Navigon 7100 Automobile Navigator - 10000140 - Refurbished
Navigon 7100 - Portable GPS System with Reality View - Built in US Maps - Free Real-Time Traffic

I recently bought this unit, I researched and read reviews before buying. Most of the reviews I found were very good, the bad reviews I read were more of a software complaint, yes the software is slightly different than what I was used to and the buttons on the screen are a little small but after a couple of days using it I got used to the software and the buttons can be easily and correctly pushed by using your fingernail. The real time traffic will not automatically alert you to traffic if you don't have a destination but any time there is traffic detected there is an icon on the screen you can push to review it. The text to speech feature is also nice because the unit will tell you the name of the street to turn on around 500 to 800 feet away but then tells you to turn right at the street, so if you hear and look for the name of the street you won't miss a turn. I'm not a fan of the dashboard mount, it's bulky and there's really nowhere in my car I can mount it without it obstructing my view. The bluetooth does not have the best connection and the sound for it is a little muffled. However, I still give this unit 5 out of 5 based on the real time traffic feature. This feature has saved me from numerous road closings and backups. Thanks to real time traffic I avoided an overturned vehicle on the highway last week, this unit navigated me around hours of traffic. I know it was hours because one of my friends was stuck in that traffic about 1/2 a mile ahead of me while I was rerouted to avoid it, 1-1/2 hours later he called to tell me he was just getting out of traffic. I would highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a navigation system, it is worth every penny!
 
Was this review helpful?    

I had done a little bit of research prior to my purchase of the Navigon 7100 and had owned a Magellan 760, so I used it as a base point for comparison. I like the look of the navigon, the wind-shield mount looks a bit bulky initially; but is rock solid when driving over terrible roads and I like the locking feature the mount has with the device. The interface is a little slow, sometimes asking me to make my turn after I have made the turn, but re-routes in a timely manner when making a wrong turn. Other reviews make reference to the keys being a bit small on the screen and I agree with them. The main reason I selected this GPS over Tom Tom, Magellan, and the others was the real time traffic feature at no charge. This alone has made the purchase worth while for me, and has made the few issues with the device more than bearable. I work as a courier in the Seattle area and it has been invaluable when coming upon accidents or heavy traffic. The down side is that it does not warn you unless you have a destination programmed; nor does it give you a tone when you come to your turn just tells you to turn when you reach it and if you are not paying attention you will miss your turn.
 
Was this review helpful?    

WOW Impressive. User friendly and easy to use and set up. Quick traffic update, sometime a little noosense if your traveling in the city and have to continuely ingnore. Highly, Highly recommend over the other GPS units. My job uses GPS devices a lot... and this one is the best by far (other devices sometimes takes you around the moooooo-berry bush, before you reach your destination) 7100 is very accruate giving the best and shortest route to location. You won't be disappointed and may have a litte fun. Best feature for me is the handfree calling with my phone, tracking my route for logging my expenses and near by entertainment. Loaded up on all my favoirte spots and entertainment hang-outs. Glad I spent the extra, well worth it!
 
Was this review helpful?    

i recently purchased this gps unit for a long trip. it worked perfectly fine and even detoured me around a closed section of the interstate. i would recommend this product to everyone!!!
 
Was this review helpful?    

Pro: The unit looks attractive and the Reality View is a really helpful feature. Cons: 1.)It has never, not rarely, but NEVER given me the optimal route to any destination. I always get the round about routes with slow speed limits and excessive number of turns. 2.)Typing in an address is a real challenge. If an address is programmed with an abbreviation, then typing the full name will not result in it recognizing the address and vice versa (if programmed with full name and you type an abbreviation). It needs to be intuitive like mapquest. 3.)While driving, it will flash the name of upcoming cross streets but then the name disappears. Why? 4.)Can not tell if you're on the feeder road or the highway. This unit is so frustrating to use. My friend has a 1st generation Tom Tom One and it's ease of use and accuracy totally puts this $300+ unit to shame.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Excelent product after you update to version 1.2 Slow indoor connection(took 3mins); outdoor works fast with V1.2 Great million POIs, Zagat, & Traffic. All works great. Bluetooth works well with my Blackberry 8120. Sound get better in V 1.2. Easy to use for me just took around 3 hrs to master this device. Battery runs out so fast(only 2 hrs). Overall, this is great device nothing out there can compare on this price. I dont need mp3 & video when my car provides them all.
 
