Magellan Maestro 4250, 3250 GPS: REVIEW

Magellan is a long-standing leader in GPS, especially famous for its award-winning RoadMate series and the Hertz NeverLost car navigation system. Though not as dominant as it was several years ago, Magellan continues to produce quality GPS units for the field and the car. Demonstrating their ongoing commitment to innovation, Magellan has rounded out their popular Maestro line with the 3250 and wide-screen 4250, which were among the first aftermarket vehicle GPS systems with voice recognition capability to reach the consumer. Drawing from Magellan’s lengthy track record in the business and building upon the proven Maestro platform, CNET says, "Maestro 4250 is a solid mid-level portable navigation system." We agree.

Ratings Summary Includes ratings for Magellan Maestro 4250 & 3250 Maestro 4250 Owner Reviews Maestro 3250 Owner Reviews Our Rating: 4 Stars

Note: The Magellan Maestro 4250 (pictured above) is the wide-screen edition of the 3250. The 4250 also has a slightly higher-capacity battery. Other than that, the two models are essentially identical. This review and associated ratings include both models:

While competent and reliable but unremarkable in standard vehicle GPS functions, we see Maestro 4250/3250 as a stand-out in two distinct ways:

First, as mentioned earlier, both models include voice recognition. It’s important to note that you can’t do everything with your voice, but you can access most of Maestro’s basic functions. You can not speak an address, however. Say "Magellan" to activate the unit’s speech recognition function. You can then say, "Go Home," "Nearest ATM", "Nearest Restaurant," "Nearest Gas," "Where Am I?," etc. and the screen will display a numbered list of your options. Just speak the number corresponding to the option you’d like and the Maestro will guide you there.

Second, like a number of other Maestro units, the 4250 and 3250 include pre-loaded AAA (American Automobile Association) tourbooks, a terrific resource and convenience, especially when traveling in unfamiliar areas.

The Maestro 4250 and 3250 both include integrated RDS-TMC Traffic Receivers and are capable of real-time traffic monitoring and avoidance, but require a subscription to the over-the-air traffic service. Purchase of the unit includes your first three months free.

Owners have given both units strong marks, citing a strong mix of features and good value at their price. Some owners cited occasional slow performance and/or lock-up, requiring a restart. Overall, however, the 4250 and 3250 are welcome additions to Magellan’s Maestro family with solid performance and voice recognition that works. [Review Date: 3 July 2008 © 2008 Rated4Stars.com]

Key Features at a Glance Feature Maestro 4250 Maestro 3250 Ready to Use Out of the Box? North America, Canada, Puerto Rico North America, Canada, Puerto Rico Spoken, Turn-by-Turn Directions? Text-to-Speech? (Announces Street Names) Voice Recognition? Multi-Destination Routing? Bluetooth? MP3/Audio Player? Live Traffic/Weather? Subscription Required Subscription Required Suitable for Offroad Use? Limited map coverage Limited map coverage Portable? (internal battery) Wide-Screen Display? Other Features: AAA Tour Book AAA Tour Book

More about the Magellan Maestro 4250	More about the Magellan Maestro 3250
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