Its not often I actually use an Item I review here however I recently got a Garmin Nuvi 760 GPS unit to help me through my recent move. Although its got a few faults and cannot replace common sense or local knowledge, its a fine device which I would not have managed without.
TEST: Drive around Hawaii
Verdict: Since I already knew the roads well in this state, I set the GPS to find the fastest way from home to work. It kept me on the freeway for as long as possible, which it tends to do on this setting. The result was a route I had never taken before and wouldn’t recommend over other possible routes. However local knowledge often trumps computer calculations.
TEST: Drive from Seattle to Portland
VERDICT: A one off event happened. The GPS unit took several minutes to find satellites in Seattle which I assume was due to the drastic move from being calibrated in Hawaii. The unit did navigate me around some traffic on the I-5 which was slow due to construction however the real time traffic updates come as part of a 3 month subscription and thereafter cost extra.
TEST: Drive from Portland to Tricities WA
VERDICT: Although the unit caluculates a route, it only posts the time between way points and not for the entire journey. For example if you must drive from point A and take another road/highyway to get to point B, then the posted time to destination on the unit is the time to get from point A to the alternate road/freeway. This can be deceptive. Whether one can adjust the settings to correct this is not clear in the scant instruction manual.
TEST: Drive from Denver CO airport hotel, around Denver, and then to Fort Collins CO
VERDICT: While the unit lists nearby points of interest, for example restaurants, there is no guarantee the data is accurate. I wanted to go to a fast food chain which the GPS unit recognized but had since been closed. You can update the unit via your PC but there is not way for it to be 100% current. It also can be low trying to assemble lists of points of interest which are not complete. Again local knowledge can best the Garmin.
TEST: Drive arounf Tricities WA
VERDICT: when multipe roads cross paths such as overpasses and underpasses, the unit can get confused as to where you are and will recalculate the route even though you are heading in the rought direction on the right road. Also if you acidentally take an off ramp which run quite parallel to the freeway, the unit wont know you made a mistake unit you are some distance from the freeway meaning it will take longer to correct your imistake. Thankfully the unit doesn’t take long to calculate a new route to get you back on track.
Customers and I RAVE about: Large, bright screen, can be disconnected from windshield mount without unplugging charger, vehicle and pedestrian mode, accurate, thin design, customizable features, built in antenna, nice fonts
Customers and I RANT about: Bluetooth call quality poor without optional external mic, touchscreen requires a lot of pressure to operate, favorites cannot be categorized, points of interest lists can take a long time to generate and are incomplete, no attention warning when on phone to notify you a turn is coming up, battery life is short, glare off LCD screen, pricey, speaker volume should be louder* Width 4.8 inches depth 0.8 inches height 3 inches weight 6.7 oz
* 4.3 inch LCD touch screen
* speed limit indicator
* TMC traffic service
* USB connectivity to charge and update unit
* custom and preinstalled points of interest
* Garmin lock
* built in microphone
* Bluetooth connectivity
* 2D and 3D map views
* built in FM modulator
* supports MP3 and JPEG formats
* SD card slot
* 5 hour battery life
* MSN Direct
GARMIN NUVI 760 GPS FEATURES
Conclusion
As a newer model GPS this unit is costlier than many 
others, especially if the older units are on sale. However what this model offers in general over less expensive/older units are: faster start up and route planning, built in antenna, additional features, nicer screen and fonts and better user interface. If you dont plan to regularly use your GPS unit, i.e. intend it use it only a few times a year then you can certainly get by on less models. If you are like me and moved around a lot in a short period of time and are living in a whole new state, then a quality unit this this may be worth the premium since you will probably use it regularly.
from 1241 votes
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