Was this review helpful?    

This is my first GPS. I can't call myself gadget techno man and it took me while to get use to the menu and the commands. Literally 3 days playing with it and now I find it easy to work with, great performing GPS. I guess every time you get a new electronic, you'll need some time to play with it. This NAVIGON 7100 is good looking and operates flowlessly. The voice is easy to hear in small car with AC working, radio on 8 and with about 80 mph. The traffic is easy to use and working well in advance. Did I mention it's FREE? Don't forget the Bluetooth - works great. It has everything you need for the road. Overall great product!
 
Was this review helpful?    

Got the 7100 for my wife so she wouldn't have to keep asking me how to get to new places. Also, got it for the bluetooth handsfree since she doesn't want to keep a headset on her ear. Tried working with it with the initial software version, and the interface was a little sluggish. Downloaded and installed the 1.2 version (released on 5-7-08). Saw a definite improvement going between the screens. All in all, the navigation routing works. As probably most GPS units do, this will have some quirks when calculating routes. It was interesting to see how it thought we should go for destinations we normally go to. It does recalculate the routes decently quick when you go a different way than it suggests. The free traffic is very nice. When entering a new destination and starting navigation one time, it immediately popped up a message about a traffic problem along the route. The reality view is pretty cool, displaying the lane(s) you should be in at the major interchanges. If the ramp splits to go to two different directions after the initial exit, it will show a screen with that as well after you take the exit. The handsfree works fine, nothing special. Doesn't try to reconnect with your phone when you turn the unit back on, though. So far, we like this and are glad we chose this one! Definitely take some time to go through all the menus and options to get familiar with it. It's not all that hard, but it will be helpful before you get out on the road with it.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I have use other gps devices from other manufacturers. The navigon 7100 has great features which works great. I found out that the features are not out there to make you buy the product they really work. Don't just get it out of the box and start using it spent sometime to familiarized your self with the features read the manual and practice some, then hit the road and you will be greatful you spent your money on the right stuff.
 
Was this review helpful?    

This unit has the best features for a gps system, great colors, very accurate routing, and free lifetime traffic. People who give bad reviews for this need to realize that if they took time to review the manual on the enclosed CD and familiarized themselves with all features before using it, they would be truly amazed. It is not something you can just take out of the box and expect to master its features, like other brands of GPS devices. If it has a drawback, this would be it.
 
Was this review helpful?    

The Navigon 7100 is a little slow booting up. Would be nice if alphebet was in the same order as regular keyboard. I have read that a new software update is due in early May of 08 and will address some of these issues. I like the traffic update. You dont have to pay a monthly fee fot it. Over all I am very happy with it and would definately buy it again.
 
Was this review helpful?    

