Garmin Dash cam
Make driving just that little bit safer
$249.99 From Garmin, garmin.com Features 1.4m and 4m USB cables, 1440p HDR, 180–degree field of view.
Around the size of a matchbox, the Garmin Dash Cam 66W is beautifully compact and can be hidden neatly behind the central rear view mirror of most vehicles. It’s nearly identical to the excellent Dash Cam 55 in size and appearance, down to four buttons on the side for controlling the menus, plus a two-inch display on the back. And there’s the connection for Garmin’s excellent windscreen mount.
Video is constantly recording and is split into files each 60 seconds long. Once your microSD card gets full, the oldest videos will be recorded over with new footage. Each video includes date, time, GPS and speed, and any of these can be switched off from within the settings menu, along with audio recording. When a collision is detected by the G–sensor, that portion of video is saved and will not be overwritten.
You can record up to 1440p with HDR, for getting better detail in mixed lighting conditions, though you can only get the clarity of 60fps video if you drop to 1080p. The detail is excellent, especially for the price, though just a tad on the grainy side.
There’s also voice control, so you can save pictures or one–minute video clips by speaking to the dash cam.
Everything you want a dash cam to do, it nails, and with a welcome wider view compared to its predecessor. We still slightly prefer the Nextbase 522GW overall (it’s significantly cheaper), but this is top stuff, and is Garmin’s best.
the bottom line. A top–quality dash cam that records in higher than full HD, has GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, is compact and subtle, with a simple mounting system. An excellent package.