With fuel prices hitting record highs, it's more important than ever to get directly to your destination without having to drive around aimlessly. This is especially critical if you drive a larger vehicle like a truck or an RV, which doesn't get good mileage to begin with. With a big rig, it's also important to have a sizable display that won't get lost on a large windshield or dashboard. Garmin's big-screened nüvi 5000 is designed specifically to meet the needs of such drivers.

Recently, I reviewed the Magellan Maestro 5310, a slightly less capable version of the Maestro 4250 featuring a 5-inch screen, which certainly seemed huge at the time. Sporting an even bigger auto-dimming, 5.2-inch display, the nüvi 5000 is one of the largest widescreen GPS devices currently available. Although the screen resolution is a superfine 800 by 480 pixels, significantly higher than the 480-by-272-pixel resolution found on the Maestro 5310, I found it quite readable—even without the reading glasses I'd normally use for smaller-screen devices.

As you would expect, the nüvi 5000 is hefty and bulky. Measuring 3.7 by 5.7 by 0.8 inches (HWD) and weighing 9.3 ounces, it wouldn't qualify as a shirt-pocket device. Nor is there any reason to carry it that way, since it lacks an internal battery and must be connected to an external power source to work. I found the device's suction-cup mount quite easy to use—the unit simply snaps into place. All power and data signals are conveniently fed through this mount to a data connector on the bottom of the device. If you drive an RV, you'll also appreciate the nüvi 5000's video capabilities: It accepts the standard composite video provided by most popular backup cameras.

The nüvi 5000 comes preloaded with Navteq maps for the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. While the GPS doesn't have built-in live traffic capabilities, you can add an FM TMC (Traffic Message Channel) receiver ($214), or and MSN Direct receiver ($125).

Like the Magellan Maestro 5310, the nüvi 5000 is a bit sparse in the features department. Though it offers text-to-speech capability and multisegment routing, I wish this device incorporated Bluetooth hands-free calling. This is especially disappointing since Garmin's implementation of this feature is the best I've seen in all the GPS products I've reviewed, ably reading the contact list and call history list right from my LG VX9900 phone. With New Jersey's new hands-free cell-phone law, I often use this function on my own nüvi 760. The nüvi 5000 also lacks the world clock, the currency and measurement converters, and the calculator found on other Garmin GPS units. It does, however, include an MP3 player, Audible e-book player, and picture viewer.

The navigator features the same Where To/View Map interface found on all nüvi products. Menu navigation as well as the screen presentation is virtually identical, too, so I won't recap the user interface. To get a feel for the menu system, check out the slideshow.

I had the opportunity to road-test the nüvi 5000 more extensively than some other products I've reviewed in the past, using it on a road trip from New Jersey to Cincinnati, Ohio. On that trip I tested the nüvi 5000 and the nüvi 760 side by side. As you might expect, the routes generated by both devices were identical. In fact, the route they chose is the same one I've been driving for years, so there were no surprises. When approaching turns, the devices spoke practically in unison. Comparing the two, however, I definitely preferred the larger screen of the nüvi 5000. I can also see how RV owners would consider support for a backup camera a real plus. Even so, when it comes to plunking down $800 for a GPS device, I expect more features for the price. Unless you have a strong need for that video input, I'd trade the larger screen for a Bluetooth phone interface, live traffic, and the portability offered by the nüvi 760.

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