Magellan RoadMate 1470 Review (GPSmagazine.com)

10. Pros

Large 4.7-inch LCD display
Most flexible routing options of any GPS available. Provides 4 different suggested routes, and lets you customize a route to avoid specific roads
Highway Lane Assist feature makes it easier to navigate highway intersections
OneTouch Menu provides quick, easy access to your most commonly used destinations or POI search queries
Pre-loaded maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico
6 million Points of Interest (POIs)
Intuitive QuickSpell text-entry system speeds address entry and reduces typos
Ultra-slim design
Fast, responsive user interface. No noticeable delays when typing text or navigating menus
Loud, crisp speaker delivers deep sound and loud volume levels without distortion
Good touch screen sensitivity
Ability to search for POIs along the route, near your destination, near your current location, or near a city or address of your choosing
AAA TourBook data provides valuable information not found on other GPS units about where to eat, sleep, or have fun
Magellan's unique "Exit POIs" feature lets you see what's available at each approaching exit on the highway
Supports multi-destination routing with route optimization (ability to sort a list of addresses by distance)
Emergency icon provides an easy way to see your current location, and find nearby emergency services
AAA Roadside Assistance function shows your current position, the nearest cross streets, and displays AAA telephone hotline information
Smooth map scrolling

11. Cons

Takes 34 seconds to turn on the RoadMate 1470
Route calculation can be slow, especially for long distance trips
Searching for POIs with sub-categories (i.e. Restaurants) can be confusing
Voice that speaks street names sounds slightly different than the voice that announces non text-to-speech prompts (i.e. the voice that says "Turn left" sounds different than the voice that says "North Main Street")
Large and ugly 12v power adapter
Power cable gets in the way of the windshield mount; you can't slide with GPS onto the windshield mount if the power cord is connected (it blocks the mounting bracket), so you have to connect the power cable after the 1470 is on the windshield mount
Traffic receiver sold separately
No stand-by power mode, so you have to wait for the device to "cold" start every time it's turned on or off
Cannot route to a set of lat/long coordinates
"Night Mode" only darkens the map screen. All other menus continue to use the bright blue palette used in the daytime
Searching for a specific POI by name is very slow
Short (up to 3 hours) battery life
No QWERTY keyboard layout option (it's ABCD only, and cannot be changed)
Lacks the Bus, Pedestrian, Taxi, Emergency, and Bicycle vehicle modes found on the Magellan Maestro 4350
Speed limit information not displayed on the map

12. Conclusion

The RoadMate 1470 is quite possibly Magellan's finest GPS to date.The bright, 4.7-inch display is larger than most other widescreen GPS devices, and the additional screen space does improve the ease of use and overall navigation experience.

The new, slim design is elegant looking. A sensitive touchscreen and fast internal processor makes the RoadMate respond instantly to your every touch.

The RoadMate 1470 benefits from Magellan's excellent text-entry system, and spelling city and street names is assisted by the "QuickSpell" feature. Street and City names can be entered as quickly as your fingers can move.

The RoadMate 1470 has an updated map screen that is easy to understand, and displays all the essential information without becoming overly cluttered. Next turn, lane guidance, estimated arrival time, remaining distance, and other key bits 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 adjusts the map’s zoom level to fit the current maneuver.

As with previous Magellan GPS models, the RoadMate 1470 includes AAA’s TourBook information. 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.

The RoadMate 1470 gets all the basics right: address entry is easy, the map screen is good, lane guidance has been added, it has a large pre-loaded Points of Interest (POI) database, and missed turns are quickly handled and a new route is automatically calculated.

The OneTouch Menu is a nice way to group frequently used addresses or POI searches for quick access.

But where the RoadMate 1470 really shines is in the routing department. After entering an address, the 1470 calculates 4 different routes: Fastest Time, Shortest Distance, Mostly Freeways, and Least Use of Freeways. 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 want to avoid.

Compared to the higher-end Magellan Maestro 4350, the RoadMate 1470 lacks the Bus, Pedestrian, Taxi, Emergency, and Bicycle vehicle modes. The traffic receiver isn't included with the 1470, and there's no Bluetooth, 3D landmarks or speed limit information on the map, or FM transmitter. On the other hand, the RoadMate 1470 is generally easier to use, has a wider screen, costs less, and has the same excellent routing options as the Maestro. Also, the Maestro 4350's traffic service requires an annual subscription fee. Lifetime subscription-free traffic is included for free when you buy the RoadMate 1470's optional traffic receiver ($79.99)

Overall stability seems to have improved, and the RoadMate 1470 never crashed during my testing, and was consistently reliable. Magellan continues to refine its products, and the RoadMate 1470 is the best GPS the company has made in years.

Magellan’s RoadMate 1470 is currently available at Amazon for $199.99 . If you purchase by April 30, Amazon is having a special and will include the Traffic Receiver for free. After April 30th you'll have to pay an additional $79.99 for it.

No other GPS device in this price range can match the considerable feature set and ease of use the RoadMate 1470 brings to the table.