Thanks for the great review.

A few questions though. Given the same routing engine, is the 2200T a better buy ($299 radio shack/costco) for a unit with Text to Speech. Also, is the 4040's Speech to Text that much better than the 2200T. How about in comparison to the Garmin units? I thought the Garmin 350's Text to speech really sounded really artificial with poor pronounciation of non-english street names.

Given the problems with the fonts used, does the added screen area make a difference over the 2200T's smaller screen?

If routing engine quality, Text to speech, selection of destination from address book, bluetooth, ability to adjust brightness day or night...would the 2200T be better than the 4040? In the under $500 range, which garmin, magellan, tom-tom unit would you recommend with the above features?

Any chance of a Netropa Intellinav One Review?

Finally, I travel to California where windshield mounts are out of the question. For use in a rental car, can you recommend an aftermarket dash or between seat mount?

Thanks!

Nice review Fletch on the Magellan Maestro, and the I think the issue is most everyone is focusing on so much the units can't do instead of what it can do.
In 1996, when a Rockwell PathMaster went for $3,200, people would have paid much more for a Maestro. Now we think $499 is a lot of money, back 11 years ago when money was worth a lot more, we sold tons of the PathMaster's with no issues.
Think back when the Magellan 750M portable navigation unit with a 3" display, the first true portable vehicle navigation system that included turn by turn voice command that had less than 10-15 minutes of stand by battery time, now 3 hours of battery life on a 4.3" display is not enough.
We never have TTS, but now we complaint on the quality of the voice and it is not to our linking.
WE can always find reasons not to like a certain product, but think about it, the manufactures have to deal with these issue to find a product that is both affordable and desirable by consumers.

1] Come to market with a product faster with no bugs.
2] Over coming the cost of paying for patented features to other manufactures while still keeping the product reasonable inexpensive.
3] Have all the features everyone wish for and build it for $130 or less
4] Pay NavTeq or TeleAtlas for mapping software, POI's etc.
5] Pay talented software and hardware engineers that maybe able to develop new features and fix issues for new products.
6] Marketing the product when resources are constrain
7] Deal with big box stores and the margin they need to display their products
8] Accept unnecessary returns due to consumers buying system for test drive purposes.

What is the cost for all this when the market have seen PNAV units as low as $149 each?

I hear tons on how much better a $900 Garmin system is, and in some cases Garmin may be just that, better at a higher cost. They also have 5-10 times the resources than Magellan have, it is a David and Goliath comparison when you compare Magellan a much smaller company to a giant like Garmin or TomTom, yet they hold their own with what products they have to offer which I am very proud of.
I am not saying anything more than look at the good features the units have to offer and if it works for you, than the unit is right for you.
I hope you understand where I am coming from Fletch, it is unfair to complaint about a great company's product such as Magellan that have done so much and produce so many great products for the PNav industry, the Magellan PathMaster, 750Nav/750M, MRM 700/760 was way ahead of their time, and they did it all with so limited resources.
There are bloggers that mentioned how inferior the customers support is with Magellan, all I have to say is they are trying to save you the consumer a few dollar for each PNAV system sold, this is just another way they can compete by cutting the cost of customer support down. This is what you the consumers have demanded a lower price unit, and yet you still do not wish to sacrifice anything for the lower price. Magellan accomplish some cost saving by outsourcing their customer support. Now the product cost less and what happens, most is complaining about how long it takes sometimes to get assistant. We do it to ourselves folks!
If we keep asking to build these units cheaper, they will soon be built in Vietnam, Cambodia or even Africa at even cheaper labor and less quality control. As of now, they are being built in China and lots of potential NA jobs are lost due to our demand for a lower price GPS unit.

We do it to ourselves I guess.

Fletch

You have asked me where the error in firmware posting.
You have posted 2.06 " However, based on my testing of the Maestro (firmware version 2.06),
and it show show the released version 1.16 firmware.
I hope you can post the video I sent you showing the ability to route or show Maneuver list without moving the unit.
Thanks

Hope this helps.

Once again, great review, Fletch. The time, effort and detailed info you provide is astounding.

I'm in total agreement when you say that the Maestro 440 is one firmware/software update away from being a great unit. It has tremendous potential and is the type of minimalist GPS I prefer. If I want to listen to mp3's I'll use my iPod; view pictures of my family, well I have enough media to do that.

