I've used a 295 for aviation purposes since it came out and a Street
Pilot III for auto trips.

Recently, issues developed with reestablishing the update chain for the
SP III road map software.

So, I decided to upgrade to a 296, which does "trains, planes, and
automobiles." (Actually, aviation, automotive, and marine).

What a awesome unit! So much better than the 295 and soooooo much
faster than the SP III when doing automotive routes and recalculations.

The "TAWS" mode alone is worth the price of admission. I ran the
Henderson/NASCAR King Air CFIT crash in the simulation mode. There was
plenty of warning from the 296 along that track and at their presumed
altitude. Even if their altitude changed once the TRACON lost radar,
they still would have received timely warnings. Also, with the
situational awareness affored by the map (this is true of the 295 as
well) they probably wouldn't have gone where they went.