Rating: - get one !!!
I have recently got a new job as a sales rep in an area that im not familiar with at all. so i was advised to buy a sat nav, after a lot of research i oppted for the Garmi nuvi 200w and im so glad i did. there has been no messing arround, i opend the box put it straight in my car and off i went , no down loading maps of the net like you have to with most sat navs. the screen is large and really clear,its so easy to follow, loud instructions given you plenty of time to know when your next turning is, its got saftey camera alerts that has been a must for me driving in an area that im not familiar with. im so pleased with it and for £100 its been money well spent.

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Rating: - Simple, cheap, great value
This is my first ever sat nav and just shows how far they've come in the last couple of years. I have been trying it out on known routes and has only sent me on one strange detour, so I think thats fine. Good clear map good clear audio instructions and recalculates very fast ( I think). The only thing that has thrown it so far is the commuter traffic in Birmingham which it doesn't seem to recognise as a major pain! It seems as though the traffic data doesn't feed back as I updated to the latest software and it took me a route to work that would be great at midnight but at 7.30 am is a nightmare, turning a 30 minute journey into a 50 minute one! The update was a bit fiddley as you need to register on the website and then download some software from the garmin site to your computer, once done though it was easy enough to update and you can download all sorts of stuff (maps seem a bit expensive though).
All in all I'm very happy and I know my quickest way to work anyway, so won't need it for that.

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Rating: - Everything I expected - Glad I stayed with Garmin
I purchased a Garmin i3 a few years ago, as it was the cheapest (and smallest) satnav then on the market. It has served me well, with all the features I wanted. Yes, it sometimes took a while to find satellites and I couldn't upload silly voices to it, but otherwise it always worked, rarely took me to a wrong destination and responded well not only to being dropped regularly (it was a weird pod shape), but also to the regularly updated speed camera database available from pocketgpsworld for £19.00 a year.
Anyway, it was time to update, so I spent hours comparing prices and reading reviews for Garmin v TomTom before making up my mind. Well, I'm pleased I stuck with Garmin. This is a solid product which does exactly what it says on the tin. It's also loaded with a comprehensive list of POI's, arrived from Amazon with 2008 (Yes 2008!) mapping installed, and, contrary to what others say, finds satellites almost instantly.
The widesceen is also useful as you can see where you need to go on comlicated junctions with multiple turns or roundabouts. So, if you only drive your car in the uk, and want a cheap, reliable and user friendly satnav, this is hard to beat for the money.

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Rating: - Great value for money
The unit is easy to set up although the lack of USB cable is an irritation. I was lucky that I had an old cable that worked (not everyone is that lucky).
It finds satellites quickly and seems to calculate routes in seconds. I disagreed with the start of one planned route, ignored it and went my own way, re-calculation is quick and easy.
as with any sat nav you need to use your own judgement. The voice prompts are 99% accurate and timely although complicated motorway junctions are a bit much for it. Use your common sense, follow the road signs and it's easy.
The speed camera fuction is very good. Downloaded the free trial and it seems to offer timely warnings. It has the 50mph Average section by Dartford crossing which is now no longer there. It pings at you to warn you and then if you exceed the warned speed limit in the area. Pity you can't silence it for the ones that are not real.
Good feature for checking trip details, Distance, average speed etc.


For: Good price, quick to set up and use. Some customisable features.
Good database. Quick and easy to add places you want to return to and call them up in seconds without typing names etc.
Against: No USB (a silly error) Minor niggles about temporarily silencing wrong messages. The enclosed manual is ok but probably could do with a few more pages for those without teenagers to help.

Probably 4.5 stars. Would reccommend it to anyone

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Rating: - Fair value for the money
A slim, well made unit. It has a nice clear ( and easily adjustable for brightness ) display, with spoken instructions in a clear well modulated female voice. It gives plenty of warning of when to turn.

HOWEVER, the "quick start manual" is barely adequate and the Points of Interest database is seriously flawed. I wouldn't have much confidence in it if I ran short of fuel in an unfamiliar neighbourhood, because when asked to find petrol nearby, it listed several petrol stations that closed years ago. Likewise, when asked to find food it wanted me to go to a town 10 miles away when there are several take-aways and general stores within a mile of here!! It has several functions other than navigation - I'm not sure why! For instance, there is a currency converter, but you'll need to find out and program in the current exchange rates between currencies before you can use it, so there seems little point!

In general it seems fine if you just want to navigate from place to place, but don't expect too much of it.