The catch on this is the free traffic reporting. It is the only reason I am keeping this unit. However, it is not clear to me how the unit rerouted my Chicago trip based on traffic avoidance selection that I accepted. The bluetooth is a joke. The volume is so low that it is impossible to hear the other party and they cannot hear you. Why even offer that as a option if it is impossible to use? What I never gave much thought to until I opened the box is the device to attach the unit to the car. It is a massive pole that not only takes up space but actually vibrates. Hence, the screen vibrates. This is annoying. Particularly since they stuff a multitude of options for screen viewing like distance, ETA,speed etc. The method to secure the unit to the massive pole is a bayonet like lock. That is not easy to use when the massive pole is already in place in the car. All in all, would I buy it again. Hardly.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I did research various GPSs for a few weeks before I invested in this GPS (along with a premium leather case) for $415! The items were shipped to my home fairly quickly and in excellent condition and it came with accessories that were of good quality . I was confused when I first played with it, but soon found it easy to navigate after a little while. The colors on the screen are vibrant and it is easy to mount. I love that I can pair it with my phone and make or recieve a call. I have done this several times (I would like to be able to turn it up louder though). I was nervous when I first used it because I was traveling alone and over 3 hours away from home. I attempted to do a mapquest search and bring it along just in case, but mapquest could not pick up the location. I am not direction-oriented at all, so I was very nervous. However, the Navigon proved to be worth every penny! It let me know when I was driving too fast and I love how it will (at times) show you the speed limits when there are no signs around. I usually make at least one wrong turn when traveling, but I make it to my destinations without making any wrong turns! The Lane Assistant was very helpful for me and showed up on the screen when I needed it (I used the antenna). I thought that it was a nice touch that it will sometimes say "please" and the Voice Command works fairly well. The screen is a large size and and I also love the sleek look. The leather case that I purchased fits like a glove and is of excellent quality. I would recommend that anyone purchase the Navigon. Set aside some time to play with it and understand how it works and you'll see why I think that it's the Cadillac of GPS!!!
 
Was this review helpful?    

I soon traded this upscale GPS for my husband's older Garmin. It was too frustrating to use - not intuitive at all. Yes, the graphics are impressive, it is sleek and feature laden with free traffic info (use the antenna), but I want a GPS that I can use without scrolling every which way but loose. Why is it so hard to change destinations? Admittedly, I didn't "take the tour" on the enclosed CD. If it were more user friendly, it would be impressive.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I just wanted to say that even Garmin will have instructions that tell you NOT to use the touch screen while driving. I think that maybe you didn't touch the owners manual enough. I can't believe I even had to write this. South Carolina residents beware he is on your roads!
 
Was this review helpful?    

This unit has worked great for me. I have used both the Navigon 7100 and the Garmin 650. While I like the menu on the Garmin better, this unit offers some key things that Garmin does not. First I will address the last reviewer's comments: 1) Comment -"Reality view works only 5% of the time, the other 95% displays same as any other GPS I've seen." Response - OK, BUT YOU ONLY NEED IT THAT 5%. You don't need (or even want) that at EVERY turn. The Navigon 7100 does a great job of showing you which lane you need to be in on challenging interstate merges and splits. NO OTHER GPS to my knowledge offers that. I LOVE THIS FEATURE 2)Comment: "It only tells you to change lanes when your getting close to an exit, not when it is the optimum lane as the description claims." Response: It gives me plenty of warning/time to adjust even at 75mph to allow for me to get into the correct lane. Perhaps not at 150mph, but I haven't tried that. 3) Comment: "Subscription-Free Traffic Service is a good bait, but it has only worked once since I purchased it" Response: I thought this comment was fair. I do not live in a major city, so I have not used it much. When in major cities, though, it has not always worked for me either, BUT my friend explained to me that he also has the Navigon 7100 and IT WORKS GREAT if you use the INCLUDED external antenna (which i have not). 4) Comment: "I fell for it and am truly sorry I did. Very dissapointed because I could have gotten the same thing for much cheaper." Response: Cheaper than free? Navigon is the only company to my knowledge that does not charge a monthly or annual fee for this service. I will say also that the technology for this is still relatively in it's infant stage for all companies. I did not intend to pick on the person that left this review, but it contradicted my experiences with the Navigon 7100. Here are what I consider to be things that can be improved: CONS 1)Menu/touch keyboard entry not as easy to navigate as Garmin, but once learned, are easy enough. 2)Would like it to have a Compass bearing N,S,E,W right on the main screen as others have. 3)Not sure how well the traffic updates work (see above comments) Here are the things that make this unit stand out compared to others: PROS 1)Lane Assist - THIS IS HUGE. You will see all others copying this feature in the future. 2)Free traffic updates - Why pay when you can get it for free. Oh, and by the way, someone mentioned that you have to hit too many buttons to get through the menu and it pulls your attention off the road. Umm, don't do that while driving please.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Reality view works only 5% of the time, the other 95% displays same as any other GPS I've seen. It only tells you to change lanes when your getting close to an exit, not when it is the optimum lane as the description claims. Subscription-Free Traffic Service is a good bait, but it has only worked once since I purchased it, and considering I live in Austin, TX, I fell for it and am truly sorry I did. Very dissapointed because I could have gotten the same thing for much cheaper.
 
