GPS navigators: a growing market offers more bargains and models with traffic info.(COVER STORY)(Product/service evaluation)

WHETHER YOU WANT HELP navigating cross-country or across town at rush hour, it's a great time to buy a portable GPS device. As new models are introduced, buyers are able to get more features at lower prices, including real-time traffic information.

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Our top-rated model, the Garmin Nuvi 880, provides intuitive controls, good guidance, and an array of features. Its effective voice-recognition system lets you enter an address, choose a "point of interest" (gas station, ATM, restaurant, hotel, hospital), or change a setting simply by speaking a command. You can operate the device without taking your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the road, which aids driving safety. We bought the Nuvi 880 a few months ago for $1,000, but it's now available for $800 or even less at some outlets.

If you want a good, basic navigator and don't need a lot of extras, consider one of our CR Best Buys, such as the Garmin Nuvi 200, $150; 200W, $200; 255, $230; and 255W, $280; or TomTom One 130, $170.

Help in unfamiliar areas

Any GPS navigator will track your car's location on an onscreen map, plot routes to a desired destination, and provide spoken and visual turn-by-turn directions. You navigators can enter a specific address or ask it to find a point of interest. Better systems provide spoken street names rather than the more general "right turn ahead" or similar direction.

In our testing, we've found that GPS navigators will typically get you where you want to go, but not always by the most efficient route. And all have minor errors in their databases. They are most handy when you're in an unfamiliar area, but they don't substitute for local knowledge.