Physically, Magellan’s Maestro 4350 is almost identical to its predecessor, the 4250, but that’s where the similarities end. The 4350’s internal software has been almost completely overhauled. Magellan has listened to customer feedback, and finally made a GPS that can hold its own against any GPS on the market today.

Like the older 4250, the 4350’s bright, 4.3-inch LCD display (480 x 272 pixels) is crisp and easy to read.  Power on the device and you quickly realize how responsive the interface feels. Touchscreen sensitivity is excellent, and the 4350 responds almost instantly to even the lightest touch.

Maestro 4350 has one of the best address entry systems of any GPS I’ve tested. Street and City names can be entered as quickly as your fingers can move, and Magellan’s innovative “QuickSpell” system speeds this process even further.

The Maestro 4350 has an updated map screen that is easy to understand, and displays all the essential information without becoming overly cluttered. Speed limit information, lane guidance, estimated arrival time, remaining distance, upcoming turn information, and other key pieces of information are displayed on the map. The map’s refresh rate is excellent, equaling or beating even Garmin’s newest nuvi models. Map scrolling is smooth and seamless while driving.  An automatic map zoom feature (disabled by default) automatically adjusts the map’s zoom level to fit the current maneuver.

As with previous Maestro models, the 4350 includes AAA’s “TourBook” information pre-loaded on the GPS. Traditional Points of Interest (POI) lookups only display a business’ name, address, and phone number. AAA’s TourBook data, by contrast, includes detailed reviews of restaurants, attractions, and events, complete with pricing, hours of operation, and parking information. When driving in an unfamiliar area, AAA’s TourBook data is a fantastic addition to the GPS that lets you make much more informed decisions about where to eat, sleep, or have fun.

Maestro 4350 gets all the basics right: address entry is easy, the map screen is good, lane guidance and 3D landmarks have been added, it has a large pre-loaded Points of Interest (POI) database, missed turns are quickly handled and a new route is calculated, and the unit includes a traffic receiver built-in to the 12v power adapter.

But where the 4350 really shines is in the routing department.  After entering an address, Maestro calculates 4 different routes: Fastest Time, Shortest Distance, Simple, and Economical. Each proposed route is displayed in a unique color on the map, making it easy to visualize the path that each route would take you.  Even better, you can browse the list of all upcoming turns and manually exclude any road you prefer to avoid.  This level of route customization is rarely seen in automotive GPS devices, and you’ll quickly appreciate the level of route fine-tuning the 4350 offers.

Extensive customization capabilities come at a price, however. Overall, the Maestro 4350 isn’t quite as easy to use as similar units from Garmin, which tend to trade functionality for ease of use. It’s not a steep learning curve, but you might need to refer to the documentation every now and then. That said, once you’re properly acquainted with all the Maestro 4350 has to offer, you’ll find it unmatched in terms of features and control.

I did experience a few issues that detracted from an otherwise excellent GPS. Bluetooth support was mediocre at best. I was able to pair two different Blackberry devices (8700 and 9000), but was unable to transfer address books or call log information from my phone to the GPS.  Hands-free speaker quality was poor, and callers said it sounded like I was “talking from inside a coffee can.” The 4350’s internal speaker is noticeably distorted at maximum volume, and text-to-speech sounds unnatural when pronouncing street names. Once, the 4350 froze while driving, and I had to cycle the power to restore functionality.

Some of these issues will hopefully be addressed via future firmware updates, though I recommend you make any purchasing decision based on the current product, and not what might be “someday”.

Magellan’s Maestro 4350 is currently priced well under $300, making it a very strong competitor indeed. No other GPS device in this price range can match the considerable feature set the 4350 brings to the table.