Was this review helpful?    

The 7100 Unit is excellent! The windshield mount is attractive, but broke within the first 30 days of use. When I contacted Navigon support to get a warranty replacement, it has taken 4 phonecalls, over 30 days and much frustration to get them to agree to replace the mount. After all this, I now have to send in the mount prior to Navigon sending out a replacement unit! In addition, during all 4 phonecalls at different times of the day, a supervisor has never been available to speak with. Navigon - If you are contracting out support find another vendor, if this is an internal function - fix it or your won't be in the US market for long
 
Was this review helpful?    

The product was shipped in perfect condition with no defects. I received it in a timely manner and was able to give as a Christmas gift. Thanks again!
 
Was this review helpful?    

So far I have not been able to use the unit becaus the SD Card that comes with the unit was blank and did not have any data on it, the map data is supposed to be on the card. I called Navigon tech support and they said they will send me a new SD card with the maps, but they don't know when they will send it.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I would definitely recommend Navigon to my friends and family. There's no extra charge for traffic and it would redirect you to the next best route. Majority of the GPS' charges extra for traffic updates. And this unit itself has a very nice size screen and a very clear at night and day display. Also it works right out of the box.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Short and Simple.....With the Navigon 7100 you have to touch the screen way too many times. This causes you to pull your attention off the road and focus on the touch screen. Other GPS I have used is much more simple to use. I will be returning mine for a refund and purchase the garmin.
 
Was this review helpful?    

the main grip i have with this unit are the slightly out dateed maps and the poi data base has no stores or places i shop in locally and if they dont have my favorit local shops you can bet they wont have any away too. and the touch screen does not always except my prompts even when the display shows that it recognizied it,i have to hit it again.my work mate has a garmin 200w if you can do without traffic ,my big selling point,and text to voice you can save 200 dollars and get better data base.
 
Was this review helpful?    

After lots of research, and waiting for prices to fluctuate, I purchased the 7100 for much less than the other sites were asking, and with a $50 rebate. This is my first GPS/Nav unit, and I really wanted the features like text to speech and bluetooth. This unit really has it all, unless you want an MP3 or radio or something like that. The lifetime Traffic Updates seemed like that would be really helpful, but so far, I haven't seen one warning, and I have been stuck in a few jam-ups. I may not have set it up right (I thought it could work without the antenna that comes with it), but no instructions to tell me. I am very happy with the screen size and the ability to remember a bunch of addresses. It re-routes if you miss a turn fairly well. It boots up quickly, and it doesn't need to be sitting still in order to find where it is. The bluetooth mic and speaker really sounds terrible, and I will not be using that part with my phone, since I have a headset for the car. It would work in a pinch, but I do a lot of business on the phone, and it has a ton of background noise. I do wish that when you were in a parking lot, it would tell you to take a left or right on the street you are beginning on, but that may be a problem with all GPS units. I like the mount, although there is some bouncing. The battery life is quite short (mine lasts less than 3 hours) if you have it talking to you, so might as well keep it plugged in all the time. The Zagats service is an interesting feature, and if you do have bluetooth hooked up, you can even call the hotel or restaurant from the touch screen of the GPS. I love that it has an ETA feature, that really helps when you are travelling to another town to meet someone. Overall, for the price I paid, ($415) I am quite happy with the unit.
 
Was this review helpful?    

