Tested: Garmin Nuvi 65 LMT

The flights were booked, as was the rental campervan that was to be my home for 10 days while in Germany on a work trip.

The only thing missing from my list of essentials was a guide for getting around Germany's famous autobahn network, and to deliver me without hassle to the various destinations on my itinerary including some local campgrounds.

As I was driving solo, old-school Michelin maps were out of the question, as was trying to decipher road signs and turn-offs in a foreign language while driving on the ‘wrong' side of the road.

The solution was one of the latest portable GPS units from Garmin, pre-loaded with English-speaking European maps.  

Conveniently, the device is easy to set up before you leave home. Available online at

Garmin's Australian website, the optional European maps are available either to download or, as we received them, on a microSD/SD card, that neatly slots into the side of the unit.

Although there are cheaper sat-nav alternatives, few would be as user-friendly nor as convenient as the latest Garmin Nuvi 65 LMT model we used to get around Germany.

Quick to assemble from the box, it easily attaches to the windscreen via the simple ball-and-socket mount with suction cup. It also comes with a USB cable and 12V in-car cable for powering on the go.

We also liked the large 6inch touchscreen. Not only did it make the most of the bright, clear display, it was always easy to see and use, even on the move, and at a distance when mounted on the big, raked windscreen of our Fiat Ducato-based campervan.

While the Nuvi 65 LMT lacks some of the techno-wizzardry of other Garmin units, such as the ability to stream data or allow hands-free calls via a paired Bluetooth smartphone, it has almost everything else you need for getting around, including thousands of places of interest, fuel stations, restaurants, supermarkets and campgrounds.

When in the former German capital of Bonn, I asked for directions to the nearest campground and it produced around 30 options from 3km to 60km away.

The touchscreen interface is responsive and it quickly hooks on to a satellite signal when turned on, not to mention swiftly recalculates an alternative route if you happen to miss a turn.

Also useful is unprompted information including turn restrictions, roundabout guidance and speed alerts, although we did fail to heed one ridiculously low 30km section in a suburban street outside Cologne and got pinged by a mobile speed camera.

Spoken street names, lane assist and junction view, were also invaluable, such as when exiting busy autobahns and making sure we were in the correct lane for the next turn. Also handy were the live traffic updates, when stuck behind an accident or in peak-hour gridlock.

The only downside is the $139 cost of the City Navigator Europe NT maps, on top of the $279 (RRP) of the sat nav unit.

However, with free lifetime maps and traffic updates, it means along with Australia you have western and most of eastern Europe covered for any future trips, and you can always lend it to friends and family.

Garmin also supplies maps for specific regions of Europe, as well as other parts of the world including north and south America, Africa and the Middle East.