Garmin Nuvi 680 - The best GPS for the money?

I bought my Nuvi 680 (pronounced Nu-Vee) a few months back as a replacement for my Nextar X4-T and my Garmin c330. The Garmin c330 is a great GPS, but was too bare bones for my blood. The Nextar X4-T, on the other hand, had most of the features that I wanted in a GPS, i.e. text-to-speech, however it was horribly unrefined. Garmin is known for making great GPS receivers, so when it came time to upgrade I knew I would be going with the Garmin brand. I chose the Nuvi 680 due to its high feature to price ratio and the fact that this particular model was rumored to be one of the best GPS systems on the market for under $1000.

About the Nuvi 680:

The Garmin Nuvi 680 is a wide-screen GPS receiver (or personal travel assistant, as Garmin likes to call them) that is the successor to the Nuvi 660. The 680 measures 4.9" Wide X 2.9" High X 0.9" Deep and weighs a mere 6.2 ounces, so it's even lighter than the smaller Street Pilot c330 model. Unlike Garmin's Street Pilot Series, the upscale Garmin Nuvi 680 is loaded with luxuries: the 680 provides weather reports, text-to-speech, real-time traffic alerts, Bluetooth wireless technology, A SD card slot for external info, FM Transmitter, and a host of other travel friendly features.

What's in the box:

* GPS receiver w/ one year subscription to MSN Direct
* Vehicle power cable w/ built in battery and antenna for MSN Direct services
* Vehicle suction cup (for your vehicle's windshield)
* All maps are preloaded
* A black leather carrying case
* USB cable for PC
* Dashboard disk (for mounting on your vehicle's dashboard)
* Manual and quick reference guide.

The Windshield Mount: 10/10

I'm including my opinion of the 680's windshield mount simply because there are so many GPS receivers out there, i.e. my Nextar X4-T that come equipped with horrible windshield mounts that refuse to stay secured to a glass surface. The Nuvi 680, however, comes with a solid windshield mount that keeps the receiver in position no matter how poor the road surface is. In the three months that I have owned my 680, it has never detached itself from my windshield. The 680's windshield mount is also fully adjustable: it's able to pivot from side to side and up and down, so finding a perfect angle for viewing is made easy. The only gripe I have with the window mount is that it can be difficult to remove the receiver from the mount for storage. Though I usually just leave my Nuvi 680 on its mount, there are times where I wish it were easier to detach from its cradle, i.e., when I am parked in a high theft area. It should be noted that California residents and those who live in Minneapolis Minnesota my not be able to use the windshield mount due to new traffic laws. That said, if you live in CA or MN you'll need to either use the disc mount (included, but only works on flat dash surfaces) or the optional friction mount ( I recommend), which runs about 40 bucks at Garmin's website.

Ease of use/ergonomics: 9/10

Although the Nuvi 680 boasts more features than the lesser Nuvi trim levels, it's just as simple to use: albeit if you want to take full advantage of all of the 680's features you will most likely need to go over the manual a few times.

The 680’s home screen offers just three simple main menu options: "Where to," "View Map," and "Travel Kit." There is also a side bar menu that includes tools, volume & screen adjustments, Bluetooth (if enabled), and MSN direct. By pressing any of the main icons, the 680 provides a host of self-explanatory icons to guide you to the exact feature you need.

Like most modern GPS units, all of the nav-functions are via touch-screen: the only physical button on the 680 is the power button. Although adjustments via touch-screen are generally superior to physical adjustments, there are some drawbacks. For example, if you need to adjust the volume, you'll have to return to the 680's home screen and adjust the volume control. This wouldn’t be such a big deal, but it's incredibly hard to adjust the volume control while driving (especially if you your GPS is mounted out of reach), not to mention it can be downright dangerous. Other than this minor gripe, all other features for the 680 are simple to use and completely self-explanatory.

The LCD 8/10

Similar to the Nuvi 260W, the Nuvi 680 comes with a wide 4.3" Active Matrix TFT Color LCD. Though I have experienced a few glitches with this LCD, its overall performance ranks as one of the best GPS LCD’s that I have seen. During the daytime hours, the Nuvi 680 provides a super-bright backlight that allows for excellent map viewing, even with the sun glaring directly onto the screen. At sunset the screen automatically switches to night mode, where it also provides an easy to read display without being overly distracting, as some GPS' are while driving at night.

Though the 680 boasts an excellent LCD screen, I do wish the graphics could be more representative of a real-time environment. While the Nuvi 680 does allow you adjustment the detail of maps, it doesn't allow you to add geographical features like mountains or any type of 3D polygon for that matter. What you see on the screen, instead, is a totally flat environment (even if you choose the 3D mode) with only thin lines and patches of color representing and separating geographic boundaries. But I digress, compared to the 680's competitors, the LCD offers better than average graphics, vivid colors, and (as mentioned) a super-bright daytime back light that is easy on the eyes.

Screen Info:

* 480 X 272 pixels
* 4.3"
* Active Matrix TFT Color LCD
* Bright LED backlight


Feature content: 10/10

Although the Garmin Nuvi 680 only offers just 3 main categories on its home page (5 if you count MSN Direct icon and the Bluetooth icon), it is loaded with features.

