Magellan Maestro 4700 Review

Magellan is no stranger to the GPS market because their Magellan Maestro devices continue to satisfy their loyal customers. Previously, Magellan was viewed as a manufacturer that makes budget GPS devices that do not really impress that well in performance, but the Magellan Maestro 4700 which is one of the higher-end models aims to tell a different story by incorporating the best features that are present in the 3000 series and add some innovative new features too.

Magellan Maestro 4700 GPS Navigator

Design

All of the major GPS makers are switching to widescreen displays the same way TV and monitor manufacturers are. What makes GPS devices different is that they do not increase in size. But for those that think that 4.3 inch screens are enough, the Magellan 4700 offers more with a 4.7 color touch screen display.

Features

The large screen isn’t the only main feature that is unique to the Maestro 4700 because it has other nice features that may tempt frequent drivers to get this device instead of the other nice models in the 4000 series. One of the nicest features that it has is the voice recognition capability allowing drivers to navigate the device just by issuing certain commands like “Go Home” or “Nearest Gas Station”. This gives a lot of depth to an already nice interface.

It carries the same nice interface features that are present in the other models in the 4000 series including the ever useful OneTouch Favorites Menu which easily lets drivers add their favorite destinations and points of interests so they can be accessed anytime in the route planning with just one touch. Even the QuickSpell feature is retained just in case people find keying in the names of destinations faster.

Actual user review:
• "In addition to this Magellan, I also own a Garmin Nuvi 200W series. The Magellan simply is better in every category I can think of. Much more customizable map display options, better speaker, bigger screen, "one touch" programmable buttons, much faster satellite aquisition, and more. I just came back from a 1500 mile round trip that had a destination of a remote lake house outside of Atlanta. My wife's built in Toyota GPS didn't even recognize the address. This unit brought us to the driveway! This is a very advanced unit at a rediculous low price. The lane assist was great on a trip like this, as was the highway exit information button. I've had a number of GPS units and this one is by far the best so far. Highly recommended." - D.Beofam (MD,USA)

The big screen really shines when the 3-D graphics of all the major landmarks are displayed. The device can also talk back to you by saying every street name it encounters on each turn so that the focus stays on the road and not on the device. It can even serve as a speaker phone of your mobile unit as long as it has Bluetooth capability because the Magellan 4700 comes with that same technology as well. The Bluetooth feature also supports syncing of up to 1000 phone numbers for easy contacting. The microphone is also designed to cancel out unwanted road noise for increased voice clarity.

It comes with other advanced routing features including the Highway Lane Assist feature which ensures that the driver is on the right lane so that the turn won’t be missed. Multiple routes can also be calculated with the Predictive Traffic Routing feature where a recommended route is made based on past traffic activity. A search can also be made at every highway exit for important POIs including hotels, gas stations and restaurants.

Bottom Line

The Magellan 4700 is truly a feature-rich device with millions of points of interest and preloaded US and CA maps. The big screen even adds more value to the device making this one of Magellan’s best GPS products yet.

More user reviews:

• "With an occupation that keeps me on the road, a working navigational tool is a must have. Having gone through my fair share of slow and inconsistent GPS products ranging from Garmin, TomTom and yes even Magellan through the years, this model kept popping up on my radar screen. Coming out of the box, this unit worked perfectly without the usual hiccups of other systems. Powering up is a breeze. The download time for entering starting point to destination is about 45 seconds. The One Touch screen is on the money. The menu allows for simple editing for one's own personal choices. The gurus at Magellan put a lot of thought in the Predictive Traffic Feature. In short, it creates alternate routes for known traffic tie ups. The biggest draw for me personally is the large 4.7" color touch screen, predictive traffic, and the lane guide arrow features. Unlike previous models that I have owned, the Maestro 4700's screen is viewable in all lighting conditions. The user friendly one touch interface is definitely a winner." - I. McGyver (USA)

Average User Rating :

List Price: $299.99

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