Garmin nuvi 660 review

Garmin and TomTom have been fighting each other for dominance in the sat-nav market for ages now, but with the nüvi 660, Garmin has something that can really challenge its arch-rival.

With integrated Bluetooth, traffic and safety camera alerts and a large, sharp colour screen, you'd expect the nüvi 660 to be massive, but it's one of the slimmest, most lightweight models around, making it easy to take with you for guidance if you have to finish off your car journey by foot. If you don't mind paying a few quid extra, it's well worth consideration.

Design
At 124mm by 74mm by 23mm and 190g, the Garmin nüvi 660 is an ultraportable and sleek device that you can use in and out of the car. The nüvi 660 boasts a larger, 109mm (4.3-inch) display. The touchscreen has an impressive 480x272-pixel resolution that made maps look extra-sharp and colourful. It's also still readable in direct sunlight.

You can access all the nüvi 660's tools and enter information via the touchscreen. The interface is clean and the menus are clearly identified and intuitive, so there isn't a steep learning curve to operate the device. In fact, it's so easy to use that we didn't even have to open the user's manual once. In addition, the icons and on-screen keyboard are large, so we didn't have any problems with pressing the wrong buttons.

With everything handled via the touchscreen, the nüvi 660 has a minimalist design, which we like. There's a sole power on/off button on the top of the unit, and there's an SD expansion slot, a mini USB port and a headphone jack on the right spine. Finally, there is a flip-up patch antenna on the back that stores flush with the unit's surface in its closed state, so it doesn't add any extra bulk. Our only wish would be for external volume controls, but if you give the power button a quick press, it brings up a Quick Settings page where you can adjust the sound and screen brightness.

Garmin packages the nüvi 660 with a vehicle mount (windscreen and dash), an AC adaptor, a car charger with an integrated FM traffic receiver, a USB cable, a carrying case and reference material.

Features
The system has integrated Bluetooth so you can use it hands-free to make and accept phone calls. Once connected, just press the phone icon that appears on the Main Menu page and you can start placing calls with the on-screen dialler or your phone book. If a number is listed for a point of interest, the nüvi 660 can call that business with a press of a button -- perfect if you need to make a last-minute reservation at a restaurant or hotel.

Voice-guided directions are automatically muted during incoming calls. There are also options to send text messages, synchronise your phone's address book and call log, and dial by voice, but these features aren't supported with all mobiles. You can find a list of compatible phones and services on Garmin's Web site, though we were able to successfully pair it with the Sony Ericsson W850i, which wasn't included on the list.

As far as navigation is concerned, the Garmin nüvi 660 is equipped with a WAAS-enabled (wide area augmentation system for better position accuracy) GPS receiver and comes preloaded with maps of all of Europe. You get all the standard GPS features found in the latest systems, including turn-by-turn text- and voice-guided directions, automatic rerouting and text-to-speech functionality, which allows the unit to speak actual street names. The system can generate directions by fastest time, shortest distance or off road, if you're the adventurous type. The nüvi 660 isn't just limited to use in the car, either -- there are settings for pedestrian, bicycle, lorry and bus modes.