Garmin Nuvi 255W 4.3" Sat Nav with Full Europe Maps
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| Brand | Garmin |
| Are batteries included | No |
| Screen size | 4.3 Inches |
| Item dimensions L x W x H | 20 x 122 x 74 millimetres |
| Map type | Europe |
| Control method | Touch |
About this item
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- Street-level mapping for UK & RoI, Eastern and Western Europe (42 countries)
- City Navigator NT map data for Europe
- Advanced safety camera warning system
- 4.3-inch widescreen display
- "Where Am I?" gives you details about your location in a flash
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Product details
- Batteries : 1 Lithium ion batteries required.
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Product Dimensions : 2.01 x 12.19 x 7.39 cm; 145.15 Grams
- Date First Available : 22 Oct. 2008
- Manufacturer : Garmin
- ASIN : B001XQIPU2
- Item model number : 010-00718-21
- Customer reviews:
Product description
Manufacturer's Description
Simple, safe and portable, the nüvi 255W is your personal travel assistant for life on the go. This simple, safety-minded navigator leads the way with turn-by-turn directions and a unique, advanced safety camera warning system to get you there on time and keep you safe on the road.
Packed with up to millions of points of interest (POIs) and maps for Europe, the 255W is compact, versatile and easy to use.
Simplicity and safety
Nüvi 255W comes preloaded with City Navigator® NT map data for Europe. Simply touch the colour screen, key in your destination and nüvi takes you there with turn-by-turn spoken directions, 2-D or 3-D mapping and smooth map redraw rates. Digital elevation maps show shaded contours for an understanding of the surrounding terrain.
In addition, nüvi 255W accepts custom points of interest such as traffic blackspots and post offices and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs. With HotFix™ satellite prediction, Garmin calculates your position faster to get you there quicker.
’Where Am I?’ gives you details about your location in a flash. Simply tap the car icon for your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, nearest address, contact details for your vehicle rescue service and directions to the closest hospital, police or petrol station.
Nüvi 255W’s advanced Cyclops safety camera database helps you travel with the confidence you are driving safely, responsibly and legally. As you approach one of hundreds of fixed, mobile and temporary safety cameras, variable limit or red light speed cameras across Europe, it gives an audible alert, overspeed warning and speed limit information.
Nüvi 255W also comes with Garmin Lock™, an inventive anti-theft protection system that uses GPS to lock to a secure location of your choice.
Enhanced navigation
Nüvi 255W comes with photo navigation to revolutionise your sightseeing. Plan trips to landmarks and attractions simply and easily before you set off. Choose and save location-tagged photographs from millions of Google Panoramio pictures in a wish-list of places to visit. Then, at your leisure, select a photo destination on your Garmin for turn-by-turn directions straight to the scene.
Other built-in travel tools include a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, a currency and measurement converter, calculator and more.
Customise
Personalise your nüvi 255W with your choice of background photograph. To customise your screen further, select a new vehicle icon from the Garmin Garage. With a wide range of wheels including off-road vehicles, motorbikes and classic cars, you can now tailor your Garmin to suit your style.
Enhance your travel experience with optional plug-in microSD cards such as Garmin Travel and Language Guides as well as links to third-party content providers including RoadTour and The Good Pub Guide 2008.
Portable bigger picture
Nüvi 255W has a sleek, slim design to fit comfortably in your pocket or purse. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot with up to 4 hours’ usage between charges.
With a 4.3-inch widescreen display, you'll always get the big picture. View map detail, driving directions, photos and more in bright, brilliant colour. The sunlight-readable display is easy to view - from any direction.
Nüvi 255W: Simple, safe and portable navigation for Europe goes widescreen.
Customer reviews
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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It can take a couple of minutes to start up - doesn't seem to be any reason why this varies so much, and it doesn't seem able to find satellites on the move - need to wait till it's fully fired up before moving off.
Audio directions are often mistimed - either a couple of hundred yards too early or 3 seconds too late - especially annoying on roundabouts. Assume this is an accuracy issue.
My main complaint, though, is with Garmin's customer "service". The device was recalled to have its battery replaced, but no loan equipment was offered to cover the 4-week (yes 4 whole weeks) period. Just as well I'd kept its predecesssor. When I sent the unit off, I'd forgotten that it still had £30 worth of 32GB SD card inside; when it returned, the card was missing. Despite much email and phone communications (they generally don't respond to email), Garmin refused to accept responsibility, pointing to small print in the despatch instructions. This was despite their own courier being used both ways, and me producing a receipt and serial number for the SD card. After several months they offered an 8GB card as a gesture of goodwill, which I didn't accept.
This is a great shame, as this was my 3rd Garmin device - I bought the first one due to their great reputation in professional navigation devices. It's my last, though - the next satnav will be a TomTom.
In the meantime, I used a friend's (expensive) Tom Tom, and although it was ok, I never felt comfortable with it, although it did the job. So what did I need - bluetooth - no; traffic updates - no; just something simple and reliable. When the price for this unit fell below 100 gbp, that was the decider. I've had it about 6 weeks now, and it's like an old friend. Quick to lock on to satellites, and quick to identify routes. You still need a bit of common sense as always, but so far, I've not been disappointed. Does the job for me.
I upgraded to the Garmin 255W after a day or two's consideration because on paper, it looked perfect. Once I received it and got to grips with it (I am on the road everyday travelling all over the southeast) it didn't take long to realise what it didn't have in comparison to my old Navman, which I am using again whilst having sent the Garmin back for a refund.
It doesn't tell you (on screen) how many miles to your destination, it makes annoying noises when you are about to hit a safety camera and when in 'mobile safety camera zones' which doesn't mean anything in the slightest, and this is very distracting.
The other thing is that it can't locate alot of UK addresses that I have entered into the Garmin and sometimes it has actually taken me to the wrong address! I am extremely confused as I spent £120 on this device and can't even get the basics that my Navman had covered....very shocked and confused.
Lastly, the instructions on how to use the traffic avoidance options were obselete, and this option/benefit never kicked in on my satnav. All I could do was select 'avoid traffic' in settings but it never really seemed to work as I remember getting stuck in traffic so many times....
In a nutshell.... not impressed at all
The only pro's I have on the Garmin 255 are that the POI's (points of interest) are a handy tool and that's about it
Avoid at all costs. I'm going for a tom tom
One thing I didn't like at all is that the 'My Garmin' licence allows it to upload to garmin where it has been when you connect it to the web site. The purpose is for advertising to be sent to those units capable of receiving it when in the vicinity. I will say no more on this aspect, but let the reader reflect how this feature and the storage of the data on the unit affects them.
I don't drive at 70 on motorways, but choose a slower pace. On my old unit I set a maximum speed of 55 mph and fastest route. So from London to Exeter it would choose M3, A303, A30 etc. Without speed restriction it would choose M4, M5, a slightly faster, but longer route. So far i haven't found a way of setting a maximum speed on the Garmin. I am not saying it can't be done, just I haven't found it yet.
I smiled at the bit in the instructions which said effectively follow the road signs and ignore Sat Nav!
It does have an Eco feature, but I am not sure of its benefits.
Why 3 stars. Loses one for the licence agreement. Loses another because it does not easily separate out planning a route and driving it.
Do I like it more than Tom Tom? Not yet. But I am still learning its intricasies, like planning, installing POI etc. i suppose the test will be if it lasts 7 or 8 years will i get another one.





