Where to mount GPS

My Garmin nuvi 350 is mounted on the forward edge of the center console, with the suction cup stuck to the inside of the cup holder. No problems at all with satellite reception.

 

I have been using one for ~6 months, and I strongly recommend you put it on the dash or windshield, because you look at it often when you are using it. If you have to keep looking down at your side, it poses as hazard, taking your eyes off the road. The life you save may be someone else's.

-Steve

 

I just went through an entire thread of first questioning if I was doing something wrong, then complaining about the vast limitations of the stock Toyota NAV:
http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=34551&hl=
You are lucky you didn't get the stock NAV....

My good friend had a Garmin nuvi 660 and loves it. It displays ALL the street names as I would expect a well programmed NAV should do !! I was a bit disappointed with the screen though, at 4.3" is just was not big enough for these tired, old eyes of mine. I believe that yours has the 3.5" screen ?? Please tell us about the good and the bad of the unit, as I know that someday soon I hope to buy something like the nuvi 660 or 650, but am waiting for a LARGER screen, something about as big as the Prius MFD screen.

By-the-way.... my friend has the "sandbag" mount and lays his nuvi 660 atop the dashboard. I would probably do that too as I would be taking the NAV from one vehicle (Honda CR-V) to another (Prius).

 

FloridaWen,

You are going to have a hard time finding a third-party GPS that has a screen the size of the one in the Prius. Most consumers want a small form factor, so the screens tend to be small. I have the TomTom One XL which has a widescreen, but it is still only about 4.5 inches wide. Most of the other units I looked at were even smaller than that.

Nush,

In terms of a mounting location, just about anywhere you put it is going to be fine. My TomTom picks up a strong signal from inside my house, so that ought to tell you something. Also, on the off chance you do mount it somewhere where reception is a problem, you can always get an external GPS antenna for about $25.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 15 2007, 08:33 AM) [snapback]462203[/snapback]</div>

Perhaps in a year or two, screen sizes will go up, prices come down..... but then my eyes are getting worse by the week, so I guess it will all still be "even"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ Jun 15 2007, 08:38 AM) [snapback]462207[/snapback]</div>

I don't think screen sizes are going to go up, because as I mentioned, consumers want a small form factor, which is what is driving the smaller screen. GPS units are getting smaller, not bigger. Remember that most people mount their third-party GPS to the windshield using a suction cup, so they don't want anything that is going to take up much of their view. Besides, part of the value in having a GPS is not having to look at it, but rather having a voice telling you that you need to turn.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nush @ Jun 15 2007, 04:40 AM) [snapback]462170[/snapback]</div>

Which brand of GPS are you getting? Your options may vary depending on that.

Mine is a Mio, it uses a Herbert Richter mount which is harder to find accessories for.
But I finally found a perfect mount for mine which attaches to the vent left of the MFD.
Now I can see everything clearly, everything's right at my fingertip and, best of all, it
doesn't block any of the Prius buttons. I previously bought another vent mount from
Gomadic and it sucked so bad I had to send it back. But this one is far superior in quality
and design, yet cost less than half the Gomadic one.

You might want to check out this store if you haven't seen it already, they have a lot of
items on sale too:

http://www.semsons.com/

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zenMachine @ Jun 15 2007, 10:34 AM) [snapback]462264[/snapback]</div>

My friend with the Garmin nuvi 660 thinks that Garmin is the "king" and all others are just third rate. By the way he also works part time at Circuit City (he didn't say what kind of discount he got on it?) and says that TomTom's are coming back (defective, D.O.A.) like crazy, like over 75% of them !! Hmmmmmmmmm ?? I heard many good things about TomTom from a few people (some on this forum ) and the price is affordable for me if I was ever in the market for one (which I might be soon) for my Honda CR-V. Garmin are very expensive in my opinion.
But that's a great suggestion you made about mounting accesssories, etc. Luckily I have machinist training and access to a few simple but effective machine shop tools. If I had to fabricate a bracket I could but would rather not take the time and trouble. Went through that once before with a Valentine1 radar detector, what a pain !!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ Jun 15 2007, 07:38 AM) [snapback]462207[/snapback]</div>

The dream solution, IMO, is to use the MFD as the display and input mechanism for a Bluetooth GPS unit.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ Jun 15 2007, 10:44 AM) [snapback]462272[/snapback]</div>

I have owned two Garmin products in the past and have a hard time recommending them to anyone. Both were handheld units that I bought for fishing, hiking and hunting. The GPS III+ that I had an internal memory problem and lost its basemap. Of course, it was just over a year old at that point and was out of warranty. Garmin wanted more to fix that unit that it originally cost me to buy it. Not exactly what I call great customer support.