This GPS system is fantastic. I had a Magellan system and it does not come close to this one. I recommend it to everyone. The Reality View is great and it definitely helps in the city and on freeways.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Had the 7100. It probably deserves better than a 1 but all these ratings here at 5 are just not accurate. On other forums I read about all the problems with this unit- especially with route finding. Well, I did all the hack tweaks as suggested on another forum which seemed to make route calculation better but not quite optimal. I put my house in as a destination and hit the navigate button. It told me to drive around the block to come back to where I was. It wants you to pull up in front of your house on the same side of the street as your destination for some bizarre or European reason even if it is way out of your way. My route to work - it wouldn't pick the correct route no matter what I did. It even told me to travel on street A, then on Street B when the two streets don't intersect, they are parallel. They show as parallel on their map for crying out loud. The mount for the unit attaches to the windshield is illegal in California and I believe that may be the case in some other states as well. It's too big to carry around with you anyway if you intend to use this unit for rental use. I also bought a 4 gig fast SDHC card and put the data on that. People on other forums and in reviews have been complaining about the sluggishness of the unit. That seemed to make the unit faster. One problem solved but at a cost. I liked some of the features but it comes down to this - the main purpose of these units is to get you to where you want to go efficiently. The 7100 can't do that. I'm not sure if it is the maps or the poor algorithms. I also work in the software business and know that there are bugs but reading posts from people who called their support it doesn't sound like this company has any intention of fixing these bugs. That, or they have not trained their support people to at least say the right things. So my Navagon is now Nav - be - Gone. I sent it back. And with 15% restocking, it was a tough decision. It has the high end extra features but the problems with the base functionality - the maps and/or the algorithms aren't worth the frustration. Yahoo maps always finds seems to find the best route. For what I paid this unit should at least do as well as what I already get for free.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I have a Garmin from before which is a fine product. But, after buying this one I can say that this is a superb product with a great quality and satisfies me for every feature that one expects from a GPS unit. I now have free traffic which is very helpful.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I'll keep it short... the Navigon 7100 lacks the quick disconnect of the 660 - you have to disconnect the unit from the stand, the power cable and the traffic antenna whereas the Garmin is all integrated on the mount. It's a little harder to search for places - but that may be just getting used to. Other than that, the traffic being free is a definite plus. It displays the traffic much better than the Garmin. The overall street displays are much better with the auto zoom feature and the realism view. I can get past the unplugging of cables to save money on annual traffic subscriptions... I'm changing from Garmin to Navigon.
 
Was this review helpful?    

first i have owned this gps for about a week. i found relativly easy to use and gps gets me from where i am to where i want to go with little problems, but (the shoe falls) i live in the chicagoland area and the traffic service routed me out of the way from heavy traffic on highway to heavy traffic on streets that were 4miles out of the way and all kinds of traffic lights that compounded the problem(so far ive only had 1 time that ive used it). and the poi data base shows no target store or wal-mart hell (what if your on vacation and you want an item cheap and fast you go to a wal-mart or target).and the maps are i would say two years old at least theres a lot of building going on around here (update the maps ok).well better leave it at that for now ive only had it for @week wait til i really test it out.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Moved to L.A. 3 years ago always stayed lost but with the 7100 traveling is a breeze.Looks Great Works Fantastic Love the Reality View and Free Trafic.Easy To Use and has a Good Looking Mount Also.
 
Was this review helpful?    

My new Navigon 7100 looks great. However, it doesn't work. I constantly get a message to insert the memory card. After one week I still haven't heard back from Tech Support. Some one is going to call me next week ! It looks like there is a problem with the SD memory card so who does not Navigon just send out a new card to all customers waiting to have their problems solved. In view of the long waiting time a lot of customers must have problems with their new 7100's.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I love it.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I had never owned a GPS before and shopped all the brands and decided on the Navigon 7100 for a few reasons. It has a 4.3in screen (readable). The 3D image displayed at interstate junctions is very helpful to know what lane you need to be in. The free traffic updates are great. For the most part the voice tends to pronounce the road names correctly. The unit has a very stylish design. Once you learn how to use all the functions it's a very helpful tool. I am very pleased with my purchase.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Recently, I bought the 7100 and this was the best GPS that I have had. The 7100 is amazing with its features, lifetime free traffic update is addition to its all other great features. I recommend this system to everyone, amazing technology on this price.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I have been researching GPS' for awhile. Comparing each feature to another. Navigon's 7100 had several positive selling points. It's slim enough to slip in a pocket. Comes blue tooth enabled. Can use voice commands. Gives verbal turn by turn instructions. Has plenty of options to chose. But probably the biggest selling feature for me was the real traffic updates and that it will refigure a route around the traffic. And it does work! Other GPS units, if they had this feature charge a monthly service fee for this option. Fully programable and very easy to use. the one down side is the prompts on the upper right side are very small and hard to read while driving. I'd give this unit a rating of all 5's. I would buy it again!
 
