Vehicle GPS units

[BMW Rider]

I have an older Garmin Streetpilot that I've been using for a few years. I quite enjoy using it on my bike trips, but i'm looking at a newer unit with better features. The Garmins are pretty good units in general, and the newer ones have many more bells and whistles than my old one has. They have a large variety of styles and price ranges to choose from.

The main things to look for is the quality an accuracy of the maps it has and what they offer for updates. If the maps are poor, the unit is not much use. If it shows you in between roads, it is of little help in figuring out where you are. Most of the newer units should have the ability to have the entire map set loaded at once which is good. Its a PIA to have to swap memory chips or reload them with new maps. Autorouting is nice if you need that sort of thing, it'll give you turn by turn directions, somtimes with audio prompts, to get from A to B. Points of interst is another gizmo feature that may or may not be useful, there again, only if they offer updates. Helps you to find a gas station, restaurant, campground or hotel when you need. Some units now offer different methods of viewing the maps, either in a 2D top down style map, or a 3D type view. Depending on how good you are with maps, the 3D view may be benificial as it presents a viewpoint similar to what you'd see from the drivers seat. You can also get units the will also pick up satelite radio providing you choose to subscribe to it.