Auto GPS

ConsumerReports.org buys products anonymously to ensure unbiased, objective tests. Editors rate and rank 96 portable GPS navigation systems in the most recent update, with results summarized in a detailed… ratings chart. A one-page summary for each model includes pros, cons and user ratings, though discussion itself isn't especially detailed. ConsumerReports.org covers a wide range of models from both major and minor brands.

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PCMag.com regularly reviews new GPS units, identifying each product's place in the market and assigning an overall rating. Reviews are easy to read, even though they aren't as exhaustively detailed as those… at dedicated GPS-review websites. Review quality is consistent. Lists of pros and cons are also helpful, but some would only matter to a small percentage of users. Some Editors' Choice picks are older models.

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Fred Zahradnik, About.com's guide to GPS, writes detailed reviews of GPS units with notes on features, pros and cons, and details of some performance testing. Zahradnik seems sensitive to issues sometimes… missed in other reviews, such as whether the screen is hard to read in bright sunlight. He hasn't reviewed many new GPS models recently, but a dozen reviews of GPS apps have been added. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

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This U.K. website provides overly generous ratings in some product categories, but its GPS reviews and ratings are well balanced. Reviewers drive many miles in England and France to test units. The only… disadvantage to the reviews here is that not all products are sold in the U.S., and maps and navigation are obviously different in Europe. The TomTom Go 930 Traffic and Garmin nuvi 1490T are the only Recommended picks that are current U.S. models. Also recommended are several U.K. and Australian models.

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YourNav.com is a British enthusiast website dedicated to personal navigation devices. For a specialty site, it does not offer many reviews. Reviews are not easy to read, either -- they're a bit technical,… poorly organized and not focused enough on performance. However, objectivity is terrific, and editors painstakingly cover nitpicky considerations, each of which may be a make-or-break issue for some percentage of consumers. Only one thumbs-up-rated GPS -- the TomTom Go 740 Live -- is available in the U.S.

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Amazon.com sells all the major brands of auto GPS units and encourages customers to submit ratings of products they've used. Garmin models dominate Amazon's bestseller list, and they earn the highest… average ratings. The reviews don't offer the depth of those written by professional reviewers, but this is a good place to learn how auto GPS units work in everyday use. The website is easy to navigate, but discontinued models are mixed in with current ones.

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Gizmodo reviews all kinds of gadgets, and it has occasionally reviewed GPS units. But editor Wilson Rothman says the category has peaked with the affordable and very functional Garmin nuvi 1350T, "possibly… the last [personal navigation device] we'll ever review." The smartphone will eventually take over car navigation, he says -- but not the Garmin nuvifone; he titles his review of that product "Do Not Buy."

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Owned by retired engineers who operate it as a hobby, GPSInformation.net offers detailed reviews of handheld GPS, auto GPS and GPS software. The site delivers what its name says -- it covers all of the… information you would ever want about GPS models, with tons of photos of each unit, what comes in the box, screen shots and a rundown of every physical and technical feature. However, the site layout makes reviews difficult to find, and the site operators haven't reviewed many auto GPS units in recent months.

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