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The Magellan Maestro 3100 - Sets the Standard for Entry Level Travel GPS Models
Date of Review: Jul 15, 2007
The Bottom Line: The Maestro 3100 does everything it claims in fine fashion. It is a great first or replacement GPS for any "cost sensitive" driver.
The Magellan Maestro 3100 is a new entry level automobile GPS system, the least expensive model in Magellan's line of Maestro GPS units. While clearly an entry level GPS, and lacking some popular high end features, the 3100 is built around the latest technology, includes current, accurate maps, is easy to use, and handles the basics quite well. With a list price is $300, the Maestro 3100 has frequently been offered on sale for under $200, the price I paid at a local Radio Shack a few weeks ago.
Features
Magellan lists the following key features for this model
3.5" diagonal QVGA full-color, anti-glare, touch-screen display (320 X 240)
Pre-loaded maps of the 48 contiguous United States (uses Navteq maps)
Integrated antenna
Li-ion rechargeable battery, 1200 MA, Up to 3 hours battery life
Voice instructions
Suction windshield mount
Based on the new fast to lock 20 channel SiRFstarIII GPS microcontroller chip
10-15 accuracy
Car charger
750,000 points of interest
Graphical touch-screen interface
In the box is the the Maestro 3100, adjustable window mount, USB cable, 12VDC charging cable, CD with user manual, and adhesive mounting disk, for optional installation on your dashboard.
Setup
Setup couldn t be easier. Since the maps are preloaded onto the Maestro 3100, the GPS starts working as soon as you turn it on (No PC required!). You ll need to decide to use either the windshield suction mount to attach the GPS directly to your windshield, or to the adhesive disk which attaches to the top of your dash.
The windshield mount is short articulating arm with a 3 diameter suction disk. The suction disk has a locking mechanism which helps lock the disk firmly in place. The arm can be adjusted left, right, up, and down, and then locked in place by tightening two nuts.
The windshield mount works well, and is unlikely to fall off once its locked into place. You can also attach the suction disk to a flat area on your dash by using the included adhesive mounting disk. I didn t like either of those options (the Maestro was too "visible"), and purchased an aftermarket mounting bracked that clipped to the vanes on my dashboard vents. I mounted the Maestro on the vents above the radio/cd player in my Ford Explorer.
Using the Maestro 3100
The overall dimenensions are 4 X 3.5 X 1 , easily fitting into a shirtpocket. The only button is the power button. There s a headphone jack, mini usb port, charging port, and sd card slot. The sd card slot is for backing up addresses and destinations, not for adding more maps or other data. If Magellan releases updates for the Maestro 3100, presumably you d use the usb cable to update the unit. Its not clear if Garmin will issue map updates, however, and there s little about using the USB cable in the manual.
When you first turn on the Maestro, it searches for satellites, quickly locking in on 9-12 to calculate your position. Once that happens, your current position shows on the display screen. If you re outdoors you ll get a lock quickly, less than 30 seconds. Indoors, it may take a minute or more.
In extremely bright sunlight the screen is difficult to see, it washes out. But in most lighting the screen is easy to see, and the left/right viewing angles are very good, about 60 degrees. Up and down viewing angles are ok, but not quite as good. The sceen measures 2.75 X 2.5 (3.5 diaganol).
Planning a Trip
One of the Maestro s strongest points is their QuickSpell feature, which simplifies entering addresses for your route. You start by either:
1) typing in a city and/or zip code using the Maestro s virtual keyboard and touchscreen;
2) or by choosing a saved address in your favorites list or a destination from the Maestro s Points of Interest library..
3) Or selecting a point on the map.
I prefer to start by entering a zip code for my destination, which minimizes the options Quickspell has to consider.
- After entering a zipcode the Maestro lists the cities/towns in that zip code, from which you make a selection.
- You then start to type in street name using the virtual keyboard on the touch screen display.
- As each letter is entered, the Maestro hilites only the remaining letters which could be used to spell street names that match those in the city you selected, and disables the rest. Magellan calls this feature QuickSpell, and it s a feature missing from other GPS brands that you ll quickly appreciate. As soon as you ve entered enough letters to narrow the street name down to a few choices, you re given a list of names to choose from, whether its a name like EAST 600 South Road , or Main Street .
- You can stack destinations to create a trip, but the Magellan calculates each section of the trip as you need it (from one destination to the next destination), so you don t get a complete route for a multi-destination trip. Trips can created and saved on the Magellan, as can individual locations, to be used for repeated routing and trip planning.
While the Maestro can display maps in 2D or 3D mode, you can only pan across the map in 2D mode to select destinations. Panning doesn t work that well, you touch a point on the map to grab , then pull the map across the screen to get to another part of the map. Zooming out lets you move tens or hundreds of a mile at a time, while zooming in lets you move hundreds or thousands of feet at a time. Panning works, if you are patient, but when I get in a hurry, I find myself needing 2 or 3 tries before the Maestro recognizes I am trying to move across the map. I ve tried the same feature on a more expensive Garmin Nuvi 360, and found panning to be significantly improved on the Nuvi, one of the advantages of more expensive units. Panning on the Maestro works, if you re not rushed, but it could be better. 2D mode isn t quite as intuitive as 3D mode when you re looking at the display, so I usually leave my display in 3D mode and give up panning.
