Review: Garmin Nuvi 250W satellite navigation

Satellite-navigation products are getting cheaper all the time, and it's now easy to buy a simple device with UK maps for as little as £150.

Garmin's Nuvi 250W costs quite a bit more than that, but it is obvious what you get for your money.

The W here stands for widescreen, and the Nuvi's display really stands out. It measures 4.3in across, and gives plenty of room for a clear map of the surrounding area, as well as journey information. As well as the big screen, the 250W includes full European maps.

Using the Nuvi is simple. It includes a windscreen mount and a power adapter that fits a car's cigarette lighter socket, and when mounted in our car it picked up the location quickly. You can search for a destination by name or by entering a full UK postcode and house number.

Once on the road, the display shows a clear 3D view of the surrounding roads and route. Touching one corner of the screen brings up a larger top-down view of the next junction, while touching the estimated arrival time shows information on the current trip, top speed and average speed.

We took the Nuvi on a six-hour drive across the country, and it let us down only once, giving standard junction directions on a roundabout, but even in this case the 3D-map display made it clear which direction to take. The unit recalculated new routes quickly when we deliberately drove off-course to avoid traffic, and navigated us through an unfamiliar city centre without problems. The menus are clear and easy to use, although we prefer to have volume controls accessible from the main navigation screen.

The Nuvi includes a database of speed cameras, giving clear warnings whenever one is nearby, although to keep this up to date with new cameras costs an extra £30 per year. If you don’t plan to travel in Europe you could pick up a cheaper navigator, but if you want a powerful device that's also easy to use this is a great buy.

Vista: Yes