Garmin Nuvi 3790T Review: The Next Generation

It's said that competition makes you stronger, and that appears to be the case with the new Nuvi 3700-series from Garmin. Garmin has always been aggressive about introducing new models, but the onslaught of smartphone competition in the turn-by-turn navigation space appears to have put Garmin in an even higher gear. The market wants very thin devices, with high-resolution touchscreens. Garmin's answer is the 3700 series, and the top-of-the-series 3790T model (with voice command, $449 list price) is reviewed here. It's a whole new type of car GPS, with some breakthrough features.

The best way to describe the Garmin Nuvi 3790T is to point out how it is different (and better) than previous generations of GPS devices.

It's less than half the width (at 9mm) than the typical GPS. This makes it easier to stow and carry, and just looks cooler.

Its glass touchscreen, at 800 x 480 pixels, has nearly twice the resolution of previous generations of GPS by Garmin and other makers.

Multi-touch. Pinch-to-zoom and other multi-touch functions.

Dual orientation: Works in portrait or landscape modes.

Voice command: The Nuvi 3790T isn't the first car GPS to have voice input, but it works better than any I've tried so far.

To all of the above, add Bluetooth linkage to your mobile phone for hands-free calling, an included subscription to free traffic detection and avoidance, lane assist, which shows you which lane to be in and which ramp to take, and more, and you can see why the 3790T is a powerful and compelling navigation tool.

I used the Nuvi 3790T for hundreds of miles of driving, ranging from rural back roads to highways, to heavy urban zones.

Besides its slim profile, the first thing you notice about the 3790T in use is its sharp, high-resolution display. At 800 x 480 pixels in a 4.3-inch (diagonal) display, the 3790T packs nearly twice as many pixels at previous-generation GPS screens. That makes the screen noticeably sharper, brighter and bottom line - easier to read at arm's length. And since it's a glass, capacitive touchscreen, it's easier to enact touch commands than a more typical GPS resistive touchscreen. The screen also accepts multi-touch for some functions, such as map zoom, making it look and feel like a smartphone.

One more thing about the screen, the 3790T operates beautifully in portrait mode as well as landscape mode, so you get to choose.

I found the Garmin Nuvi 3790T's windshield mount to be light, compact, sturdy, and easy to use. The mount for the 3700 series is unique in that it includes a built-in speaker, which delivers crisp and amply loud sound (volume is adjustable).

The 3790T's power cord includes a built-in RDS-TMC traffic receiver to automatically download traffic information to the unit. Speaking of traffic data, I found the unit's traffic alert and re-route features to be outstanding. It was clearly flagging trouble spots in the Philadelphia metro area for me in advance, providing viable alternatives, and resetting projected arrival times. You get free traffic service for the life of the unit included in the price.

One of the Garmin Nuvi 3790T's most impressive features is Voice Command. Voice control of a GPS is a very promising technology, because it has the potential to reduce driver distraction and simply make a car GPS easier (and more fun) to use. However, voice control has been limited and balky at best in GPS devices I've tried so far.

While you still can't have a natural conversation with your GPS, the Nuvi 3790T's Voice Command does take this form of interface to a truly functional and useful level. Invoke the voice menu simply by speaking "voice command" or any customizable name you wish to use. You are then presented with 13 options, including view map, find by name, find by category, favorites, stop route, go home, find address, find city, recently found, detour, phone, brightness, and volume.

I found all of these options easy to operate with a set of voice commands. It's especially useful for common commands for volume, brightness, and stopping a route. But it really shines when you speak a destination address. I've found this feature nearly useless in voice controls in the past, but the processing technology behind the Nuvi 3790T actually makes it relatively easy to voice input an address, or search for a destination, and be on your way. For example, speak a number as "sixteen ten" or "one six one zero" and the GPS will understand you either way.

If voice control is important to you, be sure to get the Nuvi 3790T model, because the other two series models (3760T and 3750) do not have voice command.

I easily linked my smartphone to the Nuvi 3790T for hands-free calling. Between this and Voice Command, you'll find yourself talking to your GPS more than ever. The unit has a nice feature set and voice input in support of hands-free calling.

The unit includes Garmin's EcoRoute, which lets you select "less fuel" routing options, and issues fuel reports if you wish. You can even use real-time stats.

Since the 3790T is so slim and compact, it's easy to take it with you to prevent theft. Another good reason to bring it along - it automatically marks your parking spot, making it easy to find your car in a big stadium parking lot, for example.

Garmin's Lane Assist with a preview of upcoming exits and junctions makes it easier to be in the correct lane in advance of an upcoming exit, and helps you identify the correct intersection to make your turn.

My only minor beef with the Nuvi 3790T is its on-off switch, which is small and must be pushed firmly, and straight down, or it won't work. Definitely something for Garmin to address going forward.

The Garmin Nuvi 3700 series is ushering in a new generation of super-slim, high-res, glass touchscreen, multi-touch dedicated car GPS devices into the higher end of the market, and I don't think we'll be turning back.

See page 2 for full specifications.