Company:  Garmin
Price:  $445 to $600 (street price)
Available:  Now

Rating:

Pros:  Small Size; Wide Selection of Maps;
Cons:  No Memory Expansion; Slow Searches and Satellite Acquisition;

For the perpetually lost (like me), the GPS is like Ritalin for children, Prozac for the depressed, or Viagra for...well…you know.  It's environmentally friendly – no more printing maps.  And it'll even save relationships – no more being forced to stop for directions.  GPS is one of those miracle technologies that you'll swear by once you try it.  For the last month or so, the Garmin Quest has been my guide and it did eventually get me wherever I wanted.  Though at times, I did take the long way round.

It Got Me There…Eventually…

Navigating around Los Angeles is no walk in the park.  A city where taking the freeway isn't necessarily faster day or night and the 2000 block can actually be next door to 13000.  Lots of overpasses and parking garages to confuse, it's a GPS nightmare.  At times I wonder what city planners were smoking when they named all the streets, but it's the perfect proving ground for GPS.

How did the Quest fair in LA?  It eventually got me everywhere I wanted, though I sometimes wondered how.  On city streets, I don't recall ever being sent astray.  The Quest rerouted quickly when I missed a turn, so I never felt stranded without any guidance.  I was never told to drive off a bridge nor was I sent the wrong way down a one-way street.  All good things.

Freeway driving was another story.  With some exits, the Quest doesn't supply the name of the exit.  For example, the Quest prompts to 'Exit onto Campo De Cahuenga Way'.  There's no mention that the exit is signed as Ventura.  Yes, the miles ticked down and the voice prompts said to exit on the right, but that's narrowly enough in my book.  I shouldn't have to watch the miles and guess the exit, not at 70 miles per hour.

Usability Quirks

The Quest is slow acquiring satellites and slow searching for points of interest.  Definitely know at least the category your point of interest falls under or you'll be staring at an hourglass as the Quest searches through every item in its database.

The Quest won't calculate your route until it determines your location.  That doesn't help in Los Angeles, a city filled with parking garages.  Why not assume your start location is your last destination and reroute once it finds the satellites?  To accomplish that feat of common sense you'll have to set The Quest to 'Use Indoors', forcing it to stop looking for the satellites.

Sweet Redemption

After all the ranting I've done, I'll admit that the Quest has redeeming qualities.  It's got a battery with 20 hours (according to Garmin) of juice, perfect for the tourist exploring on foot.  And at only 5.5 ounces and measuring 4.5 by 2.2 by 0.9 inches, it won't weigh you down.  You won't get the turn by turn voice guidance without the car kit (the speaker's built into the charger), but you'll still hear a tone indicating the next instruction.

Out of the box, the Quest comes with base maps of the entire United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central and South America.  Base maps will get you from city to city and that's about it.  That's where MapSource City North America, included with the Quest, comes in with detailed street level maps, points of interest, and other useful information like gas stations and restaurants.

The Quest also supports other MapSource products (optional) including BlueChart for the water bound or topographical maps for wilderness junkies.  It's even waterproof, perfect for travel off the beaten path.

The Quest comes with 115 MB onboard to store everything except the base maps.  That's plenty for most of California and parts of Arizona and Nevada.  For day-to-day use, that's more than enough territory for most.  If it's GPS for all your urban, off-road, and oceanic adventures, you might find yourself connected to a computer regularly loading the appropriate map.  Too bad there's no memory expansion slot.

The Bottom Line

There's no arguing that the Quest is one versatile little GPS unit.  Drive with it during the week, go boating on the weekends or go hiking in the mountains to relax.  Yes, versatility is its strength.  If you're looking for a navigation system for just the car, I'd pass on the Quest.  It's just not driver friendly enough to recommend.  If you're looking for a single GPS unit for any adventure, the Quest won't disappoint if you're willing to buy the optional maps.