UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.
The Garmin nuvi 250W is a 4.3" wide-screen version of the Garmin nuvi 250. Depending upon which side of the pond you live on, the nuvi 250W comes with pre-loaded maps of North America or Europe. This is a basic navigation device – no MP3 player, no Bluetooth, no text-to-speech. The one frill is the extra wide touch-screen. Yet even without the bells and whistles, it's Garmin nuvi quality through and through. Like all nuvis, it comes with nearly six million points of interest (POIs).
UPDATE: A new model, the nuvi 255W, offers these features and more.
If you don't need maps of Alaska, you might want to consider the Garmin nuvi 200W. And if these units don't suit your needs, check out our Garmin nuvi comparison chart for one that does.
Compare prices on the Garmin nuvi 250W
GPS Magazine has posted the first hands-on Garmin nuvi 250W review. Here's an excerpt from their conclusion:
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"Despite being billed as an entry-level nuvi, the 250W actually improves
upon some critical features, such as the updated map screen, address
input interface, new mapping data, and more solid construction."
More Garmin nuvi 250W reviews
- Consumers are posting their own Garmin nuvi 250W reviews at Amazon.
- GPS Lodge has posted a great nuvi 200W / nuvi 250W review.
- A Girl Must Shop posts a wonderful Garmin nuvi 250W review from a woman's perspective.
- Technical Itch has also posted a detailed Garmin nuvi 250W review.
- CNet UK has posted a Garmin nuvi 250W review, giving it a 7.5 (very good) rating.
- GpsPasSion has a nuvi 2xxW series user review thread.
- ComputerActive has posted a Garmin nuvi 250W review, giving it 5 stars.
- The Insider reviews the nuvi 250W.
at Amazon.I'll be posting more hands on GPS reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some…
Other Garmin nuvi 250W resources
- Confused about so many models of GPS receivers? Try the Garmin mobile GPS comparison tool.
- Or check out our own Garmin nuvi comparison chart.
- There is a dedicated Garmin nuvi message forum at GpsPasSion.
- Five tips for nuvi newbies
Compare prices on the Garmin nuvi 250W at these merchants:
- Check the current Garmin nuvi 250W price at Amazon.
- Get a great deal on the
Garmin nuvi 250W Wide-Screen Automotive GPS System with North American Maps
at TigerGPS, where you get free shipping on orders above $250. - Check out the deal on a
Garmin nuvi 250W Automobile Navigator
at TheNerds.net. - Get the Garmin nuvi 250W for an amazing price on eBay.
- I'll be adding more vendors to this list as the nuvi 250 becomes available.
From the official Garmin nuvi 250W web page:
With its easy-to-use touchscreen, preloaded maps of North America or Europe and widescreen display, the affordable nüvi 250W delivers directions on the go — wherever life takes you. For an additional cost savings, check out nüvi 200W which offers less map coverage at a lower price.
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With nüvi 250W's widescreen display, you'll always get the big picture. View map detail, driving directions, photos and more in bright, brilliant color. Its sunlight-readable, antiglare, landscape, 4.3-inch display with white backlight is easy to read — from any direction.
Navigate with Ease
nüvi 250W comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator® NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, nüvi 250W accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.
Take It With You
Like the rest of the nüvi 200-series, nüvi 250W sports a sleek, slim design and fits comfortably in your pocket or purse. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot.
Go Beyond Navigation
Navigation is just the beginning. nüvi 250W includes many travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. It also comes with Garmin Lock™, an anti-theft feature, and configurable vehicle icons that let you select car-shaped graphics to show your location on the
map. Optional plug-in SD cards let you add additional features. Purchase Garmin Travel Guides for detailed data on attractions and our SaversGuide for information on nearby merchants offering discounts to customize nüvi for your travel needs.
nüvi 250W: Widescreen navigation at an affordable price.
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About Rich Owings
Hi,
Just wondering why Garmin doesn’t have text-to-speech with the nuvi 2XX range? It’s only software right? And these units already have voice prompts?
I realise they want to have different ends of the market covered, but the lack of an external antenna is a killer feature IMO. What do you think?
Cheers,
Damien.
Damien,
You’re right. It’s probably only software, though perhaps the unit would need more RAM and a slightly better processor too.
I guess its one of the few features Garmin could pull out to make a truly entry level nuvi. We’ll probably see an updated 300 series line at some point, with the new internal antenna, though I don’t know if they are in any hurry to do that. After all, the 350 and 360 are the top selling nuvis, by far.