The nüvi 660 has a detour function for avoiding certain portions of your prescribed route, but the system also now comes with an FM traffic receiver that's integrated into the cigarette lighter adaptor, so you don't have to pay extra for an optional accessory. Traffic information is provided for free.
You get an audible warning every time you approach a speed camera, which changes in pitch if you're speeding. To keep the database up to date, you'll need to buy a subscription at £39 per year.
Maps are available in 2D and 3D view with day and night colours, and you can change your view so that either north or the direction in which you're driving is always at the top of your screen. Plus and minus icons on the map screen allow you to zoom in and out, and there's also a trip information page that displays your speed, direction, trip time and so forth. Finally, the nüvi 660 has a comprehensive POI database with all the major categories and more specific ones -- you can search for restaurants by type of cuisine, for example.
You can even import POIs created by users using a download on the Garmin Web site. This page gives you an idea of the sort of things you can expect.
Among the greatest perks and differentiators on the Garmin nüvi 660 are its travel features. Like the nüvi 350, it has an onboard Travel Kit that includes an MP3 player, an Audible book player, a JPEG picture viewer with a slide-show function, a world clock, currency and measurement converters and a calculator. You can expand the device's capabilities with Garmin's software packages such as a Travel Guide to Europe (£65).
Performance
We took the Garmin nüvi 660 out for a test-drive around town and it performed wonderfully. The unit impressed us by acquiring a satellite fix in less than a minute, and subsequent starts were much faster. The system precisely tracked our location as we drove around running routine errands. We also entered a specific destination and the nüvi 660 quickly returned with a route. The directions were accurate and automatic route recalculation was also prompt after we got off track.
The multimedia experience was as expected for a portable navigation device -- it wasn't great, but it was fine for when you're in an absolute pinch. Music sounded okay through the system's speakers, though it was slightly muffled and soft -- we plugged in a pair of Shure E3cs, which improved the sound quality.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Kate Macefield
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fussy dave 13 September 2009
Good: Large screen, light compact, easy to type screen interface, GPS accuracy & pick up time, MP3 player
Bad: detail of maps, doesn't show google maps accuracy
Comment: This is my first sat nav, cost £139 & i use it mainly in France. Very easy to use. Used a mate's Tom Tom and found typing in addresses a nightmare as the screen was too small and navigating from map screen to other screens difficult. By comparison this 660 is brilliant, however & perhaps I'm being a little harsh, don't find the level detail for minor roads as good as the Tom Tom or Google maps. It came fully loaded with the 2008 maps for uk & europe so perhaps I have to download a more detailled map as it couldn't locate my house in France which is on a single track dead end road. I had to locate it manually but the map doesn't show the road. The GPS picks up quickly and works in doors. The store favourites is not that good as you can't sort them into alphabetic order. It automatically sorts them into distance from your location. bit of a pain if you've got lots of favourites. I havent used the trafiic option yet.
Mr Pepperman 27 July 2008
Good: When it works it's great
Bad: Not reliable
Comment: I so want to like this but I am on my third 660 and this has developed yet another fault, so far it has frozen numerous times, looses bluetooth connection with phone, have to switch phone and Garmin off and on and go through sync process not easy while driving.. switch machine on and almost everytime it takes a couple of minutes to do a bluetooth software update, I can just about put up with this but the sound has just gone again, just produces a distorted mush, this is on both direction vocals and phone, so yet again have wasted money on the traffic subscriptions. To be fair Garmin have replaced each time, but now out of guarantee and as yet they have not returned my email that I sent a week ago.
John Hayward 26 January 2007
Good: Fast GPS pick up
Bad: Cost
Comment: Far better than my old TomTom GPS, very easy to use and clear and large display.
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