New GPS navigation devices and ratings

The countdown to Black Friday and the holidays is on. The GPS team has watched the calendar closely, as we have felt the pressure to test and rate the latest automotive GPS units that went on sale late summer and early fall. There are a lot of new products now on store shelves, and we have updated our comprehensive Ratings and recommendations to help you make an informed purchase decision.

The latest Rated navigators include:

Alpine PND-K3 – This new unit is a pleasant surprise, marking a significant improvement over past-tested Alpine units and boasting attractive graphics.

Garmin Nuvi 265WT and 500 – Part of the latest 2x5 generation, the widescreen Nuvi 265WT features free real-time traffic. A dual-purpose, the Nuvi 500 unit combines traditional Nuvi car navigation with the ability to serve hiking and geocaching duties, as well.

Mio Knight Rider – We couldn't resist testing this nostalgic homage to the 1980s television show. And yes, it does use the original K.I.T.T. voice.

Navigon 2000S, 2200T, and 7200T – An all-new Navigon line sees notable improvements, including easier address entry and quicker calculation times. "T" models include free real-time traffic.

Sony Nav-U NV-U44, NV-U74T, and NV94T – Ranging from basic to 4.8-inch premium, the new Sony navigators are quicker than previous models for route calculation and moving through menus.

In addition to car navigators, we have also recently posted handheld hiking GPS buying advice and ratings.

The road ahead
The GPS team has been busy, but we're not done yet. The handheld hiking GPS buying advice and ratings will go live in a couple days. (View our hiking GPS video.) Plus, we are already at work on the next update, targeting early December for providing ratings on more recently introduced automotive navigators.

Check out our redesigned GPS special section. It has pages of buying advice, including information on in-car navigation and cell-phone navigation. Be sure to use the slick, new product selector (available to online subscribers). This dynamic tool lets you sort and filter ratings by the features that matter most to you, and it even includes information on units in testing.

—Jeff Bartlett

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.