Though my techno-geek side hates to admit it -- I'm very impressed with the Garmin 496.
John has a Garmin 430 in the A36, and I've used a 430 in the Piper Archer, but the displays, data available, refresh rate, and overall usability of the 496 is even better.
XM Weather alone makes this unit worthwhile. There is no better information about weather than what is happening right now -- Not what is forecast, not what happened 4 hours ago. XM Weather provides near real-time information that is usable in flight.
The 396 is probably just as good, but John purchased the top of the line model. No complaints here.
We used it on our trip to Phoenix and it helped me plot the best course away from icing as we left Pennsylvania and crossed West Virginia. On the return trip I was able to use the XM data to supplement the FSS briefing and get a solid overall understanding of where the low was moving north from Mexico. We launched and avoided all the various hazards forecast and observed.
An XM WX receiver should be standard equipment on any IFR flight.
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