Home > Consumer Reviews > Mio C320 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

I got this for $150 on black friday. while it does have a few minor faults, for the money it is probably the best GPS out there. the main thing this unit has going for it is how customaziable it is. in the past month, i have changed the following on my unit:

- added text to speech ( a feature normally found on the more expensive 520 version)
- added newer maps with 6 million POI (again, found on the more expensive unit vs. the 1.5 million found out of the box)
- edited the skin of the navigations screen and changed/removed buttons for ease of use

these and other features, such as an optional video player, and many other custom features, can easily be found on google and several gps forums.

obviously, customzing the unit to this extent is not for everyone, and if you are not technically inclined, you might not get the full value out of your c320. however, if you have a decent grasp of computers and software in general , you should take advantage of this great gps - great out of the box, EVEN better once you get to work with it for a few weeks.

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Update: 5/29

Ok so it's been about 6 months since I got this GPS. In that time, I've downloaded newer maps (now have 12 million POI's), downloaded a custom skin that adds a ton of usability features (easy access to applications like word doc, video player, etc) as well as improving the overall looks, and done some fine tweaking on the settings to improve the TTS. (The applications can only be accessed through a hack, by the way).

However, in adding all these features (most of these were intended for the more expensive C520), my GPS unit started to operate alot more sluggishly. The map would take a few seconds to update after turns, which was unacceptable. There was a noticeable lag between button presses and responses. Like I said, this was probably because all these added features were never meant to be run on the processor of the C320.

I wound up removing all the extra features I added, but I still have text to speech and the newer maps. I also defragged the drive , which helped alot. The lag is very minor but still noticeable. I'd still recommend this unit if you can get it for cheap, as it's better than almost any other sub $150 unit out there.

I bought the Mio C320 from RadioShack after doing a lot of research. I originally decided I would get one of the big three brands (Garmin, Magellan or Tom Tom) but ultimately found that the features, look and feel of the Mio was too great to resist. I picked up the C320 at RadioShack (a RadioShack exclusive) the day before Christmas. I originally purchased the Magellan 3100 at the same store when I found that the Mios had sold out, and the clerk convinced me of some of the merits of the Magellan (like the ability to purchase lake maps which I could use on my boat). I purchased the Magellan and decided I'd still go to another RadioShack to look at the Mio to ensure I had made the right choice. I used the Magellan for about 15 minutes while traveling between the two stores. I didn't like the unit at all. What I particularly didn't like about it was that I couldn't use my finger to touch and drag the map around the screen. No panning capability drives me nuts. It's the same thing I didn't like about the Tom Tom One. When I got to the other RadioShack, I wasted no time returning the Magellan and picking up the Mio. I've never regretted that decision.

I used the Mio to travel to Utah from Las Vegas for the Christmas holiday. I already knew where I was going, but I wanted to put the routing and POI capability of the system to the test. It passed with flying colors. The map graphics are far superior to those of the other big three brands. The ability to tilt between 2D and 3D modes right from the cockpit screen is great. I love the dynamic view feature how it automatically switches views as you approach turns. I even found how to enable Text-To-Speech on the unit, so now I have a $170 GPS with features found mostly on higher-priced units.

Mio doesn't quite have the market footprint in the U.S. as Garmin, Magellan or Tom Tom, but it will grow in popularity quickly. It's already a very popular brand overseas. I don't think the support will be as good as the incumbent brands for a while based upon what I have seen on the mio-tech web site, but hopefully that will evolve quickly.

The Mio C320 does have some small touch screen buttons which could be difficult to use for those with larger fingers. If you just purely need to get to a location, and you map your route, you shouldn't need to use the on screen buttons much.

The route recalculation worked well. I purposefully made a number of course deviations on my trip to Utah just to see what the unit would do. Initially I had it set for automatic route recalculations. Later I changed it to prompt me what I wanted to do if I went off course. It would provide me with the options to recalculate the route, bypass the route segment or cancel the recalculation. It was nice to be able to ignore the recalculation when I could visibly see a potentially better alternative to get me to another segment of my route (such as when traffic, near an accident, or when identifying a short cut).

If you are planning on getting a GPS for under $200, check the Mio out. If you are completely non-technical and have no desire to explore advanced features and purely want to get from point A to point B you may be better suited with a Garmin, Tom Tom or Magellan. If you like to tinker with more features and want to get a Lexus at a Toyota price, the Mio is a great candidate for you.

I bought Mio C320 as a Christmas gift for my wife. I don't understand the negative comments written about this product. College degree is not a precursor to operating electronic gadgets. I know a brilliant PhD who had to get his grandson to help him download songs into his iPod. My 14 year old was able to operate the Mio C320 effortlessly out of the box.

I have a GPS Navigation system on my PDA and in my vehicle. I have used Hertz's Neverlost System many times on vacations and buisness trips. I have friends with Navigation systems from the real basic to the fancy $1,000+ Pioneer in dash system. In short I have a good frame of comparison for the Mio C320. This unit by far exceeded my expectation.

First of all Mio C320 is very intuitive. You don't need instructions. All the options are tactfully laid out on the touch-screen. The menu button (marked MENU) is on the bottom left hand corner. You can minimize the information screen by pushing the minimize arrow on the top right for a full screen 4.2" view. There is also a pop-up button on the bottom right corner of the screen to change the camera angles or pull up the POI (Points of Interest). The information screen gives you mutiple options at a tap on the screen. It will give you the approximate distance to the destination, and the estimated time of arrival. You can also do a fly-by, a simulation of your route prior to driving it. You can view the map birds-eye view or 3d view. On a 3d view you can change the camera angles. You can zoom in and out to scale the map from 1/5th mile to the entire State. Mio C320 also allows you to put in your Home and Work address so that you can find these 2 location at a touch of the button (in case you get lost).

The TCM feature is right on the front screen. This feature will give you instantaneous traffic information in your locality. TCM will re-route you if there is traffic problem. You can get the detail by going to the setup menu. Again, this wasn't difficult at all! Just like all the GPS system you have to subscribe to this feature. I believe the subscription is $9.99/month. Unlike the $1,000 Pioneer Navigation system, you don't have to subscribe to XM radio in order to us TCM (be happy about that). If you decide subscribe, you just download the program from Mio's website into the GPS system.

Basically, everything you think a navigation system should do, it does. Mp3 players is an added bonus. The Mio C320 is packed with features and options so there are more menu items than the older generation Navigation system. We are enjoying the unit. I prefer to use the Mio C320 over the navigation system in my car. And we never opened the instructions to enjoy the unit.

I owned a mio c310x which was stolen at the mission area.
I wanted to give it a try to the other well known models, like tom tom one which has also teleatlas, and to the garmin nuvi 200w which has navteq.

The 3 have a very similar satelite reception, and would say mio has a slight better one. the route calculation is very close, but the garmin sometimes gives a lot of small rounds.

What I love in this unit, is that it really helps me to get oriented, I dont rely totally on any GPS to give me exact directions to drive, in this unit I love, that you can select different views on the way to see the map, and that it zooms in or out according to speed and also you can do it manually.
It does not have bluetooth, but I already have a headset.
I has lots of POI.
it has an ok batery life.

I bought this unit in Black friday.Very easy to use.Nice wide screen ,good maps and POI .Update the newest version for TTS and a few voice selection.Can be use as a MP3 player or video player too.
Highly recommended for everyone who need a car GPS .