Quest Portable GPS Navigation System
Manufactured in Taiwan by Garmin
Accuracy: GPS accuracy: 15 meters or less in normal GPS mode, 3 meters or less when WAAS-enabled.
Dimensions: 4.5"W x 2.2"H x .9"D
Memory: 115 megabyte internal memory, no memory card option.
Weight: 5.5 ounces
Voice Commands: Voice prompts for navigation instructions and warnings using 12-volt speaker (included).


UPDATE: November, 2005
There is now a Quest 2 available which solves the low memory problem with the Quest 1. The new model has the whole US basemap loaded into its internal storage, no more looking for the CD to update your Quest before a trip. The screen is still the same size, and most other details remain unchanged. Just make sure you know which unit you're buying when shopping for a Quest.


----- Quest Information -----

If you're looking for a GPS system for your boat, vehicle, or even a handheld unit, chances are you'll find a Garmin unit that meets your requirements. Garmin is generally considered the domestic leader for electronic devices that employ Global Positioning System (GPS)44 receivers to aid navigation.

The Quest is a step in a new direction for Garmin, as it employs features from both ultra-portable handheld models and features from more fixed units found in vehicles. Thanks to its built-in battery power, Garmin's Quest is the first Garmin unit that could please end users looking for a large degree of flexibility in their GPS unit.

----- What's included with the Quest? -----

So now you're the proud owner of a new Quest... or since you're reading this maybe you're just thinking about buying. Either way I'm sure you want to know what you get inside this unassuming beige-colored box for almost $500.

Garmin Quest Unit: I'll be talking about this enough later, but let's just say after my experiences with other mail order products I was happy to see this was in the box.

MapSource City Select North America CDs: This is your lifeline, without the MapSource info your Quest is virtually useless. It comes pre-loaded with the North American basemap, which is nothing more than interstates, highways, and state roads. This software is only compatible with PCs... all of us Apple users are out of luck.

Vehicle suction cup mount: This little mount is quite the acrobat, and can move in almost any direction to give the perfect viewing angle.

12 volt power cable w/speaker: Ah yes, the speaker is your friend. This power cable plugs into your accessory plug (cigarette lighter if you want the un-P.C. name) and includes a built-in speaker on the accessory head. Without this I'd have already been involved in several accidents, since the speaker allows you to drive undistracted by glancing at the screen.

A/C charger: I'm very glad Garmin included an A/C charger with each Quest instead of soaking you for $30 later as an accessory. You'll want to use this if you plan to add or remove map data using MapSource, unless you want to run on battery power. Speaking of battery power, the A/C charger is the easiest way to charge your battery if you plan on using the Quest away from a power source.

USB cable: Too bad a Firewire cable isn't included, the higher bandwidth would really cut down on map data transfer times. USB gets the job done, it just takes quite a bit longer.

Startup guide, manual, quick-reference guide: All this paperwork is greatly appreciated by yours truly, learning to work a GPS receiver isn't the easiest thing. Thankfully Garmin's included instructions are very good and leave no stone unturned in the setup process. The startup guide will have you setting up routes and navigating away in no time.

----- Using the Quest in a vehicle -----

Since this is the primary reason I (and most people) want a GPS system in the first place, I'll focus most of my review on the in-car aspects of the Quest. For the record I also own a Garmin StreetPilot 2610 GPS receiver, so I'll be comparing the Quest to the 2610 in several areas.

Installation in your car is limited to a window surface since the only mount included with the Quest is the suction cup mount. There are however several mounts available as accessories from Garmin. These include a complete Motorcycle kit with bar-mount and power cable, bicycle bar-mount for battery operation, and a friction mount for vehicles or other hard surfaces. Once you have the suction cup mount installed you can adjust the angle and tilt to get the perfect sightline for your vehicle's windshield.

The Quest is easy to program, set up a navigation route, and use the TrackBack feature. Sadly this model doesn't come with a remote control like Garmin's more expensive models, so each input has to be entered on the actual unit keypad. This is only a problem if your vehicle has a large dash and the unit is far away. Reading the screen is easy thanks to text that is clear and very legible even from a distance, something the Streetpilot models weren't so good at.