Was this review helpful?    

The Navigone is so simple to use and user friendly. People who try it when I drive so they see how easy it is. My kid uses it when I am driving and he thinks it is easy to use as well. The best featue is the traffic feature for me. Plus I do not need to pay a monthly fee for this feature. The blue tooth feature for the phone is cool since the new laws that are comming out will not allow you to hold the phone in hand. The cost is more then what I wanted to spend, but it ended up being a better price since it comes with the traffic feature. Love the product!!! Joe
 
Was this review helpful?    

Great display,it took me about 10 mins to figure it out,love the traffic alerts,only flaw if any is that the battery on last about an 1 1/2
 
Was this review helpful?    

Purchased the Navigon 7100 after seeing the unit at a retailer. We were going to purchase it right then and there but he did not have one in stock and would not sell us his display unit. This put me on line to Buy.com to reveiw the unit. We were surprised to find the price was over $150.00 less than we would have spent at the store. We placed the order and recieved it in 5 days. This GPS is fantastic! We shuttle new cars around the state and the Navigon 7100 makes our trips much easier. We recommend Buy.com, Your service is great, and the Navigon 7100 is a big help,user friendly and has a beautful screen display. In fact, that sold us on the unit.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Used the Navigon 7100 GPS on a recent trip to Myrtle Beach, of the six locations we visited it was a mile off on one of them. The Garmin Nuvi that we had was also off by a mile, so blame it on programing, also the battery life is shorter than advertised. I recommend this product.
 
Was this review helpful?    

This product has all the features that I wanted in a GPS but after using other units in the past, I am not 100% satisfied with its overall performance. I guess I will have to get used to its way of navigating and displaying of information.
 
Was this review helpful?    

The Navigon 7100 is incredible. The system is very easy to set up, the graphics are bright and easy to view, and I can use it in any vehicle I am travelling in, the best part is live traffic update which is free with this product it saves lot of time from waiting. I would recommend this product to anyone interested in a navigational system!
 
Was this review helpful?    

