Looking for a great gift to give for Father's Day? Consider a portable navigation device (PND). These dashtop navigators can help Dad when he's driving in unfamiliar areas and negotiating commuter traffic. It can even add high-tech functionality to an older car, such as Bluetooth hands-free calling. To help steer you in the right direction, we have compiled our picks in three subcategories: Best on a budget, For the gadget lover, and Big, macho screen.

Fresh from a comprehensive update of our GPS ratings and buying advice, the Consumer Reports GPS team combed through the latest test findings to debate the navigators we'd recommend for gifting. We looked at ease of use, functionality, and price in making our selections, mindful that these are gifts—items to deliver high on value and be welcomed by recipient. In making our picks, we skipped several comparable models that we found had performance hiccups and sometimes frustrating mounts.

Although not intended as a criteria for our list, all nine featured models include Bluetooth connectivity, enabling convenient hands-free calling through the device.

There are dozens of decent devices available, and we invite you to explore the options using our interactive ratings tool that allows you to sort and filter by the factors that matter most to you.

Our Father's Day 2011 picks...

Best on a budget
Garmin Nuvi 265WT: This older widescreen model is a staff fav. Easy to use, free traffic, and strong receiver.
Garmin 1260T: Free traffic and spoken street names, but no reality view or lane assist.
Magellan RoadMate 2055: Slick, friendly interface, wide screen, and free lifetime traffic.

For the gadget lover
Garmin Nuvi 3790: Glass touch screen, vivid graphics, and sleek design. Voice recognition and 3D buildings.
TomTom 740 Live: Full-featured, upscale GPS. Requires a monthly subscription to realize its full potential.
TomTom 2405 TM: Glass touch screen. Features include IQ routes, lane guidance, and voice recognition.

Big, macho screen
Garmin Nuvi 1490T: 5-inch screen. Features reality view, lane assist, and free traffic information.
Magellan RoadMate 9055: Massive 7-inch screen best for RVs and large trucks. Reality view and lane assist.
TomTom 2505 TM: 5-inch glass screen. Features include IQ routes, lane guidance, and voice recognition.

Clearly, it pays to spend a few minutes shopping around. Browsing the Internet, we found great pricing on all the models above. If you're drawn to low-priced units in sales flyers, do check our ratings and user reviews before buying. Often, the heavily discounted units are older and may not have the features your beloved patriarch craves, such as spoken street names, lane assist, and reality view, which provides a realistic depiction of highway junctions.

If you do buy a unit for Father's Day, take the time to set it up with Dad's home address, favorite points of interest, and family photos—if capable. After all, he likely assembled many toys for you through the years.