Garmin nuvi 265T and 265WT in stock

UPDATE: Read my hands on Garmin nuvi 265WT review. I've also posted a Garmin nuvi 265T review.

I've just been informed that one of our favorite vendors, GPS Now, has received a shipment of the latest Garmin nuvi models -- the nuvi 265T and nuvi 265WT. As usual with new models, it appears that Garmin has saddled dealers with a minimum resale price, since they are being sold for the MSRP of $299.99 and $349.99, respectively. Nevertheless, these models pack some bang for the buck, with text-to-speech, Bluetooth for hands-free calling and free lifetime traffic. This is in addition to all the great new and advanced features that showed up on the first generation nuvi 2x5 series models, which I detailed in my hands on review of the nuvi 205W.

The 2x5T series traffic feature is ad supported (screen shot below). The ads appear to be subtle, but I haven't had a chance to try them out yet, so if you get one, add a comment and let us know what you think about the ads. The other caveat is that this is NAVTEQ traffic, and they cover less metropolitan areas than FM/TMC traffic or MSN Direct, so you may want to check out their coverage map before you buy.

The 265T has a 3.5" screen, while the 265WT bumps the screen size to 4.3". Otherwise these units are identical.

Get the nuvi 265T or nuvi 265WT at GPS Now. Orders placed by 5 p.m. Central Time ship today.

Read what consumers are saying about GPSNow.

Links to Garmin product pages:

• Garmin nuvi 265T
• Garmin nuvi 265WT

Comments

[AJ]

After looking at Garmin website I didn't find any info that states that the 265T/WT will use the NAVTEQ traffic. In their website it only says it uses the FM TMC if you click further you will find that the FM TMC in the US is provided by Total Traffic Control. Can you please confirm this?

[Rich Owings]

Yeah, their traffic page seems to be a bit out of date. It's in the news release
though...
http://www8.garmin.com/pressroom/mobile/082708.html

BTW, I have a 265WT and 755T I'm testing now and I hope to have reviews posted within a couple of weeks.

[AJ]

Thank you for your quick reply, I am in the process of geting a new GPS unit and I found the reviews that you have very helpful. The nuvi 265T is my first choice so far, looking forward for the review.

[David]

Does anyone know if this model has a warning attention tone before turns, and does it tell you the road you're on as well as the next turn?

[Rich Owings]

There's no "tone," but it calls out the turn a distance ahead of time and again as you get to it.

No, it does not tell you the road you are currently on, just the one you need to turn onto next. But you can tap the car icon to get to the "Where Am I" screen, which will give you the nearest address.

[David]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll stick with my Streetpilot then. Both features come in very handy on the road. More so than TTS and Widescreens. When I'm driving an unknown road, I like to know what road I am on, as well as the next turn. I don't know WHY they elimated these features in the Nuvi line. Stupid

[David]

Here's another thing I'm wondering. How useful is the Navteq traffic info. I have the TMC/FM on the SP c550, and have to say, it is about as useless as AM radio traffic reports. That is to say, most info is either late, or wrong. I have found this to be the case from CT up through Northern Mass. Frequently, I am told of delays that don't exist or not told of ones I am sitting in on major highways. Areas such as Boston do no employ traffic monitors, so the info is dicey. I wonder if Navteq is any better.

[Rich Owings]

I doubt that it is any better. Traffic just isn't up to snuff yet.

[David]

Not sure if you're aware of this, but Garmin has changed the subscription fee structure for TMC Traffic. Whereas it used to be $60 a year, with no Lifetime option, it is now $60 for the life of your unit. I'm sure this is a reaction to the negative experience consumers have had with this service. $60 to them is better than nothing, which is what the service is generally worth, and people see after 3 free months of false alerts and fictitious reports.

[Rich Owings]

Thanks David. I had been seeing rumors about it for awhile now.

[Bill]

Hi,
I'm new to the GPS arena and am considering a NUVI with the Navteq lifetime traffic subscription. However the comments I see here are discouraging. "False alerts and fictitious reports" won't do me any good.

So my question for you-all who've been using these devices/services for a while is this: are you seeing an improvement in the service over time? Is purchasing a unit with traffic reporting/re-routing capability likely to be worthwhile over time as the service reliability improves? Or does it just seem like a waste of money?

Thanks in advance!

[Rich Owings]

First of all,make sure NAVTEQ is available in your metro area...

http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2008/10/gps-traffic-cov.html

As far as quality goes, is best to find others in you area and see what service works best. This seems to vary a lot from one city to the next.

The best unit/service is the Dash Express, but they have stopped making hardware.