Garmin nuvi 650

The top experts have all skipped road testing the Garmin nüvi 650, because it doesn't differ much from the heavily reviewed nüvi 660. GPSLodge.com recommends the nüvi 650 in its buying guide, based on its features and price. Consumer Reports includes the nüvi 650 in its review of the nüvi 660, stating that it expects similar performance from these two similar units. GPSReview.net provides expert insight into the nüvi 650's major features, explaining how useful each is likely to be. The nüvi 650 is one of the best-rated GPS units at Amazon.com, where more than half the reviewers of the unit rate it a perfect five stars. Only a handful of users at Newegg.com have posted reviews for the nüvi 650.

The Garmin nüvi 650 has one extra feature experts find really useful - the ability to speak street names - plus an MP3 player and photo viewer. Navigation and ease of use are excellent, reviews say. The nüvi 650 also boasts a wide screen for not much more money than the small-screen Garmin nüvi 350 (*est. $230). Experts and users who review the nüvi 650 say the wide screen is easy to read and voice prompts are clear, although some users report that the speaker gets tinny and the voice distorted at high volume. However, the step-up nüvi 660 (*est. $345) is much more popular with both groups. The nüvi 660 offers users the option to route the GPS unit's audio through their car stereos, a feature some users find useful when they play MP3s. The nüvi 660 also includes an FM traffic receiver and Bluetooth, unlike the nüvi 650.