Garmin nuvi 1340

  I finally gave in a traded my AA route finder notes (which always got me from A to B) for a Garmin nuvi 1340. I have to admit that these things annoy me so much, shouting directions at you every 5 seconds, but I thought I ought to at least try to get with the 21st century, plus everyone I know as one, so they can’t be that bad can they?
I managed to pick mine up for £139 from Pixmania, which was a bargain, as I’d seen one in my local Halford store whilst shopping for oil again! (but that’s another story) for £179! Just proving its worth shopping around. Being a girlie the first thing that attracted me to this was its slender build (I know I know!). Its only 15mm thick and therefore isn’t too bulky to pop into the handbag when I’ve arrived at my destination and its quite light too – double bonus.
The 1340 model is also widescreen, not sure why they would do this on a sat nav, but I guess it’s a bonus feature? The 4.4 inch display is easy to read at any angle and is sunlight-readable. The 1340 comes with UK, ROI & Europe mapping, and finds any location via postcode, street name or point of interest. Another reason I got this as we are off to France soon and I promised to do my fair share of the driving!

Go Green!

For all you eco warriors….
The Garmin nuvi 1340 can save you petrol/disel and money with ecoRoute. ecoRoute is a green feature that calculates the most fuel-efficient route, tracks fuel usage and more. So not only do I get from A to B safely I’m also doing my bit for the environment.

Summary of Features

UK, ROI & Europe street level mapping
Ultra portable pocket design - only 15mm thick! (very chic)
Lane Guideance & junction view with road signs
Pedestrian mode with CityXplorer - download (not used this function yet)
Speed limits & safety camera warnings
ecoRoute f
Where am I ? feature which shows exact position
Text to speech
Photo navigation
High sensitivity GPS hotfix
4.3" display

What Did I get for my £139?

Garmin Nuvi 1340
Power cable
Suction cup mount
Dashboard disc

Where to Purchase

I got mine for £139 from Pixmania.

My Opinion

Easy to use, even for a techno phob like me and I have to admit the widescreen is very easy to read. I particularly like the lane guidance and junction view feature (which also provides visual sign posts) So I know exactly which lane I should be in when approaching a junction.
If you have a heavy right foot the camera warnings is also very useful. It comes with a quick start manual so if patience isn’t your thing then this is for you. Although I have to admit I did cheat and my other half set this up (he likes gadgets).
Another big plus for me, as I had borrowed a friends sat nav once and almost ended up in a ditch because I was paying more attention to the sat nav than the road! Is the text to speech feature which announces places/street names so you don’t have to keep looking at the sat nav every 10 seconds while you are driving - very good idea. As far as sat navs go I think this one is great and I would recommend it, as it seems to be working out ok for me.
I almost forgot you can also pinpoint your location so you know exactly where you are and what local services eg petrol stations/places of interest (great for the trip to France) are surrounding you. I’m still finding out exactly what this clever little sat nav can do, but so far so good.

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