I know I should talk a bit about the features, but the fact is this is a GPS unit first and foremost. Maps are the single most important feature of GPS units. But, just to touch upon the features, I didn't care for the voice, it was robotic in comparison to my MIO that uses inflection in a pleasant manner. The screen was not as clear as the MIO either. I did like the volume toggle, and I doubt I would use this as an MP3 player, but that is an option.

This unit exceeds my expectations based on the $79 purchase price. I find the menus logical and very easy to use. I haven't bothered to read the instruction book. So far it has taken me to every address that I have put in it and the listing of business, gas stations and restaurants seems very complete given the limitation of only 1.6 million points of interest. I especially like the interface for selecting destinations, once you start to type in the name of the state and city; it jumps to that name usually after only 2 or 3 letters are input saving a lot of time. I find it amusing that in the menu system Wal-Mart has its own button! No typing required!

I find the voice instructions are very helpful when negotiating city traffic in an area that is unfamiliar. It is much safer than trying to look at the screen and the volume control is easy to reach. It lacks a few features of the more expensive models, or perhaps I just haven't found them yet (maybe I should read the book) but it seems to do a good job of doing what I bought it to do, that is to show me where I am relative to where I want to get to. I like to plan my own routs. I have found that many GPS units lack the proper filters in rout selection menus to be completely trusted with cross country route planning, for example, no dirt roads, and if you tell it to take the shortest route possible you had better be prepared for the consequences. This unit is no exception. You can tell it to stay on major roads and it will do a good job of route planning, and it routs well once you get to a city or town, but if you use it for traveling cross lots in the country you have to be careful about what you ask it to do. For instance if you ask it to take you to a location that is many miles south west of where you are presently located and tell it to take the shortest route, it will do exactly that. Because of the offsets in the north south roads at county/township lines, the shortest route will be a zig zag west then south then west, then south path because it will avoid going the 50 or 60 foot east, at those road offsets. Perhaps this is just peculiar to my area, I don't know, but you just have to be smart enough to ignore it sometimes, because it will do exactly what you tell it to.

Overall I am very pleased with this unit. It is easy to use, the voice is easy to understand and has good volume, and the mounting bracket works well and seems very secure. I wouldn't expect this unit to match the performance of a more expensive unit, but it seems very adequate for my needs.

i bought this nextar because i travel alot and it always costs me at least an extra $15 a day on GPS rental. so i did my research and found this nextar W-3 GPS on amazon. i bought it and have been using it for about a month now. it's a great Navi system. i recommend it to everyone.
dont trust the reviews. for the price you cant go wrong

I've only been using it for a few weeks. The biggest drawback is that it takes a few minutes to find a GPS signal...

Its good GPS but takes 10 minutes to find signal.... Sometimes it takes up to thirty minutes to find a signal..... It really pisses me off..... When it actually finds a signal, it works great......

As an auditor I traveled often to unfamiliar cities and needed a reliable (yet affordable) GPS unit. After less than 5 months the original model froze while I was in the middle of a remote area in Arizona leaving me to buy a printed map from a general store in order to get to my afternoon appointments and then home. The inconvenience cost me two hours of unpaid time trying to navigate around by printed map. Very annoyed.

Called customer support the next day to find that I had to pay out of pocket to return the unit for replacement or repair. Three weeks later, and three weeks of using google and [...] I had a refurbished unit that glitched from day one. I called customer support to be told that I needed to return the unit. I requested that a replacement be sent immediately but that's not part of their return policy. Again, out of pocket came the return postage and more time without a GPS. This unit (W3-01), the third one in less than 2 years, froze yesterday midway to my destination. I'm not amused and instead of ponying up another $10 to send it back I'm just going to go with a different name brand.

Its stock voice is pleasant.. Screen image is clear and crisp..
We've used ours driving from Chicago to Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and the whole way to Vermont! We were never lost..
One complaint ~ the car adaptor got broken after plugging & unplugging under normal usage..
Would purchase again if I needed to..

Excellent product easy to set up and use, we love it and wouldn't be without it

This is easy to use. I set it up to take me on major routes to my destination. This will occasionally take you a little out of your way, but probably not a longer time period. It is so much less expensive than most GPS's I worried that it would be hard to use. It has a feature for music that I don't use and can't imagine why I would -- maybe for exercise walking? The screen is easy to see, and the voice directions make it safe to use also. I liked it so well that I have bought another as a gift.

The disadvantage is that the instructions say not to start the car with it plugged in. It is easy to forget to plug it in after starting the car so it might need charging at just the wrong moment. And it is easy to forget to unplug it before turning off the engine. Also the auto charger cord is so short that it is stretched tight and comes unplugged easily. The unit now has available on line a charger that can be plugged into household current. Map updates are not yet available on line.