Garmin StreetPilot C320 - 3.5 in. Car GPS Receiver

I drive all over for work. I go to new destinations on a regular basis and have relied on internet directions for years now. Actually the internet directions are correct about 95 % of the time, but it is a hassle to have to punch in where I'm going from, where I'm headed to and then print out the directions. I've had my eye on a GPS solution for a few years. Finally after seeing yet another Garmin advertisement in a magazine (this time for the new C320/C330 Street Pilot), I decided to take the plunge on the C320.

The difference between a C320 and C330 is basically that the C330 has a hard drive while the C320 comes with a 128M SD card and CD ROM mapping software. The hard drive on the C330 is large enough that it allows Garmin to preload the entire North American mapping data so if you drive all over the country the extra $150 (at Costco.com anyway) is worth it. It does seem that the internal Lithium Ion battery works harder on the C330 with the hard drive so you get only 4 hours of use with the Lithium Ion battery compared to 8 hours with the C320 equipped with the SD card.

THERE IS NO difference in the functionality between the C330 and C320. Therefore aside from the data storage difference discussed above this review can be useful to those considering either unit. For more discussion on the C330 unit see this link for who should really consider the C330.

While I'm on the subject of hard drives and SD cards, keep in mind that although the C320 comes with a 128M SD card, you could purchase a 512M SD card for around $50. To give you an idea as to how much data the 128M card holds, I can either load all of CA on the card (and it maxes out) or I can load the southern half of CA as well as all of Nevada and Arizona. Obviously you can always change what the card holds depending on the trip you are about to take as well. For me saving the extra $150 was worth it as most of my driving is "local".

Included in the box is a wall plug in recharger for the unit, a 12V car charger which is integrated into the windshield suction cup mount (means you're using this mount in one way (windshield) or another (on the dash), the unit itself, mapping CD software (for the C320 and NOT the C330 as all that data is preinstalled on the hard drive for all North America), owners manual (which can be downloaded from the Garmin website) and quick start guide. I separately purchased another suction cup mount for my other vehicle which makes moving the unit from one car to the other literally just a "snap". For $37 total at www.guygraphics.com I received my second windshield mount. Good price and quick delivery and product in good shape from guygraphics by the way. The unit snaps into the cradle and out of the cradle very easily. The unit, weighing about half a pound, easily snaps securely in place and the suction cup mount holds it there in solid fashion.

The Garmin mapping software contains many Points of Interest (POI). On a recent road trip I decided to pull off the highway to get something to eat. This unit is incredibly easy to use! I just hit the "Food" button and then chose "All" (type of cuisine). It listed all restaurants within my immediate vicinity. There were pages of choices. Once a restaurant catches your eye, you simply hit the big green "Go" icon and the female voice prompt begins giving you directions and you also get visual guidance from the adequately sized, bright screen. It is amazing how accurate the GPS is. Using this "Food" feature to find a restaurant is also useful if you want to find a restroom. You can figure most restaurants, particularly chains you are familiar with, have restrooms so this is logical way to local your next rest stop as well.

This GPS unit is WAAS enabled. Basically WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) allows the unit to achieve better accuracy as opposed to relying on the satellites in orbit alone. From the Garmin website…

"How it Works
WAAS consists of approximately 25 ground reference stations positioned across the United States that monitor GPS satellite data. Two master stations, located on either coast, collect data from the reference stations and create a GPS correction message. This correction accounts for GPS satellite orbit and clock drift plus signal delays caused by the atmosphere and ionosphere. The corrected differential message is then broadcast through one of two geostationary satellites, or satellites with a fixed position over the equator. The information is compatible with the basic GPS signal structure, which means any WAAS-enabled GPS receiver can read the signal."


There are a variety of views you can choose from. Each view is achieved with just one or two touches of the screen, very easy. There are three main points on the screen you can touch to get to these other views…the bottom left "ETA" time (takes you to a "dashboard" view including MPH, average moving and total speeds, time moving, time stopped and total time), the bottom right "Distance to next turn" indicator (giving you the next turn detail and voice prompt for that turn), and the top bar of the screen which shows which road you are currently on and the compass heading (getting you to turn by turn directions with miles for each leg. Press any leg and more detail is provided). One that I have used regularly is a screen that shows not only the next turn, but how many minutes/seconds based on current speed until you arrive at the next turn. You can manually change the scale of this split screen (map on one side, miles and time until the next turn). This screen is useful when you are not as interested in the current location mapping. The side of the screen with the map doesn't change as the scale is usually small (i.e. 500 feet) and since you are miles away from the turn it is not "picking you up" until you approach the turn.

The unit automatically scales when you are in the normal map view mode. As you approach the next turn the scale automatically adjusts and starts to zoom in seamlessly. I find the combination of the screen indications and voice prompts to be excellent. You can turn off the volume (or adjust it in about 8 different levels) as well.

