5. RoadMate 3000T and 6000T: Cut from the same cloth

Figure 13: Magellan's RoadMate 3000T (left) and 6000T (right)

As I mentioned above, the RoadMate 6000T is the more expensive cousin of the 3000T. Both units are almost identical looking, although the 6000T looks slightly less cheap due to its matt silver color scheme. The 6000T also has a more elaborate docking cradle that allows you to plug the 12v adapter into the cradle instead of the unit. The 3000T, on the other hand, ships with a simple plastic cradle with no connectors on it.

Other than those minor differences, physically both units are identical, sharing the exact same size, weight, and button layout. It's not really fair to compare features, since the 3000T is significantly less expensive, but it is worth mentioning that both units share the same design, screen size, button layout, etc. The only noticeable design difference is the addition of a Bluetooth button on the top left of the 6000T.

Figure 14: Top view of the MRM 3000T (top) and MRM 6000T (bottom).

Figure 15: Left side view of the MRM 3000T (top) and MRM 6000T (bottom).

Figure 16: Rear view of the MRM 3000T (top) and MRM 6000T (bottom).

Figure 17: Right side view of the MRM 3000T (top) and MRM 6000T (bottom).

6. Mounting the MRM 6000T in the Car

The mounting hardware included on the Magellan RoadMate 6000T is much improved over the previous generation of RoadMate PNDs (MRM 700, 760, 800). The suction-style mount is substantial enough to securely hold the 6000T securely in place while driving.

Figure 18: Magellan's windshield suction mount.

Figure 19: The mount is a little larger than you might expect, but it does hold the unit in place, which is what really counts.

I did notice a very slight amount of vibration on the 6000T when driving around, but nothing major. This mount is still not as good as the Garmin StreetPilot c550's mount, which exhibited no vibration at all during testing, due in large part to its lighter weight and very solid ball-joint style mount. Still, the Magellan mount is decent and much better than the now infamous TomTom 910 mount.

Figure 20: To mount the MRM 6000T, you first connect the cradle to the back of the unit

Figure 21: Then you slide the windshield mount onto the back of the cradle.

Figure 22: Connect the 12v adapter.

Figure 23: Ready to navigate: the MRM 6000T looks OK in the car, although the industrial design team at Magellan might want to hire away some Apple employees and get cracking on something a little more hip.

7. Turning the MRM 6000T On, Off, and Putting It To Sleep

Powering the MRM 6000T on and off is slightly un-intuitive at first: To turn the unit on, you press and hold the power button for 10 seconds (yes, 10 seconds!). If you press and hold the power button again for 2-3 seconds, the unit goes into sleep mode (a low power mode that retains GPS location information and makes the unit ready to navigate when you next turn it on). If you continue holding the power button for a total of 10 seconds, the 6000T turns completely off.

While I really like the idea of a low-power sleep mode that keeps the unit ready to navigate, I have to admit the powering on and off was confusing and required that I read the manual (gasp!). In my testing I found it very useful to keep the unit in sleep mode. I never completely powered the unit off, and it was quite nice having the 6000T always ready to navigate without having to wait for it to acquire GPS signal reception after a cold boot. But I'm willing to bet Magellan Support gets regular calls from customers saying the unit will not power on, not realizing you have to hold the power button for 10 seconds.

Figure 24: One you have the unit powered on, you are presented with the main menu: