Magellan Maestro 4050 With Traffic Kit Review

Overall, the Magellan Maestro 4050 with Traffic Kit is a good little GPS for the size and money. Its size of 5 inches by 3.75 inches by .88 inches and weight of 8.5 ounces, makes it a little larger than its competition, with a screen display of 4.3 inches. It’s still small enough to take with you on the go, but not quite as small as other manufacturers products of this caliber.

The maps comes preloaded for the 50 United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The points of interest database has restaurants, fuel, ATM’s, even a coffee category for coffee shops, but not nearly as many as Garmin has. Some are current, and some newer points of interest are missing. Some street numbers also appear incorrectly located on the street, and can lead you up to a block or two away from your destination. Some major highways are shown as minor, while minor highways are shown as major. The routing and rerouting times are good, however, and for navigational purposes, this is a major factor when considering a GPS device. If you miss a turn, it will re-navigate, and get you back on your way within seconds. So overall, the mapping and points of interest databases could stand some improvement, but they’re not so much a problem that it would make using the Maestro 4050 unacceptable.

Satellites are good. They locate and lock on quickly, even indoors or in not so clear conditions. This is a really good factor of the Maestro 4050. It is one of the best features of this device. Even on streets clouded by taller buildings, the satellites can lock on and get you on your way.

The overall display is great. The 4.3 inch screen is easy to see and read. It shows a bright display, and the night modes works perfectly. The levels of detail on the 4050 compare to much more expensive models. So if display is your main concern, there’s no need for worry. The 4050 has a display anyone can see and read easily.

I’d give the voice prompts three stars. They world great, the volume is good and very easy to hear and understand. However, there is only one voice available, and compared to Garmin, and TomTom, one voice seems terribly outdated.

It does include Bluetooth, which seems to be a norm for GPS these days. The Bluetooth works as well as you would expect it to. The battery life, however, is a little lacking. Only 2 hours of battery life, compared to other products that boast up to 8 hours. 2 hours is a little lacking in life power. There is an included car charger and AC charger, so you could always just leave it plugged in if you’re on a longer trip.

The menu options are a good feature. You can adjust several things. You can not change the drive speeds on certain roads, which may mean that you arrive at your destination before the 4050 says you should. But that’s not really a problem, as long as you don’t arrive late, and the 4050 will always tell you that you are arriving later than you actually will. It will just take some getting used to the times.

Overall, for the price and technology that it includes, the Magellan Maestro 4050 with traffic kit is not a bad device. There are good points and bad points, as with any GPS device. It all depends on what is important to the individual.

Learn More

Magellan® Maestro™ 4050 offers the most satisfying navigation experience ever, in a symphony of elegance and simplicity with LIVE traffic updates, Voice Command & Control, Bluetooth® hands-free calling, SayWhere™ text-to-speech and millions of pre-programmed points of interest. Use Voice Command for hand’s-free routing to your home and points of interest from three popular categories. For example, say “Nearest Restaurant”, “Chinese Food”, and select the restaurant of your choice.

Enter virtually any destination on the freshly-designed graphical touch screen and get turn-by-turn voice guidance to anywhere in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Smart touch-icons and Magellan’s unique QuickSpell™ function enable error-free spelling and minimize steps, so you get a customized route to your destination with just a few touches of the screen.

Touch the tow truck icon to quickly connect to AAA member Roadside Assistance¹ using your compatible Bluetooth® phone. The screen tells you where you are to quickly direct reliable AAA help to your location.

Maestro is designed for those who enjoy precision technology with style! It has been created by Magellan; the first name in navigation™, and built on years of experience providing the best in GPS navigation and feedback from among the over 400,000 users of the Magellan RoadMate and Hertz NeverLost systems.

1. Requires AAA Membership.

Features

• Voice command: Voice command and control enables hand’s-free operation.
• Sophisticated and simple: Streamlined touch-screen buttons minimize steps to locate a destination
• Sleek design: Integrated GPS antenna provides excellent satellite reception in a slim and compact design
  Graphical interactive maps: Maps and destinations for the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico are built-in, so you can travel all over the US and Canada and always know where you are and where you’re going
• TrafficKit™: Provides live traffic incident reports (subscription fees apply)
• Bird’s-eye 3D view: Clearly see your surroundings in 2D or 3D; also choose between Map View, TrueView™ 3D split screen, and Maneuver List
• Rechargeable battery: Navigate when you don’t have access to power
• Multi-destination routing: Select up to 20 destinations and choose the order that best fits your needs
• SmartDetour: Automatically prompts you to route around suddenly slow freeway traffic
• Auto re-route: Never miss a turn and quickly get back on track whenever you take a detour
• Auto night view: Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing
• QuickSpell™: Easily enter addresses with unique auto-complete feature that even corrects spelling
• Complete mobility: Transfer to any vehicle with no installation
• Millions of points of interest (POIs): Optimized database of gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, and more with smart location search by name, category, and location. There’s even a Coffee category so you can quickly find caffeine whenever you need it.
• Interactive POI icons: Touch an onscreen icon for a nearby destination, see name and address, and get an instant route
• Customizable route method: Fastest time, shortest distance, least or most use of freeways, avoid toll roads
• Route exclusion: Select streets and freeways to avoid so you can get there your way
• Address book: Create and store personal points of interest for easy reoccurring trips
• Instant locate: One touch shows your location; quickly advise roadside assistance or emergency services

Specifications

Product Number: 980921-01A

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PERFORMANCE

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