The Rosson Register

When it comes to road safety you can never be too careful. So when I saw the specs on Garmin’s new nüvi 885T, I had to try it out.

I acquired one of these nifty devices yesterday and substituted it for my nüvi 760. I also recently used the nüvi 855 and will be using both of these models as benchmarks for comparison.

First off, let’s get some perspective on pricing. Amazon.com consistently has the lowest price on these (and has a good return policy, no tax, and free shipping) so all pricing and links refer there.

nüvi 760: $199.99
nüvi 855: $249.99
nüvi 885T: $369.31

Similarities

All three models are 4.3-inch widescreen, preloaded with City Navigator North America maps, feature an FM transmitter, and have handy on-board software like calculator, currency converter, JPEG viewer, etc. Each allows multi-destination routing and is expandable via SD card for use with content plug-ins or extra music storage, though the 855 and 885T use microSD only. Each also comes with a “Safe Mode” feature that has to be disabled in order to play with it while the car is moving.

The 855 and 885T both have lane assist to guide you to the correct lane for your route, though I have not found this feature particularly useful. If you watch the road instead of your GPS, navigating to the correct exit is not usually a problem.

FM Transmitter

One thing I’ve noticed uniformly about the nuvi line is the poor reviews of their FM transmitter functionality. I must comment, however, that I have been extremely satisfied with it, and I also live in a major metropolitan area. I use it for navigation prompts, phone calls, and music with very good clarity. I do notice a degradation in signal strength and increase in static when the unit is unplugged, so for best results, I suggest keeping it plugged in.

Speech Recognition and Remote Control

Moving onto what really sets these units apart, the 855 and 885T introduce a great speech recognition engine that compelled me to buy these. It has a small remote control that straps onto your steering wheel so you can easily use your thumb to activate the listening mechanism. You can issue commands like “view map,” “find place by name,” “find place by category,” “go home,” “music player,” “dial number,” and more: any prompt or menu you see on the screen can be activated by voice. While navigating the menus this way can be a bit more time consuming than using the touch-screen, it is certainly safer than constantly taking your eyes off the road. And I’m all about safety.

Bluetooth for Hands-Free Calling

One thing that really baffled me was the lack of Bluetooth on the 855. Why add a safety feature like voice activated menus and not take it all the way by incorporating Bluetooth? Probably so Garmin could add it as a special feature in the 885T and charge an extra $100 for it, since this is the only difference between the 855 and 885T.

Conclusion

Each of these are fantastic units and well worth the money. If you are looking for a good well rounded unit, the nüvi 760 is great basic pick. Its hands-free Bluetooth, FM transmitter, multi-route destinations, integrated traffic recevier, and preprogrammed maps and points of interest make it a fantastic base unit.

If safety is a priority for you, the nüvi 855 does a great job at incorporating the features of the 760 into a sleek new design and giving you that voice activated accessibility. And to round it all off with the Bluetooth, the nüvi 885T is the last in the series.

Given the features of the nüvi 885T I will probably be stcking with this one for a while. Add a subscription to MSN direct (traffic, stocks, movie times, flight status, and more) and this may very well be the last GPS you’ll ever buy.