I have a 196 and it is very good with excellent visibility in strong sunlight and very good battery life. 4x AAs last 12-14 hrs and are easy to replace (don't need to remember to recharge)
I don't miss the colour screen as I really just use it to navigate with (ie not for airspace restiction warnings etc.. I use the chart as well.
It is a lot cheaper than the colour ones. Also Garmin include all the mounts and leads etc so apart from a case you don't need anything.
I don't find the car driving mode very user friendly though, but I bought it for flying rather than driving
I did have some problem with the first unit I was sent, but Harry M replaced it and the new one seems OK.