Home > Consumer Reviews > Garmin Nuvi 310 Satellite Navigation - UK Mapping + Bluetooth

My thoughts on the Nuvi 310 after the first week of usage:

Good points:
* Size - it's small and light (for satnav), the main reason I chose this over TomTom Go.
* decent size & clear screen
* Good clear maps, customisable with the amount of detail you want to show
* Bluetooth setting for the phone worked a treat, and provides good clear hands free sound
* Interface is intuitive, requires no user training!
* Voice instructions are clear, although a little bit "robotty"
* Speed cam POI databases are a breeze to download and use - with varying beeps and pings to warn you of impending cameras.
* quick bootup - usually (see bluetooth firmware niggle below)
* very quick calculations of routes, almost immediate when you miss/ignore a direction
* Good battery life & recharge time


Niggles:
* can't read text messages on the unit via bluetooth (I've seen a TomTom Go 700 in action doing this).
* garmin website isn't the best - I had expected downloads there rather than links to 3rd-party maintained ones.
* I know this is a common problem irrespective of brand - but in the 1st weekend of usage I have been directed the wrong way up a 1-way street...
* one time on turning it went through a "upgrading bluetooth firmware" process without any option to interrupt - fine, except it took 15 mins and I was waiting to set out on my journey!
* no AC charger in the box - can only charge via USB cable or the in-car adapter. I've only owned "built in" satnav before so this may not be unusual, or a problem - time will tell.


Overall - a good, neat unit, very usable - a little gem!! However, the minor niggles outlined above take some of the sparkle away. 4 stars.

I was an early adopter of TomTom, and over the years I've tried several models as well as a Navman and a couple of in car systems. On balance this, our family's latest acquisition, is undoubtedly the best.
To me the most important advantage is superior mapping. For example; this is the first portable device to show the correct one way system in Llanelli town centre. TomTom now make it easy to report mapping errors, but seem to do nothing in response with generations of software being issued repeating serious errors of which they have been advised. For some reason, TomTom irritatingly doesn't cover Ireland - a fact which led me to try thge Nuvi.

The Nuvi has a solid feel and a really good, easily pocketable form factor. Apparently satnav devices are a frequent target of thieves and so a unit which can be so readily carried out of the car is an advantage. It is amazing just how many useful functions are crammed into such a small package. It all works well. It is quicker to acquire a position than TomTom and has worked in every vehicle I have tried, including those with a heated windscreen in which TomTom requires an external antenna to be plugged in and magnetically attached to the car roof.

It isn't satnav perfection, there is room for improvement and I too would have given four and a half stars if available. Others have commented on the unappealing Garmin website where software and mapping upgrades could be easier to find. The device is WAAS capapable, but this accuracy improvement only works in North America - it's a pity it can't use the European equivalent, EGNOS.

On the software side, I do feel that TomTom has a slight edge - or maybe I just haven't got used to Nuvi yet. My impression is that the TomTom menus are generally a little more intuitive, and the grammar and timing of the voice prompts just a little superior. On balance though, my preference is definitely for the Garmin Nuvi - I'm tempted to get a 360 model!

I had a Road Angel 6000 and was really disappointed - dreadfully slow and generally useless. The Nuvi 310 is outstanding in comparison not often do I find something far better than expected. Thoroughly recommended - at the price unbeatable.

Have now been using the Nuvi 310 on and off for nearly three months. I selected this particular model in the range because of the in-built maps of Europe although I have yet to put these to the test!

This is a well made product that fits neatly into a pocket when necessary and comes with its own carrying case. Overall, it does its job quite well although I've been led down the garden path on a couple of occasions and literally drove around in circles on another. Like all technology, this will only deliver in accordance with the accuracy of its programming, and it does sometimes fail to find some of the more secluded places in rural Devon and Cornwall. Also, one can sometimes miss turns as the display countdown to junctions does not coincide with voiced instructions.

This is one of the better satnav products currently on the market.

Absolutely love this piece of kit. Solid build, great portability and good mapping system. Satellite acquisition is almost instantaneous and we haven't been led astray yet. The phone mating/handsfree feature is fantastic but Blackberry owners should be aware that, at the time of writing, the Nuvi 310 isn't compatible with one particular model - the 7100v - which is, of course, the one I own. You will be pleased to hear, however, that the product info on their website says it is compatible with every other blackberry so this is probably not the fault of either device but rather the Lords of the Universe just picking on me.

Totally recommended - have fun!