One of the attractive features of the C320/330 is the "3D View". I've operated exclusively in this view (as opposed to the alternative choice, the "Bird's Eye view". The 3D view is real nice and puts you "in" the map. The next turn shows ahead of you in a nice white arrow along with the turn direction. The automatic scaling discussed above allows ample time (about a mile) in advance to see when the next turn is coming and in which direction it is. The voice prompts begin usually about 1.6 miles in advance of the next move and repeat as you approach the turn with the new distance to turn being announced as you get closer. The voice prompts are quite accurate and in one case I was very impressed when, at a multiple freeway interchange, it properly guided me in the correct lanes. Others have commented about distance to turn (in feet as you get real close) not being completely accurate. I have noted the same thing in that as you get to say 100 feet to the left turn, you should already be turning. For me it's not a big deal because I can see I need to turn, the display shows it as well as providing the street name on the top of the screen along with which way to turn on that screen so there are other data items which corroborate each other and you can't just navigate solely on how many feet the thing says you've got to go….you still need to drive the car! I'm not minimizing other reviewers comments, rather I'm agreeing with them and saying that for me the issue is a non-issue.

Another nice feature is the calculated arrival time (on the normal map screen). This time has been quite accurate (including recalculations based on my speed in excess of posted limits). It's interesting to note that when I'm in heavy traffic, it recalculates about every minute (adding to my expected arrival time) based not on my speed in bad traffic, but apparently based on an assumption that no traffic is ahead of me and based on speed limits here is the new expected time of arrival. Well in real bad traffic that's not realistic. I wish the engineers factored in perhaps the average speed for the last five minutes and based the calculation with that input considered. It does a nice job if I drive 75MPH of factoring in my speed greater than the speed limit in the ETA, but not when I'm at or close to a standstill…another real minor gripe.

The touch screen is easy to use. Errors are rare but there is a backspace button if need be. Fingerprints are a minor nuisance as is glare and reflections in daylight. When the sun is at the rear of my vehicle, I've found myself positioning my head to provide the needed shade to get a better view of the screen. You can adjust the positioning of the screen a little while it's in the bracket but there is no good position, i.e. no escaping the sun and the glare that affects the screen. Really, this is minor and hasn't posed a real problem for me.

The mapping/POI data is very good but not flawless. I was looking for a location, a chain of service centers, and it provided a list of some of the centers but not the one that was within a mile of my location at that time. This location has been around for years so it's not a matter of a new location not yet updated in the data. Not a huge deal as you could either pop in the address or the intersection and you'd get there…just a minor item.

There are a number of screen shots and various data you could call up on the screen. As mentioned above, you can keep a split screen up with the next turn as well as the miles/time until that turn. You could also view a trip data/MPH/compass heading screen with average moving speed, total speed, trip time elapsed (total time, moving time and time stopped), as well as maximum speed (not on the trip, but since the last time you reset this number). The maximum speed is generally right on although a few times it had me going insane MPH (334 MPH and 153MPH). Clearly errors, I assure you.

Another real nice feature is the automatic night mode. At sunset, the screen colors invert and a darker screen/color scheme come up at night which is very easy on the eyes and isn't too bright (since you don't need as much light intensity at night). Real nice engineering and comes on at the appropriate time by itself. I believe you can override this functionality. There are a number of settings one can adjust including default scale, units (MPH vs. km/h), faster route, shortest route, avoid certain conditions such as U turns, Toll Roads, Unpaved roads, etc. safety mode on or off (see next paragraph), etc.

One really great feature is the ability to override "safety" mode. Many automobile manufacturers do not allow the driver (or the passenger for that matter) to program in a destination or look up restaurants, etc. while in motion (you need to be in park with the parking brake on in some cases). Although I can understand on the one hand why this feature would be incorporated, I believe that in order to fully enjoy the benefits of a Nav system, you should be able to access full functionality even while moving. It is incumbent on the driver to do so only when he/she deems it to be safe. I will say one must be careful with this device as it can be distracting. I believe that it's certainly less of a danger than applying make up, shaving, reading a newspaper or a variety of other activities I've seen drivers engage in. That being said the dangers of getting too involved punching in a full address while moving in the vehicle should not be understated. BE CAREFUL!

If you stray off a calculated course, the unit verbally lets you know and then it recalculates a new best route. The processor is amazingly fast, recalculating the new route within a few seconds. This is important as the next best turn may be coming up on you…the C320/330 is fast enough that you shouldn't miss that next best turn.

There is also a "Detour" button. This feature is real nice as well as you will have newfound confidence in areas you are less familiar with. Essentially this feature calculates the next best route avoiding the street/highway you are currently on. What was interesting is that once I bypassed the traffic congestion, I decided to get back on the highway that I initially detoured away from. The unit wanted me off that highway on the next exit. Apparently the road detoured away from gets blacklisted for the rest of the trip.


The unit has the ability to store 50 favorite points including your "HOME" location which always appears at the top of your favorites list. In addition, recently used addresses are stored in a separate buffer.

In addition to being a great routing tool, having this unit on board is like having a concierge in your car. Need gas, restaurant, airport, intersections, business directory, etc. on the fly? Check, check, check, check and check.

All in all this has been a great addition to my vehicle and has enhanced my driving experience. The accuracy is there for the most part and my expectations have been slightly exceeded.