Garmin Quest 2 Review

The Garmin Quest 2 is an updated version of the original Quest GPS receiver. The Quest 2's internal memory comes pre-programmed with either the North American or European version of City Select NT. This is a significant improvement over the original unit, which would hold only 115 MB of maps, and had to be transferred from CD.

Four readers at Amazon gave an average 3-1/2 out of 5 star rating in their Garmin Quest 2 reviews. The editors there had this to say:

"If you're looking for a powerful companion to lead the way on your next road trip or your next trip across town, the Garmin Quest 2 is worth a serious look. With text-to-speech voice commands, a brilliant 256-color display, and a massive points of interest database, the Quest 2 has all the basics covered. Plus, with a weight of just 5.5 ounces and a width of 4.5 inches, the unit is compact and transportable, making it easy to use wherever your travels take you..."

Some additional info on the Quest 2:

• CNet gives a 7.3 (out of a possible 10) rating in their Quest 2 review.
• A relatively new entry in the Garmin line, hands-on reviews are hard to come by. GPS Information.net does a brief comparison of the Quest and Quest 2 however.

I’ll be posting more hands-on reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some other resources that may prove helpful:

• A PDF version of the Quest 2 owners manual.
• Want to see how the Quest 2 compares to other units? Use this handy Garmin automotive GPS comparison tool.
• There is a Garmin Quest message forum on Yahoo.
• Here is a Quest 2 FAQ page.

Compare prices on the Garmin Quest 2 at these merchants:

• Check the current Garmin Quest 2 price at Amazon.
• Find the Quest 2 low price at GPS Now.com.
• Get the Garmin Quest 2 for an amazing price on eBay.

From the official Garmin Quest 2 web page:

The Quest series has always been a versatile navigator for nearly any outdoor pursuit, and preloaded detailed road maps of all of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico make the Quest 2 even more popular to people looking for a small, yet full-featured, GPS device.

The Quest 2 features auto-routable, turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation with automatic off-route and detour recalculation. With the brilliant 256-color backlit TFT display, the Quest 2 is easy to read in any light. This waterproof unit also has a rechargeable internal lithium-ion battery that provides up to 20 hours of use.

The Quest 2 comes pre-loaded with City Select North America NT, which features full coverage of the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico—including nearly six million points of interest like gas stations, ATMs, hotels, restaurants, and attractions. The Quest 2 also accepts optional MapSource cartography like U.S. Topo, U.S. Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots®, and BlueChart®.

As an added benefit, you can now import customized points of interest with the help of Garmin's free POI Loader software. The possibilities are endless — upload safety cameras or school zones, and you will receive a warning if you are traveling too fast. In addition, an optional proximity-alert feature notifies you of upcoming custom POIs.

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Comments

[stephen cohen]

i really love my quest 2 I have had it for more than a year now. It is a 10/10 in my book cause of its large memory, bright screen, 20 hours battery, accessories and cool voice, LOTS of poi's, discounts on updated maps which I am doing now, and its waterproof to a degree,(have not tested this for obvious reasons) I take it everywhere and it allows for a great deal of personalization. I don't see the need to buy the nuvi for those new features which I don't really want or need. My Quest 2 is family now.

[Rich Owings]

Thanks Stephen. I've actually heard that the Quest 2 can be customized to a greater extent than the nuvi. The nuvi has a great interface, but it is limited in terms of options.