5. Navigating with the Maestro 4250

Figure 26: Maestro 4250's Map Screen

When navigating to a destination, you'll spend most of your time looking at the map screen, shown above in figure 26. Each GPS manufacturer displays information differently on the map. Magellan Maestro's newly updated map screen does a fairly good job displaying the information you'll likely care about in a way that's easy to read and understand. Let's take a closer look at the information displayed on the map:

1. Direction of travel - tapping this icon displays Magellan's Locate screen
2. Zoom out - Zooms the map out so you can see a larger area of the map
3. Vehicle Position - represents your vehicle's position on the map
4. Turn instruction for next maneuver - Tapping this icon displays the maneuvering list (when routing to a destination)
5. Current time/Distance to Next Turn - When not navigating to destination, this box displays the current time. When routing to a destination, this box displays the distance to next maneuver. Tapping this area repeats the last verbal instruction
6. Main Menu - Access the Main Menu
7. Present speed/Arrival Time/Remaining Drive Time - When not routing to a destination, this box displays the current speed. When routing to a destination, this area displays distance to destination. Tapping on this box cycles between displaying remaining distance, arrival time, or remaining drive time
8. Next Street - This area displays the street name for the next maneuver
9. Volume control / mute
10. Zoom in
11. Highlighted Route - The path the GPS has calculated you should follow to reach your destination
12. Satellite status - Displays current satellite signal strength. Tap to display additional satellite information
13. Current Street - Displays the name of the current road/street you are traveling on

Figure 27: Magellan's Excellent TrueView Split Screen View

TrueView is a fantastic feature unique to Magellan that makes it easy to see the next maneuver. Shortly before an upcoming turn, Magellan's "split screen" view is displayed and a chime sounds, letting you know that you'll need to make a turn soon.

Like previous Magellan GPS units, the Maestro 4250 does a good job notifying you of an upcoming maneuver.

Figure 28: Magellan's Night Mode Map Screen

By default the Maestro will automatically switch to "Night Mode" after sunset. Note that switching to night mode is based on the time of day and not on the ambient light. Night Mode uses a darker palette on the map view to make night viewing easier on the eyes.

Annoyingly, only the map screen changes in Night Mode -- the Main Menu and all other screens remain in the same bright blue scheme and it's blinding at night. Garmin and TomTom's models, on the other hand, darken all the menus in night mode. Magellan needs to make "night" versions of all the menus on the 4250, not just the map screen.

Figure 29: Garmin nuvi's Map Screen vs. Magellan Maestro 4250

Magellan's map screen overall does a good job, and I was especially fond of the upcoming turn split screen view. However, I found Magellan's maps slightly less refined looking than some other GPS units. The Magellan Maestro displayed bends in the road as jagged lines while Garmin's nuvi 760, for example, showed a more gradual curve. I also found the fonts and color scheme easier to read on the Garmin.

Figure 30: Viewing the Maneuver List From the Map Screen

When navigating to a destination with the Maestro 4250, the "Maneuver List", a list of all upcoming turns, can be viewed at any time by pressing on the turn icon in the lower-left corner, as shown above in figure 30.

Figure 31: Maneuver List

The Maneuver List screen displays a list of all upcoming turns. Each line in the maneuver list provides details about the maneuver in the order they are to be made, with the next (closest) maneuver at the top of the list. The bottom bar displays the distance and time to the next maneuver, as well as the total distance to the destination.

If the GPS loses satellite signal reception, the 4250 automatically displays the Maneuver List. This is a great feature that allows you to view the turn-by-turn list of instructions, even when satellite reception is poor.

6. Route Exclusion

Figure 32: Route Exclusion

One of the most useful features on the Maestro 4250 is its ability to exclude, or avoid, a particular road/highway. To exclude a specific road from the planned route, simply tap on the street you want to exclude from the Maneuver List (shown in figure 32), and then tap "Exclude". The Maestro will then re-calculate the route to your destination, this time avoiding that particular road.

This a great feature that really comes in handy when you want to avoid a road you know will be problematic, or if you find yourself stuck in traffic and want to find an alternate route. Other manufacturers have similar detour features, but only the Magellan Maestro allows you to avoid specific roads of your choosing, or plan the trip in advance and exclude a specific road.

7. Canceling the Current Route

Figure 33: Canceling a Route

Maestro makes it easy to cancel navigating to an address. Tapping on Menu from the map screen brings up the menu shown above in figure 33. From here, tap Cancel Route.

Figure 34: Are You Sure You Want To Cancel the Route?

Tapping on Cancel Route from the previous menu brings up the cancel confirmation dialog screen, shown above. Tap on Yes to cancel the route and return to the main menu, or tap No to return to the previous screen.

8. Using the Detour Feature

Figure 35: Accessing the Detour Feature

There may be times when you encounter heavy traffic or a closed road and want/need to detour around the problem area. Unlike the Route Exclusion feature, which allows you to exclude specific roads from the route, Detour is a quick one-touch way to detour around a current problem are without having to specify roads to avoid.

For example, if you find yourself stuck in traffic on a highway, you may not want to exclude the entire highway from the route, but you might want to take surface roads for the next 3 miles to get around the traffic and then get back on the same highway. Magellan's "Detour" feature allows you to do just that. To use the Detour feature, tap Menu from the map screen, then tap the Detour icon, shown above in figure 35.

Figure 36: Using the Detour Feature

Tapping on the Detour icon brings up the Detour menu, shown above. This page asks you to specify how far you want to avoid the road you are currently traveling on.