Review: Garmin Head-Up Display

There are times in life when one may make a spending decision based on ‘cool’ versus a more pragmatic needs-based approach. Having spent time with Garmin’s latest gadget, we’re still not certain which side of the fence this device falls.

On one hand, it’s a head-up display (HUD) like they have on those expensive luxury cars, or jet fighters. On the other, it’s a gadget that can easily be seen as unnecessary and somewhat lacking in features compared to other options available.

The Garmin HUD connects via Bluetooth to your smartphone navigation app. Locally this is Garmin’s own Navigon, which for Apple smart device owners will cost an extra $69.99 from the App Store, but for perhaps even smarter Android users it’s free. Bluetooth pairing is easy and quick with no codes needing to be exchanged.

The power cord for the HUD plugs into the 12-volt ‘cigarette lighter’ and sports a USB port to help keep your paired phone juiced as the Navigon app chews through battery life.

With an RRP of $179.00, the HUD is essentially a light-sensitive projector that sits on your dash aimed at the windscreen. Finding a dash position should not be too hard, and the device sits quite snug on its sticky base with only the barest of adjustment to the hinge to get a display on a typically sloped screen.

The three options you have are: add the supplied reflective film to the inside of your screen. This is the recommended approach and certainly provides the best viewing of the reflected display. However, Garmin advises to check state laws pertaining to the application of film to a windscreen before doing so.

The second option is to snap-fit the plastic cover to the device itself. This is a good solution for those not caring as much about the technophile kudos of projecting the information onto the actual windshield, and for those who want to take the HUD from car to car.

Finally, and we found this worked fine, just position the HUD where it can project an image straight onto the screen without the reflective film. While not as effective in bright sunlight, this option is quick and usually more than satisfactory in quality.

The display itself is uncluttered. There is no map, instead the largest on-screen digits countdown the metres to the next turn. The next turn direction is also shown, as is the suggested lane where applicable.

Other onscreen information includes current speed versus posted speed limit when available, nearby safety camera indication, estimated time of arrival and congestion icons.

In practice it takes some training to get used to the HUD. Effectively it adds a fourth focal point for the driver; road, mirrors, dash and now screen. For me, and I imagine this would vary from driver to driver, this led to premature eyestrain.

On the plus side, however, a HUD means you never really take your eyes off the road. The display unit itself is not a distraction and if positioned thoughtfully the HUD projection will sit in an unimportant -- from a road safety sense – portion of the screen.

This is a borderline call, but we think the Garmin HUD is definitely a gadget that would be difficult to justify if $179 plus $70 for software is a tough budgetary stretch for you.

But it is easy to set up, works responsively and may well be a safer option than a vision-obscuring independent sat-nav stuck to the inside of the windscreen.

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