Garmin has announced a new series of nüvi navigators designed specifically for those wanting satnav with a large, 5.2-inch touchscreen display.

"The nuvi 5000 is ideal for those with larger vehicles that need navigation on a big screen", said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales.

"With its easy-to-use interface and route planning features, it puts drivers in total control of the road."

With its large, touchscreen interface, the nüvi 5000 claims to make it easier than ever to obtain voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions, route calculation, and automatic rerouting if a motorist strays off course.

As well as the bog standard GPS features you'd expect, all routing information is displayed on a digital elevation map that shows detail about the surrounding terrain.

There's also MSN Direct hook up for use in the States and MP3 player and gaming functionalities too.

The nüvi 5000 is expected to be available in North America in February for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $799.99.

Garmin has confirmed it will be available in Europe in the second quarter of 2008.

Meanwhile Garmin has also launched a new range called the Garmin Colorado.

The new products, which are designed to be used by hand not in the car will offer a unique "Rock 'N' Roller" input device that allows for one-handed operation, shaded-relief and satellite imagery mapping.

It will come with a 3-inch colour screen with high resolution, 15 hours of operating time on AA batteries, a built-in compass, altimeter, and temperature sensor, plus the ability to wirelessly exchange routes, tracks, waypoints, and geocaches between two units.