20. Pros

• Price - the Maestro 3100 has a retail price of $299, but has a street price of as low as $200
• Lots of handy features unique to Magellan
• Newly updated NAVTEQ mapping data
• Small, portable size
• Improved menu UI over previous Magellan units
• Loud built-in speaker
• Four routing methods to choose from (although I wish the Maestro would produce estimated drive times for each of the four methods so you could make a more educated choice about which method to select)
• Magellan's handy "Current Location" screen allows one-click access to your current location, time of day, speed, direction of travel, and also provides an easy way to save your present location into the address book for future use.
• Magellan's unique "Exit Authority" feature is great for long trips / highway travel.
• Ability to tap POI icons directly from the map screen
• Handsome hardware design
• Good routing engine performance
• SiRF's high performance StarIII chip
• Solid, reliable - no bugs, crashes, or lock-ups during my testing

21. Cons

• Shorter than average battery life
• Clumsy process to mount / un-mount Maestro from the windshield mount
• Windshield mount vibrated slightly when driving at highway speeds
• AC power cord connects directly to the GPS rather than the mount
• Miss a turn and Maestro keeps insisting you double back and take the original route instead of plotting a new course on the new road
• Font used for text on the new map screen is too small and difficult to read
• Street names are sometimes word-wrapped in a strange way, making it hard to read the upcoming maneuver
• Zoom in/out and volume icons are transparent on the map screen, making them hard to see
• No "night" version of the "Calculating Route" screen. The bright blue screen is blinding at night in a dark car
• Estimated arrival time not displayed on the map (or anywhere else)
• Pastel color scheme on the map hard to see in bright sunlight
• Address book management requires too many clicks
• Once the Maestro is in "night mode" (dimmed screen and darker color scheme), there's no way to force it back into day mode, even if you turn off "automatic night mode". You're stuck in night mode until daylight
• Only the map screen changes for "night mode". All other menus are the same for day and night, making the bright blue background blinding at night in a dark car.
• Upcoming turns announced at shorter distances than on the 4000-series Maestros
• No Text-to-Speech
• No Bluetooth
• No real-time traffic data
• Unit feels less solidly constructed than the Maestro 4000-series
• Slightly slower CPU than the 4000-series Maestros -- unit feels a bit sluggish on some of the menu screens or when panning / zooming on the map
• Lacks the AAA TourBook Information found on the 4000-series Maestros

22. Conclusion

Unfortunately, it's not all good news for the Maestro 3100. I found the updated map screen's pastel color scheme and small text difficult to see -- particularly in bright sunlight, and the routing system was reluctant to accept a different route if I deviated from the suggested path. I also found it extremely annoying that the ETA isn't displayed on the map screen (remaining drive time and miles are displayed, but not the actual estimated arrival time of day). I missed not having text-to-speech and Bluetooth, but if you need a good basic GPS and only have around $250 to spend, nothing comes close to the Maestro 3100. The Maestro 3100 is better than the similarly priced TomTom ONE, Magellan's RoadMate 3000T, and the RoadMate 2000. Those looking for a slightly better GPS with Text-to-Speech and willing to spend about $100 more should take a look at the Garmin nuvi 350.

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