Where do you put your aftermarket GPS in your Prius?

[ph43drus]

My Garmin C320 died, and I'm experimenting with various options for mounting my new nuvi 750 (which has a wide screen that I love, but which makes placement a bit more awkward).

The suction cup mount works fine on my Prius' windshield, but it puts the unit too far away to easily use the touch screen, and strains my old eyes.

I ordered this Arkon air vent mount:
Amazon.com: Arkon Removable Air Vent Mount For...
and while the quality seemed OK and I believe it'd work fine for a different car and/or maybe a narrower GPS, it didn't really work out for the nuvi 750/Prius combination. Using the left hand vent put it too close to the side window for me, the driver's side center vent made it difficult to get at the power and park buttons and made using the wiper control arm awkward, and the passenger center vent was too far away from my line of sight for my personal taste.

Unlike the Proclip airvent mount, this one sits fairly low on the vent, with a little leg that wants to prop against the dashboard below the vent. This puts the nuvi in an awkward position on a Prius that maybe the Proclip would avoid(?).

I've got the Garmin friction mount on order, and suspect that's what I'll end up using. The analogous mount worked well for my C320.

[stevecaz]

Just FYI, the Garmin suction mount sticks to the silver trim above the vent, left of the screen, just fine without using the adhesive disk. I know this is a popular mounting location for good reason, but you don't need the mounting disk.

I will be doing a custom Garmin install this weekend, and will post the pics in a new thread.

[Rotorhead]

I use a Garmin bean bag mount for my Nuvi 750. Just to the left of the MFD. I have the factory GPS also but prefer to watch the Info screens and use the Garmin for navigation. Picked up a ScanGauge II at Hybridfest and am now looking for a good mounting spot for it.

Mike

[carz89]

I have a Garmin iQue 3600, which I mount using an older-model BoxWave mobile mounting kit attached to the small driver-side triangle window. The mount has a long flex arm and an extremely powerful suction cup.
PalmAddicts: REVIEW: BoxWave Mobile Mounting Kit

Unfortunately, the one I purchased in April 2007 has been replaced by a newer model. I don't think BoxWave's newer model would work in that location. Without the long flex-arm, it wouldn't hold the GPS device far enough away from the low-angle windshield. Mobile Mounting Kit - Car Mount / Car Holder / Universal PDA and iPod Car Cradle

But the older model I have works out very well, doesn't block the view out the front windshield at all, gets good satellite reception through the glass, and does not come loose. The older model might still be available on ebay or other outlets.

[wiiawiwb]

Originally Posted by stevecaz

Just FYI, the Garmin suction mount sticks to the silver trim above the vent, left of the screen, just fine without using the adhesive disk. I know this is a popular mounting location for good reason, but you don't need the mounting disk.

I will be doing a custom Garmin install this weekend, and will post the pics in a new thread.

I have a Nuvi 680 and tried mounting the suction cup there but couldn't get it to stick. I even tried moistening the suction cup. I'll have to try again.

I ended up mounting, by Nuvi suction mount, on one of the cup holders at the end of the center console. My fingers are right next to it so I can easily enter information without moving or twisting my body. Once entered I just listen to the voice directions.