Magellan Maestro 3140 Review (GPSmagazine.com)

Verdict: Solid Performance, Feature Packed

Magellan Maestro 3140

REVIEW UPDATE: This GPS model has been discontinued

The Magellan Maestro 3140 is a full-featured GPS that offers Bluetooth, Text-to-Speech for turn-by-turn voice prompts, and includes AAA's TourBook travel information.

A few weeks ago I reviewed the entry-level Maestro 3100 and found the unit flawed, but overall a good buy considering it's sub-$200 street price. This week I take a look the 3100's more sophisticated, more expensive brother, the highly anticipated Maestro 3140. Priced at just under $400, the 3140 competes with the higher-end GPS units from Garmin, TomTom, and LG.

Does Magellan's Maestro 3140 deliver the goods? Read on to find out.

1. Technical Specifications

Price: $399
Display: 3.5" QVGA (320 x 240; 64,000 colors), anti-glare, touch-screen display
Map Coverage: 50 U.S. States, Canada & Puerto Rico (NAVTEQ)
POIs: 4.5 million searchable Points of Interest (POI's)
Receiver: 20 channels, WAAS/EGNOS enabled - SiRFstarIII
Battery Life: Up to 3 hours (assuming lowest screen brightness - actual battery life was more like 1.5-2 hours in my testing)
Antenna: Integrated multidirectional patch
Size: 4.29 (L) x 1.14 (W) x 3.48 (H)
Weight: 6.5 oz
Warranty: 1 year

2. Meet Maestro - Magellan's New Product Line

	Screen Size	GPS Chipset	Map Coverage	POIs	Text-to-Speech	Bluetooth	Traffic	Voice Command	Price
Maestro 3100	3.5" diag.	SiRF Star III	Continental US (48 states)	750k	No	No	No	No	$349
Maestro 3140	3.5" diag	SiRF Star III	50 States, Canada & Puerto Rico	4.5 million	Yes	Yes	Optional	No	$449
Maestro 4000	4.3" diag.	SiRF Star III	Continental US (48 states)	1.6 million	No	No	No	No	$449
Maestro 4040	4.3" diag.	SiRF Star III	50 States, Canada & Puerto Rico	4.5 million	Yes	Yes	Optional	No	$599
Maestro 4050	4.3" diag.	SiRF Star III	50 States, Canada & Puerto Rico	4.5 million	Yes	Yes	Included	Yes	$799

3000-series Maestros have the smaller 3.5" screen while the 4000-series Maestros enjoy the larger 4.3" (measured diagonally) display. Maestro 3100 is the most affordable Maestro, with an estimated street price of around $200. The entry-level 3100 doesn't have many of the bells and whistles found on the more expensive Maestros, but does deliver solid basic navigation at a bargain-basement price.