The second Garmin was a Legend C. I still have this unit and use it mostly for hiking and geocaching. Mine has been OK, but I have read some horror stories of the problems that others have had. My biggest complaint is with their software and their horrible user interface.

So, when it came time to shop for a GPS for the car, Garmin was not at the top of my list, although I did consider them. Overall, the TomTom One XL fit what I was looking for, had a newer generation chipset for faster satellite acquisition and was about $100 less than a comparable Garmin unit.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 15 2007, 11:38 AM) [snapback]462330[/snapback]</div>

The LG LN740 and the Magellan Maestro 4000 (both around $399 and 4" display) "look" (spec.-wise and good customer reviews) like good units. I'll have to ask my buddy at CC if these are "reliable", in other words, few D.O.A.'s and customer returns. I just cannot believe the price of these things...... rather expensive in my opinion, but who am I to talk, I spent over $400 on a Valentine One Radar detector 10 years ago !!

BTW- ever see the Pioneer In-Dash Navigation/DVD Player (AVIC-D3) ~$999 with 6.1" display ?? Sweet !!

 

Magellan has a reputation for horrible user interfaces. Supposedly, they have vastly improved the interface on the Maestro series, but I really didn't want to gamble on it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 15 2007, 10:59 AM) [snapback]462354[/snapback]</div>

The best way is to go to the store and test out all the various models and see which one YOU are most comfortable using. I was at Fry's the other day and decided to try both the Garmin and Magellan, and
found the latter user interface more to my liking. Of course I bought neither since I already had a Mio,
but I thought I'd try some other brands to see how they compared. The Mio I have actually packs more
features than I'll ever use, so I don't really have a need to get anything else. I have its voice turned off
and use it mostly as a moving map and a business directory (e.g. where's the nearest Jamba Juice?)

My next GPS purchase will most likely be a Bluetooth one, if that need ever arises (or if there's a way
to integrate it with the Prius MFD!)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zenMachine @ Jun 15 2007, 12:55 PM) [snapback]462376[/snapback]</div>

This is true to an extent, as you can "fiddle around" with various functions, settings, zoom levels, etc. but the one thing you cannot "see" in the store is how the screen will actually be in true daylight or even sunlight. I've read reviews that the new LG LN740 (approx. $399) is a great contender among the inexpensive 4" screen NAV's but it is terrible in sunlight or even daylight.

I know for a fact that Circuit City will charge a 15% restocking fee for any "open box" GPS return, so there goes the ole' "take it home and try it" game !! If it's "defective" they will just swap for same item, no changes, so you can't even lie and tell 'em that it's broken or intermittant and try another brand !!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zenMachine @ Jun 15 2007, 12:55 PM) [snapback]462376[/snapback]</div>

My Wife just got a new Cell, bluetooth works great with our Prius (package 5) so I am sure you will definitely WANT a NAV (GPS) with Bluetooth, for sure !!

 

I have Magellan RM760. I flip open the plastic storage cover under stereo and let it sit there. The height of the unit is perfect for that. size is 6.5 x 3.25 x 2 inches (W x H x D).

If you have a unit around that size, you can try to put it over there.

 

It's handier and safer to have the GPS at approximately eye level rather than in a position from which you need to look down and take your eyes off the road.

I have a Garmin 295 that I mounted on a matte finish black plexiglass strip which forms a bridge between the two air vents across the top of the dash. Most adhesives will not stick to the black dash plastic but will stick to the silver vertical bands (air vents). I used stick on velcro to fasten the black plexiglass strip so that I can remove the whole thing if I need to. I mounted the GPS bracket on the plexiglass strip, to the left of the steering wheel so that the GPS doesn't block my view of the instrument panel.

Bob

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nush @ Jun 15 2007, 04:40 AM) [snapback]462170[/snapback]</div>

I lived with GPSs for a long time (on my third one) and if you use it a lot, it's better to be up within your peripheral vision.. Here's where my 2610 is in the Prius and very easy to see w/o looking off the road very much..

Still easy to see in extreme bright (desert) light, or at night....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nush @ Jun 15 2007, 04:40 AM) [snapback]462170[/snapback]</div>

My Garmin rides in the top cup holder.