Never Ask For Directions Again

While you are driving, haven't you always wanted someone to tell you exactly when to turn, exactly what time you are going to arrive, help you around traffic jams, and tell you where the closest ATM, Restaurant, or gas station is?

I have been waiting for years for Gamin to release a product like the Quest. I did not want to spend over $1,000 on the StreetPilot or similar product to not even have it be portable. I use my Quest every day to find restaurants, gas stations, and to steer clear of traffic jams (I work in Washington DC, the 3rd worst traffic in the nation).

The Garmin Quest is one of the best purchases I have ever made. It is small, highly portable, and always gets compliments. When driving, the Quest's accuracy is usually to within a 9 foot radius, which is basically the length of my car; can't get more accurate than that! The voice prompts are clear and accurate and the options are endless. Is one particular road under construction or a contant traffic problem? Then simply program Quest to view that road as an "Avoidance" and it will always take you around it. Another little hint, is that most of the restaurants, when you find it in the Quest, will also list the phone number...great to know if you want to call ahead for a reservation.

My three favorite features of the Quest are the via points, detours, and ETA. (1) VIA: Once you have entered your destination address (e.g., home), you may realize you have to stop by the grocery store first or a gas station. This becomes your via point. You can enter in both locations at the same time (you can have multiple vias) and the Quest will take you home VIA the grocery store or whereever you have to stop by. This is also a good feature if you want to FORCE the Quest to take you somewhere a certain way (just use an intersection or point on the map as your via).

(2) DETOUR: I use this very often. When you are driving along and you come upon a huge traffic jam or accident, just hit the "Detour" option, and then choose how long of a detour you want (1/2 mile, 1 mile, 2 miles, etc). The Quest will recalculate your route and take you around the traffic and reconnect you with your route further down the road. This is very handy!!

(3) ETA: Another option I use very often. At the bottom of the main screen you can choose from a variety of constantly updating stats (ETA, Distance to Next, Elevation, Speed, Time, etc). But the ETA is a great tool. This tells you at what time you going to arrive at your final destination. It takes into account your current speed and how many vias you have entered. I've often called from the road and told people when I'll be arriving, and they are amazed that I pull up at the exact minute that I told them.

Like any product, there are a few pet peeves, but nothing that should prohibit you from getting this thing. The wire that leads from the Quest to the car adapter/speaker is not adjustable and I find it is difficult to conceal. Also, the Quest does not come with a case and I had to purchase that separately to protect the screen. Finally, the voice prompts do take some getting used to. Sometimes, Quest will tell you to "Keep Right" when it really means "go straight" or "do not turn left." And it also has problems with traffic circles and will tell you repeatedly, "Turn right, turn right, turn right..." when you are really just going around a circle. Other than those minor quibles, I still can't recommend the Quest highly enough.

The Garmin Quest is truly a great buy and you will get your money's worth with this product. You'll never be worried if you don't know the area, because wherever you are you can instantly find gas stations, ATMs, restaurants, etc. I've used it in the car and on foot and both are excellent...Highly recommend!! If you have any questions at all, please feel free to shoot me an email.

(Do Not Buy from fotoconnection.com; low price but absolutely the WORST customer service and were recently part of a class action lawsuit for defrauding customers.)