I am a current owner of the 7100 and haved owned it for a month now. I've emailed navigon a couple times and got a response back within a day or two both times. Currently the 7100 has a few bugs such as telling you to U-turn even when you have that option turned off. However, navigon is going to release a firmware update to fix this bug and others sometime in January. Likewise they will be providing map updates once per year (next one is mid January) from their website. Overall great product and good support from the company. The traffic monitoring really works great.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Works great out of the box,very stylish,great resolution,loved the look.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I ordered my Navigon 7100 at the end of August and received it on September 7th. As some of you know I have been all over the last few weeks…. New York City, Washington, Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, San Francisco/Oakland, California, etc. For most of those journeys I have had my Nuvi 660 next to the Navigon 7100. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Overall, my personal conclusion is that the Navigon 7100 is for me the way to go. I will be packing up my Nuvi 660 in a few days and sending it off to one of my kids. Below I will list some Pros and Cons of the 7100. The 7100 has not by any means been flawless. But its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. And most of my complaints are easy software fixes. I feel that Navigon has gotten the message from those of us in the USA and is attempting to address our issues. They won’t be here long if they don’t. They may believe that they have the superior product but they may go the way of Beta in the Beta / VHS competition, if you remember that from years and years ago. I have spoken to higher ups at Navigon and they could have brushed me off. Instead, once I got that far, I found someone willing to listen, acknowledge their shortcomings and say they will fix things. So far they have done so with the 4 GB fiasco. The rest remains to be seen. I am hopeful. I believe that they will now do what it takes. The people I have dealt with struck me as sincere and willing to do what it takes. By the way, while I adjusted the route profile based on recommendations on forums and even from Navigon to the Optimum setting, I have found the Fast profile setting works best for me. I also have turned off the Menu animation setting which seems to work better for me. Pros of 7100 Excellent screen and info. I like info and I get all I need with the 7100. I especially like the upcoming turn arrow showing up if it is a close turn to the next turn you are taking. The 7100 adjusts for your time zone automatically. You need to do this manually on the Nuvi 660. In California my 7100 showed the correct time while my Nuvi was on Eastern time. I was only there a day and didn’t bother to change it. The 7100 makes it easy to engage the night/day mode, as well as 2D/3D mode. Though an auto setting for day/night would be a nice add-on, it is too easy to do manually to make a difference for ME. And I like the color scheme of the night view. Very cool. Ability to block portions of route and have trip recalculated. Makes life easier if I want to avoid certain roads. Seems to lock onto 1 or 2 more satellites than 660 when I was able to check, not always though, but a lot of the time which may help explain my next observation. Its position in relation to the road in my observations was a bit more accurate than the 660. I would be just about passed the exit ramp when the 660 would show me just entering it. I found the refresh rate to be a bit more frequent than the 660. While it may be an optical illusion, it seemed to be moving more often than the 660. Again, this is my personal observation and might help explain the above observation. Reality View is excellent. It has helped me on countless highways. Once though it showed one more lane than the highway had. But it helped me navigate the right way anyway. This is probably the number one feature for me. Lane Assist is not visible when Reality View is on, but if you hit the screen to disable Reality View (quick feature and easy to do) I often see the Lane Assist present there. Helped me getting to Oakland, Ca. airport as I exited and needed to turn left by showing me both lanes were left turn lanes way ahead of the pavement markings showing me that. Helped me to decide what lane to use for the upcoming turn. Speed warning (caution) has helped me keep my speed where I want it to be. Though I got used to it and needed to remind myself that it isn’t always there, especially on the local streets. Time of arrival is more accurate for ME than 660. The 7100 would on short trips show 5 to 10 minutes longer to get there but ended up being closer to the actual time of arrival than the 660. On a 5 hour trip the 7100 showed arrival to be 35 minutes longer than 660 at the start. Ended up being closer to actual arrival time than 660. Nuvi kept adding time, even though trip was going smoothly. Much prefer a more conservative approach. Again this is what I experienced in my journeys. Fairly fast recalculation of route when turn not taken (I did that intentionally at times to test it out). Though once it seemed to take forever. Traffic info reception is excellent. External antenna not needed in major cities, but helps in outlying areas. Windshield mount is easy to put on and take off. Stable and secure. Wobbles on occasion but not noticeably an issue for ME. Brings the 7100 closer to you than any other system I have used that I mounted on the windshield. And I found it has lots of adjustment options to get the view I wanted. Had my doubts at first, but love how it just floats near you. My Nuvi mount would fall off until I started using water on the rubber mount before attaching. Even then once or twice it came off. Easy to spot a McDonald’s on your route and by turning in its direction get to it fairly easily rather than search the POI database. Cons of 7100 No feature to avoid HOV roads/lanes. I have an entrance ramp near me to a major highway that is open only during morning rush hours and is only for HOV use. The 7100 always wants to take me to that highway that way. I can never use it since it is only me in the car. And the times it tells me to go that way it is closed anyway. I enabled the feature to avoid U-Turns, but the 7100 tells me to make them anyway, even if I could easily go around the block. I could understand it doing so if I am at a dead end but that hasn’t been the case. There has been a clear view of the sky and good reception at the time. My saved destinations do not show up on the map. It would be nice to see them as I go near them. The Nuvi shows all my destinations on the map as I go by them. Text to speech needs improvement. While I have found that most streets are named, the pronunciation is awkward. If not spelled in a conventional way it is mispronounced. Centre becomes Cen-tray. Marble is Mar-blay. Stonefield becomes Stoney-field. Toll roads are labeled as TOL for some reason. Even though there is plenty of space for it to be TOLL. As a result the text to speech says, turn onto xx “tall”… for TOL. Battery life is not as good as I expected. It has a nice warning though to tell you that the battery is almost gone. Maybe Navigon should check with Apple and its iPhone for a better approach. ☺ Finding a Point of Interest if you don’t know the city it is in is difficult. The Nuvi will tell you all the POIs close to you, though you have a long wait as it loads them to get to the next screen. If I want a gas station nearby it doesn’t tell me if it is ahead of me or behind me. The Nuvi would give me arrows to help me see where it was. Not knowing could mean circling back to get to it rather than hit something along the way. Its POIs on the route don’t give you a lot of options. I would much prefer getting a list to choose from than the ones the unit selects to position on the route I am taking. Long start up time. Though it is a breeze when I stop for gas and get going again. It took seconds for the 7100 to crank up the times I bought gas or had a quick lunch. My Nuvi was still loading as I headed on my way. Blocks away it joined the 7100. Most of the time though (other than the quick stop routine), the Nuvi was the winner here. Again, these are all MY PERSONAL observations. I know others have had different experiences on many of these observations. All in all I find the Navigon 7100
 