By Pressing the "Where To" icon located on the hone screen, the 680 allows you to choose a multitude of straight foreword choices for finding a destination, i.e. points of interest like restaurants, lodging, gas stations, Etc., or you can manually enter in an address or the coordinates of a location and click "Go." By pressing any of the destination icons, the 680 provides a menu of related places arranged in order from closest to furthest (actual mileage from your current location is displayed). When a desired location is found, the 680 provides the distance of that POI along with its address and phone number (if available). By pressing the “GO” icon the 680 immediately maps out your route.

If you don't need specific directions from the 680, but still want to see your general location on a map, you can select "view map." When selecting the "View map" icon, it brings up a current map of your exact location as well as basic information at the top and bottom of the screen, i.e. your vehicle's speed, upcoming streets, etc. By touching the speed icon (located in the bottom left corner of the screen) you will be give statistics regarding your trip, including your average speed, maximum speed, total time on trip, etc. Another cool feature is the ability to see your current elevation and coordinates. By clicking on the small car icon on the map page, you can view your current location’s exact coordinates and your elevation above sea level.

Travel kit:

The travel kit is a nifty category on the home screen that allows you to play MP3s, load and play audio books, view JPG files, etc. The Travel Kit feature also allows you to convert currencies and you can even convert units (very helpful for science classes or when travelling to Canada where the metric system is used).

MSN Direct:

MSN Direct (a FM radio-based digital service) was the main reason why I chose the Nuvi 680 over the less expensive Nuvi 660. Being a weather fanatic, MSN Direct’s ability to give live temperature read outs, forecasts, etc. made it an instant shoo-in. Unfortunately MSN Direct isn’t (when it comes to weather reports) all what it was cracked up to be. For example, I live in an area that gets perfect MSN coverage, however just west of my area (where I do most of my traveling) I get no coverage whatsoever. Also, MSN Direct doesn’t always provide accurate current temperatures. For example, it can be well over 50 degrees and MSN Direct will still be reporting a 43-degree temp (or the temperature it was 4 hours prior). You can also view other cities current weather, which is helpful, but sometimes not as current as it should be. While weather is not always up-to-date, this feature does give you a good idea of what type of weather a city has had during the past 2-4 hours. The extended weather forecasts are nice, however. MSN Direct allows you to view 3-day weather forecasts for most cities (even small towns) in your vicinity.

MSN Traffic, which receives info from Taffic.com, is a mixed bag. Although this feature has been accurate most of the time, I still find bugs from time to time and I have been directed right in to heavy traffic more than once. For the most part, however, the 680 will automatically navigate me around heavy traffic. Though I don’t live in an area where there is too much traffic, I do travel up to Washington DC from time to time, and it has directed me around congested traffic beautifully.

Want to find local Gas prices? MSN Direct provides gas prices from nearly 100,000 gas stations nationwide. If you tap on the gas icon on the MSN Direct menu provides a list of local gas stations along with the price per gallon, how old the gas information is (it’s usually about 3 days old), and the mileage to the station from your current location. Because I prefer to buy my gasoline from Shell, this feature comes in handy in unfamiliar cities, where I can compare and contrast the price differences between Shell Gas stations (sometimes there can be a .30 cent gas difference in Shell stations just a few miles apart). That said, this feature is definitely not just a novelty feature as I had first predicted; it can save quite a bit of money.

If you’re a movie fanatic, MSN Direct will definitely come in handy.. Instead of looking in the phone book and then calling the theater to find out what’s playing, you can simply click on the 680's MSN Direct movie theater icon and browse local theaters and showings. By clicking on a theater icon it will bring up a host of theaters in your area (they are all arranged by distance: closest first). By subsequently clicking on a theater, all the shows playing for that day are listed along with their ratings.

Pros of MSN Direct: It’s fun to use, even if it’s not always accurate.. A full year of free MSN direct is included with the Nuvi 680. The MSN Direct antenna and battery is integrated into the power cord (no extra space is taken up).

Cons of MSN Direct:Current weather reports can be dated.. MSN Direct (after your free 1 year trial period) is $10 per month or $130 for lifetime accessibility.. MSN Direct services can take a long time to boot-up in certain areas and coverage is limited, especially in the Western US.

BlueTooth:

If you merry the 680 with any BlueTooth compatible cell phone, you can use this GPS as a hands-free speakerphone (there is a small microphone in the front of the unit) to place and receive phone calls. I haven’t used this feature, and probably never will: I have always thought that talking on the phone, whether it be via a speakerphone or handheld phone is dangerous. However, it's somewhat comforting to know that if I ever do decide that I need to talk to someone while I am driving, I will be able to do so legally with the Nuvi 680.