Each time your Quest powers up you'll see the "Acquiring Satellites" message while the unit attempts to locate the required number of satellites to accurately determine position. Once ready to go, the system will display "Ready to Navigate" at the top of the screen. Since I've mentioned the top of the screen, you'll need to learn to watch that banner... most of the important info is displayed using that upper banner.

All Quest systems have two separate modes; Driving and Navigation. In both modes the left 2/3 of the screen is filled with the current map, while the right 1/3 is reserved for your "data tabs". If you don't have any destination programmed as a nav point, the Quest will default to driving mode and display your Speed, Heading, Elevation, and the Time of Day in four little data boxes on that right 3rd of the screen. The upper banner will display the current road you're driving on (Driving North on Market Ave. SW), and will also switch to display the name of the next major crossroad just before you get to the intersection.

Navigation mode changes the top banner from current course to the next street and turn you need to make. The four data tabs also change to better assist you in navigation. They now display your Speed, Distance to Next Turn, Time to Next Turn, and Time of Arrival. The arrival time is calculated by adding together the maximum speed limit possible on every road on the route you're taking. I'll let you know it's possible to beat that "calculated arrival time" by quite a bit on a long trip. :) Thankfully the calculation changes fluidly as you speed.. ahem, I mean drive with the "speed" of traffic! This also works in reverse if you get stuck in traffic, you'll have the pleasure of watching your arrival time stretch longer and longer. I have stuck very close to the speed limit on several occasions and the time estimated by the Quest was accurate to within 2 minutes.

The other big thing to note about the Navigation Mode is the full-screen blowup boxes when approaching merges or turns. These are super-helpful, especially when using exits, onramps, or those pesky double-cloverleaf interstate mergers. The cliche little arrow that represents your car is shown driving down the highlighted route in a very close zoomed-in box, and 97% of the time you'll never miss a turn again. If you do goof up, the voice from the speaker will politely remind you that you're "off course" and start recalculating.

Ah yes, recalculating... that's one thing the Quest is good at. If you either goof up and drift off course the Quest usually takes only 3-10 seconds to figure out the fastest and shortest way to get you back on track. It avoids suggesting u-turns, instead prompting you to "drive around the block" figuratively speaking. Obviously the Quest can't forsee construction, but if you take a detour the unit will recalculate and try its best to resume the pre-programmed route.

Another quick note: If you turn the unit off while navigating it saves the current route in progress and automatically resumes when you turn it back on.

----- A few more Pros about the Quest -----

Screen Quality: As I mentioned earlier I love the crisp text and bright, clear screen on the Quest. It's much easier on the eyes than other units, a side benefit is you'll see map information with quicker glances and consequently spend more time looking at the road.

Battery Life: Garmin says the battery lasts up to 20 hours, I'm a bit skeptical about this claim, but with moderate backlight usage I've gotten 10 hours with about 25% battery life left. Overall I'm very pleased with the battery charge time (about two hours) and length. I've left my Quest in my car overnight in 25-30 degree temperatures only to discover the battery still at 75% in the morning.

Map Software: I'm very happy with the included MapSource® City Select® 2-CD set included with Quest, they seem much more up-to-date than the MapSource® City Navigator® software pre-loaded in the Streetpilot 2610 model. Various points of interest such as hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and tourist destinations are more up to date, and several more recent road construction projects are present on the City Select disc.

Dashboard: When I'm not navigating somewhere I usually leave the Quest on its "Dashboard" screen. This is an optional 2nd main screen which hides the map but gives you quite a bit more information about your speed, distance, etc. Dead center in the middle of the screen is a large digital speedometer, underneath the speed is a trip meter which you can reset at will, below both of those are six info boxes; Overall average MPH, moving average MPH, max speed in MPH, total time since last reset, moving time, and lastly stopped time. Also near the top of the screen are a battery life meter and a digital compass.