Was this review helpful?    

I've had this two weeks now and absolutely love it. It's easy to use, has a killer display, nice contemporary mount, no glare even in my convertible with the top down, long battery life, and good road name pronunciation. The virtual road images are a plus at major intersections and it quickly finds satellites.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Overall, I think this is a great little device! It is certainly on par with the lead models in the marketplace. Routing - I found the routing to be very good with the Navigon.The GUI is pretty robust and offers quick access to screen options... Once you DESELECT "Menu Animation". Fast transitions and accurate GPS tracking.The graphics are top notch, though it would be great to have the option to change or modify the screen colors. I feel this is necessary on the Garmin, as well. MULTIPLE ROUTES! This is an invaluable function! I don't ever want another GPS without it. You can also block a portion of the route if you change your mind and want to go another way. The Text to Speech and Turn by Turn info is clear and concise. It even tells you (in most cases) if the destination is on the left or right side of the street. The only issue I found is Text to Speech does not announce all of the names of the side streets. The Turn by Turn instructions are so good, I really didn't miss it much. The device reminds me of a miniature Samsung LCD. For that reason, I see no need to have an MP3 player on it. I would never use an MP3 player on this device... BUT If I could figure out how to put Divx on the device, it would be great for watching video! Bluetooth pairing was simple, quick, and easy with my Treo.The Reality View is a pretty cool feature! It's especially valuable to those traveling in unfamilar cities. These are my initial observations of the 7100. It is definitely a keeper for me even with the few minor annoyances I mentioned above.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Seeing this is the first review for the 7100, I first want to say that Buy.com was great getting me this GPS! They were the first to have it listed, then lowered the price by $150, then shipped it to me before anyone else had it in stock! :) This will be just an initial review, I have only had it for a day, with more details to come next week. Routing is great. Maps seem updated. Icons for Mobil, McDonalds are very cool. The unit is large. It looks like a mini lcd tv. Very high tech looking. The screen is very crisp, appears to be razor sharp, but the text is very small on the LCD. The best looking LCD on a GPS to date! The screen is viewable in the daytime, and with polarized sunglasses. The voice is a female with a british accent, volume is good. The speech so far achieves 90% accurate pronunciation of street names. The mount itself sucks on to the glass firmly, looks good, fits very nice with the dashboard, but after attaching GPS to the mount, it wobbles! :( This appears to be a design flaw in the mount. It is a metal on metal connection that does not have tight tolerances. Maybe they will come out with a rubber gasket or something to make it snug. You can rotate it +- 1 degrees just by hitting a bump. Other GPS units kind of click firmly into place, this one never really does. Attaching and removing the GPS is easy. Overall VERY IMPRESSED with the technology in the unit! Great price! Took off 1 point for the mount, but really it should be 4.8, the 7100 itself easily makes up for the mount issues! More to come...
 
Was this review helpful?