Performance: 8/10

Signal:

Like any GPS, performance will vary depending on where you live. But thanks to the 680's high WAAS enabled SiRFstarIII receiver, it’s likely that you won't lose a signal in most parts of the US (even indoors). Living on the East Coast, I consistently receive a strong satellite signal virtually all of the time (in any type of weather or at any time of the day) and even when traveling over the Appalachian Mountains. Locking onto a signal is fast, taking less than 5 seconds to boot up (the first time you use this unit it can take a minute or so to lock onto the signal). Even out west in the Rocky Mountains (where GPS' typically don't do as well keeping a signal) I never lost a signal with the 680, at least not for more than a few seconds.

Accuracy

Precise directions and amazing accuracy are just a few of the reasons why I decided to go with another Garmin product. Thus far the Nuvi 680 has been extremely accurate with just a few exceptions. One exception occurred while I was in California (on a scenic route). By following the 680's directions back to the interstate, I was lead down a half-paved road to a dead end. Normally, however, the Nuvi 680 is able to successfully put me on the best route to just about any location and is even able to route me around heavy traffic situations (when I am in an MSN Direct coverage area). It should be noted that newly developed locations can take awhile to be added to the database, so if you live in a newly developed area: stores, addresses, etc. will not show up on the GPS screen. Also, some less traveled roads (even old ones) are not listed.

As with most modern GPS receivers if you go off route the 680 will automatically recalculate a new route to get you back on track. By missing a turn, the robotic voice of a female will say “recalculating” and then provide new direction. I also like the detour option, which can route you around heavy traffic (MSN Direct will do this automatically), however sometimes the detour option will take you off route so far that I wonder if it would have been better just to have waited in traffic. That said, you might want to view the full highlighted route before actually taking a detour.

Battery life: 10/10

The manual claims that the 680's internal rechargeable internal lithium battery will last about 7 hours. For test purposes, I unplugged the Nuvi 680 (with it being fully charged) and was able to get 5 hours of use (during daylights hours) before I got my first low battery warning. After the first low battery warning I was able to get an extra 2 hours of use, so a total of 7 hours before the unit completely shut down: finally, truth in advertising! Unlike the lower Nuvi trim levels, the Nuvi 680's battery can be recharged in 3 different manners; you can charge the unit back connecting the USB cable to your computer, using the wall-mount, or by using the AC car adapter.

Audio: 5/10

The Nuvi 680 communicates directions to the driver via a robotic female voice in a variety of languages (TTS is only available in American English, however). Unlike many of the lower-end Garmin units, the Nuvi 680 offers text-to-speech. So, instead of hearing a woman's voice say "turn right" the Nuvi 680 will say " Turn right on exit 650" or "Turn left on Garmin Street" and then subsequently say something like "continue to drive 1.2 miles, then turn left on P street." The addition of the text-to-speech is very useful, as it allows you to pay more attention to the road while driving and less attention to the map.

Customization: 10/10

The Nuvi 680 is almost fully customizable. By clicking on the tools icon, you can modify most of the Nuvi 680's basic features. The 680 allows you to change the map view from 2D to 3D, change language, and you can even specify the type of vehicle you own (truck, bicycle, car, pedestrian) to optimize your route. For example, if you own a truck, the Nuvi 680 may provide a highlighted route that is best suited for larger vehicles. You can also customize your route preferences: fastest time, shortest distance, or off-road. Though it’s nice to have these options, I always leave it on fastest time, as the shortest distance feature will sometimes lead me to off –the- wall streets just to save a few hundred feet of driving. Like all of the Nuvi 600 series, the 680 allows you to customize map detail. Garmin warns that the more detail you choose the slower the refresh rate will be, however I have never found the refresh rate to be negatively affected when detail is set to "most."

Reliability: 9/10

Similar to the Nuvi's lesser trim levels, the 680's materials don't "feel" particularly solid, especially considering its $500 price tag. However, if the Nuvi 680 is anything like Garmin's other GPS systems, its plasticy shell will have no effect on reliability. In the 3 months of owning my 680, the only problems I have had with it include just some minor glitches with the LCD screen (this has only happened twice), where the LCD will fluctuate between different brightness levels; other than that I have no complaints with Nuvi 680's craftsmanship.

Price & Warranty: 7/10

The price for the Nuvi 680 ranges from $399 at stores like Costco and Sams Club (where I purchased mine) to nearly $1,000 at some online stores that don't pay much attention to falling MSRP's. Needless to say, if you are on the market for a Nuvi 680, it will pay to shop around. As for the Nuvi's warranty, if anything goes haywire with your 680, Garmin offers a 1-year parts/labor warranty: not bad, but certainly a longer standard warranty is in order.


Overall: 8/10

The Garmin Nuvi 680 is an excellent GPS system, offering an easy to use format, accuracy that can't be beat, tons of features, and a vivid LCD screen. While the Nuvi 680 is still a bit pricey in some markets, especially when compared to Garmin's Street Pilot Series, it's worth the extra cash: 100%. If you are looking for a GPS that offers more than just point A-B directions, I highly recommend the Nuvi 680. However, If you don't live in an area that caters to MSN direct, I highly suggest going with the the Nuvi 260W. It offers similar quality, many of the same features, and a lower sticker price.

Thanks for reading!