----- Now for the Cons, you knew there'd be some. -----

GPS Satellite Reception: This is the single biggest problem with most GPS systems, the Quest being no exception. Drive into a tunnel, parking garage, steel overhang, or anything else that obstructs line-of-sight to the sky and you'll lose GPS signal. As a result you'll lose navigation capabilities until reception is reacquired. On my trip to Chicago recently I found out this can even happen in large cities due to tall building interference. Driving downtown I lost reception on three or four occasions for up to 2 minutes. Once the system loses contact with the satellites in a low-reception area it can take a while to re-align itself.

This is only a problem if you're completely relying on the Quest for your navigation, have no idea where you're at, and didn't bring along any local maps. In this case you could be in a bit of a pickle. There is a larger and more powerful Garmin external antenna available which may help alleviate this problem, the downside is its price of $99.

Screen Size: Another possible negative is the size of this gorgeous little screen, emphasis on little. At 2.2"W x 1.5"H, the 256-color, high resolution, transflective TFT (160 x 240 pixels) screen isn't what anyone would describe as large... in fact it's only slightly wider than the screen on my Apple iPod. If you have a vehicle with a long, deep dash or a sloping windshield, the included mount may place the Quest far enough away it's difficult to read.

Remote Control: ...or more accurately the lack of remote control, as there isn't one available even as an accessory. This makes the above-mentioned windshield mounting a bit of a pain when entering or adjusting routes, since a lot of leaning over the wheel and stretching is required.

Memory Space: This is only a problem for some people, but it could be a deal breaker for those folks. The memory limit of 115MB isn't up for discussion, since the Quest lacks any sort of memory card/stick capabilities. This is enough for a few complete states in the midwest, but get around New York or California and you'll suck up that storage space with only a few map areas. Remember, you aren't just loading roads and interstates into your Quest, you're moving all the gas stations, dining destinations, and all the other waypoints located in these vast urban areas. As I said, know the limitations of this unit before you buy.

Power Cable Routing: With the suction cup mount, the 12V DC power cable is usually strung over the dash and hangs over the center stack of controls. This gets in the way of your radio, cup holders on some vehicles (like mine), and heater/AC controls. Another downside to this cable routing is the obvious visibility of the Garmin Quest to passing pedestrians. I would REALLY like to see a hidden power cable option you could wire directly into your car much like the excellent kit included with every Valentine One radar detector. Garmin doesn't even offer a kit like this as an accessory. Due to the integrated mount and docking station, it's impossible to create one on your own.

Antenna: The last thing I want to mention is the flip-out antenna on the back of this unit. Instead of an internal antenna Garmin installed an adjustable external one on the Quest. This antenna has two small hinges it swings on, leaving it very exposed and easy to damage when trying to install or remove it from your vehicle. My Quest has a small crack in one side of the hinge, it still works fine but for how long I don't know.

----- Closing comments -----

At this time I recommend the Garmin Quest due to its versatility, portability, price point, and excellent map software. There are quite a few accessories available for the Quest, with no doubt more to come in the future. Depending on your needs there are almost 20 different MapSource CDs available with everything from Fishing HotSpots to U.S.G.S. TOPO maps. My Quest has helped me navigate in towns both large and small across the midwest, I recently purchased the bike mount to take with me this summer, and I'll be packing my Quest on an upcoming flight to Austin, TX.

Oh yeah, one more thing... if you love to fly or have to fly for you business, this is the perfect rental car companion. Preload the maps from City Select for the state you'll be traveling to, plug your Quest into your rental car, stick your mount to the windshield, and drive wherever you need to go with confidence! Thanks to its extreme range of zoom the quest is useful both in vehicles and on foot or cycle. Max zoom closes in to a 20' scale, while you can back the view out to a 500 mile scale for a cross continent treks.

By no means is the Quest a perfect solution for the needy neophyte navigator, but in the world of electronics there is never a perfect solution... everything is always changing anyway. The Quest strikes a good balance between features and value, and lands squarely in the recommend-to-your-friends-and-still-be-guilt-free category.

Related review: TomTom GO 700 GPS Navigation System

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!
Openroad

Recommended: Yes