Once you ve entered your destination, the last step is for the Maestro to plan the route. The Maestro allows four options for route planning
Fastest
Shortest
Maximum use of freeways
Avoiding freeways.
The only other setting the Maestro offers to tweak these selections is an option to avoid toll roads. The Maestro plans trips quickly, a 1000 mile trip usually takes less than 20 seconds to calculate.
Traveling
The Maestro s map display provides a surprising amount of easy to see data, given its small size. The map controls are intuitive, making it easy to make adustments or get additional info. While traveling, your current position is displayed on the map, either in 2D or 3D mode. The 2D view is a standard top down view of a map, with roads and waterways clearly depicted, and attractions indicated by small icons. The 3D view, which I much prefer, is a map oriented in the direction you are traveling, as if you were viewing the map from above and behind your position. Imagine being behind and above your vehicle while traveling, and able to see the roads ahead. Unlike the 2D view, you see more detail on the roads closest to you, and less as you view out to the horizon.
With both views, your current location is clearly depicted with a cursor that tracks your movement along a route. The Maestro is consistently accurate in displaying your position. If it shows me in an intersection, or at a exit, that s exactly where I am.
While traveling, you ll see the trip distance (or time) and distance to next turn on the bottom of the screen, and an arrow indication which way you ll turn. As you approach each turn, the display splits, with half continuing to show the map, and the other half showing a detailed view of your upcoming turn. You ll also see the direction you re driving, speed, the name of the highway you're on, and the name of the highway/road you will turn onto next. You can also choose which types of points of interest are displayed on the map, gas stations, restaurants, hospitals, etc.
As you approach each turn, the Maestro also sounds an alarm and describes the upcoming turn. While the Maestro doesn t attempt to say street or highway names (it lacks the text to speech feature), it does give clear, explicit instructions warning of turns, letting you know if you re approaching a freeway entrance, and whether to exit right or left, for example. The voice quality is good, and loud enough to hear while you are driving on a noisy highway, and at maximum volume loud enough to be annoying on a quiet highway.
If you do turn off your planned route, say for short detour around traffic accident, the Maestro recognizes you re off the plan, and recalculates your route automatically on the fly from your current position. It doesn t just try to turn you around, but keeps you moving in the same direction to the next sensible turn to get back on course, These recalculations are quick, 10-30 seconds.
A button tap often can get travelers more information. Tapping on a point of interest brings up its name, address and phone number. Tapping on the direction indication takes you a screen which provides a more accurate direction indicator, latitude, longitude, elevation, time and date, and distance to next and previous exit. You can also tap buttons on the screen to zoom in and out.
Other features
- Once you ve asked the Maestro to plan a trip, you can preview the trip on the screen, at speeds up to 2X real time. This works well for short trips, previewing a 12 hour trip is not realistic.
- There s an Exit Points of Interest button, that lists all of the restaurants, gas stations and other points of interests for upcoming exits within 20 miles. You can then optionally plan a route to any of those points.
- There s a detour button which will plan a route detouring around the next 3, 5, 10, or variable number of miles, to avoid construction work, for example.
- There s a current location button which provides your current location if you re calling someone for help.
- There are several display and power settings which you can use to optimize battery life.
- During daytime travel, roads are shown on a background matching what you see, green over country areas, blue over water, etc. If you choose night mode, the roads will be shown on a black background at night, simulating your environment and providing less distraction for the driver.
- The trip computer records average speed, and total and drive time for your trip.
Conclusion
With a list price of $300, and a street price often approaching $200, the Magellan Maestro is a great value and easy to recommend. It uses current Navteq maps (the best available for the US), and the route planning is quick and consistently accurate. I haven t had any problems locating destinations in city, suburban, or very rural areas in the states I ve tried (mostly Louisiana, South Carolina, and Illinois) The user interface is intuitive, and planning trips is easy, much easier than on models from a few years ago. The display is very good, but it can wash out in bright sunlight. The audio quality is good, easy to understand, and loud enough to hear in most traffic conditons. The SiRFstarIII GPS microcontroller chip used in the Maestro 3100 is the same chip used in the best GPS models, it locks in quickly and is accurate. The Maestro 3100 does everything it claims, and does it well. I've used it for many "in town" trips, and one 1500 mile trip, and am very pleased with its solid performance. The unit is very stable, I've not had it lock up or have other problems requiring a reset.
The sensor is built into the unit rather than flipping up like many other brands. I don t find that this reduces sensitivity, and it eliminates the chance that the sensor can be broken. The windshield suction mount is a little bulky (I like the Garmin Nuvi windshield mounts better), but it works well enough.
At this price, you are accepting a few tradeoffs, though. The maps in my unit are dated 2007 and seem very current. Its not clear, though, if Magellan will provide map updates next year. The battery is not user replaceable, and I find battery life is about 2.5 hours, depending on my settings. The trip planning options are somewhat limited, you can t change the speeds Maestro uses to calculate travel times, for example. Of course, the advanced features you see on more expensive models, Bluetooth, FM transmitter, mp3 player, etc, are all missing. The only charger included is the car charger and no case is included. The Maestro has only 750,000 points of interest. More expensive models will have 5 times that many, or more. A quick start guide is included, but there s no hard copy of the helpful manual. The manual is a PDF file on the included CD.
