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Avionics

Garmin GPSmap 696: Big Screen, Easy Logic

The new definition of the word futile is to ask if the world is really ready for a $3295 portable aviation GPS. Its futile to ask because Garmin will find no shortage of buyers for the new GPSmap 696 it introduced in early November. In addition to being a first-rate engineering company, Garmin also understands how customers are willing to spend their money, thus theyve put just enough gotta-have-it features into the 696 to make sure great droves of them will. Still, the 696 is a curious product-definitely fowl, but with vestiges of fins to suggest fish, too. In other words, its nearly the size of an electronic flight bag, but it definitely isn't one, even though it has some EFB capability. Buyers who might otherwise consider an EFB will want to consider the 696 before buying. Impatient buyers whod caught whiff of the next big thing from Garmin and bought GPSmap 496s because they couldnt wait can only sigh and think about an early trade-in. Herewith is our analysis of whether a trade is worth it.

Aviation Consumer Staff
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The new definition of the word futile is to ask if the world is really ready for a $3295 portable aviation GPS. Its futile to ask because Garmin will find no shortage of buyers for the new GPSmap 696 it introduced in early November. In addition to being a first-rate engineering company, Garmin also understands how customers are willing to spend their money, thus theyve put just enough gotta-have-it features into the 696 to make sure great droves of them will.

Still, the 696 is a curious product-definitely fowl, but with vestiges of fins to suggest fish, too. In other words, its nearly the size of an electronic flight bag, but it definitely isn’t one, even though it has some EFB capability. Buyers who might

Garmin's GPSmap 696

otherwise consider an EFB will want to consider the 696 before buying.

Impatient buyers whod caught whiff of the next big thing from Garmin and bought GPSmap 496s because they couldnt wait can only sigh and think about an early trade-in. Herewith is our analysis of whether a trade is worth it.

New Hardware

Although it marches forward in occasionally bold strokes and has enough developmental dollars to buy a small country, Garmin has traditionally leveraged its hardware platforms across several markets. Virtually all of its aviation portables have sprung from either marine or terrestrial hardware and if this has yielded compromises, we havent noticed. The 696 represents a departure, for it is purpose-built for the aviation market. In fact, if youve seen the G300 in the Cessna Skycatcher prototype, youve seen the 696, after a fashion. The G300 evolved from 696 development.

Garmin is launching two versions, the 696 ($3295) with XM datalink weather and the 695 ($2695) without weather. Right out of the box, the first impression is of robustness suitable for driving nails. At 2.2 pounds, the thing is heavier than it looks and at 7.7 by 5.7 inches, its the largest aviation portable Garmin has made.

In fact, its large enough that buyers will want to think carefully about how and where to mount it. The provided RAM mount is well-designed and stout, but the unit still takes up enough space to shade instruments or controls. We flew the 696 clamped to the center post of a Debonair and found it quite dominant, spacewise.

Aviation Consumer Staff