I tested the Maestro as well, but admittedly not to the extent you did. Some glaring flaws that I found during my testing weren't mentioned in your review and I wonder if you can give me your feedback on them:

1) Although the processor does seem quick for certain (and crucial I might add) tasks, such as calculating a route and re-routing (most of the time) did you not notice that when you switched from the map view to the maneuver list the dreaded Windows hourglass? Each time I did this, it diabled my ability to scroll and was quite frustrating. No other gps units that I have or tested does this. The list normally comes up instantaneously.

Also, did you also notice, that the map was continuously refreshing as you drove your route. This was disconcerting to me as well, because most, if not all of today's units refresh seamlessly and unnoticeable. The above surprised me because it does seem like a fast processor when calculating a route or inputing an address.

2) When I intentionally went off-route by driving straight instead of making a turn as the Maestro suggested, the unit would annoyingly direct me to make a u-turn every few seconds for what seemed like miles. I was tempted to pay a visit to the CT River to see how well the TTS sounded under water. What makes matters worse is that there is no option to disable U-turns, like most other gps's offer as a pref.

3) Did you try excluding a road to see what new route would appear? Unlike the Garmin, which extinguishes the road if you select it no matter how many times or where it sits in the maneuver list, with the Maestro, the road you want to exclude would annoyingly reappear after recalculation.

Instead, you have to exclude the exit or road that your desired exclusion leads to. Supposedly, from what I'm hearing this was by design, though I find that hard to believe. What if I want that exit or road to remain within my route? Makes no sense.

These three "flaws" that I don't think I could have lived with, prompted me to return the unit. Maybe I was hasty and should have waited for an update. But, considering Magellan's history of updating their units, I wasn't that confident.

In retrospect, I believe that Magellan wants the Maestros to be a winner and might listen to what we have to say and fix it. Consequently, I'm going to sit and wait to see what Magellan has up their sleeves and possibly purchase the 4050. If the Maestros and Magellan finally reach their potential, I think that they will outclass any Garmin unit out there. Big if.

I bought the 4040 5 days ago. I was using and own a Magellan 6000T and a Nuvi 660. And I have owned the Roadmate 700 in the past. The 4040 OS flies. So nice.

I agree with most everything fletch wrote. Pro's and con's. But a lot of the con's are pretty nit picky IMO. Space Bar? Voice sound artificial? Who cares. Clearly undersood commands is what is delivered by the 4040.. Putting 4040 back into the neoprene carry case? That's reaching for cons?

The release button is on the back of the Nuvi 660 too. And both the 660 and 4040, the button is easy to find in the dark and release the unit.

Overall the 4040, IMO is the best Magellan so far.

I did write Magellan with three complaints.
1- Same as fletch, the power plug in the unit instead of the mount is ridiculous and 3 steps backwards.
2- No way to use the SD card to transfer my Address Book from the Magellan 6000T to the 4040! THAT IS JUST PLAIN NUTS MAGELLAN. So I spent 4-5 hours re-entering my 150 address locations. WTF?
3- No way to transfer my yearly traffic subscription from my 6000T to my new 4040! Sorry, but another WTF Magellan! In addition, I spoke to them on the phone for this one after emailing. Can't be done I was told.

In owning the 6000T unit and mount bracket that has the traffic kit in it, the two guide tabs are in different locations than the 4040. So I will have to buy a new traffic mount for the 4040. It would have been nice that the traffic mount was interchangeable. The 4040 multi-pin connector fits into the 6000T traffic mount too, but those guide tabs... So a new mount and a new traffic subscription. Without any credit towards my existing traffic subscription.

Magellan doesn't seem to want to make it easy for current Magellan owners to upgrade to new units. That's short sighted. I also haven't been able to delete or disconnect my traffic subscription in the 6000T. I want to sell it, but get the traffic off or not associated with my personal account information. I haven't been able to figure this out or get a responses from Magellan.

Nice review fletch

Hi Fletch,

Nice review! It sounds as if Magellan has ALMOST managed to keep the great features that made the Roadmate Series such a success, while adding and refining the new features that are becoming the norm in modern GPS systems.

I take issue with two things (one point you brought up and one GPS4ME keeps repeating both here and in the forums that I completely disagree with):

First, you mentioned a discrepancy in re-routing between the Nuvi 660 and the Maestro that I found somewhat ironic ... you say the Maestro kept trying to re-route you back to the original route after you veered off in a different direction, while the Nuvi 660 quickly accepted the new choice you made. I, on the other hand, found that previous Magellan products quickly accepted my deviations while the Nuvi 660 tried for almost 40 miles to route me back to it's prior choice before giving up. Given this ironic twist juxtaposition in roles between your experience on the east coast and mine in the midwest, it might be appropriate from now on to mention in future reviews that there can be great deviation in how effective a routing engine works in different areas. At least now you can appreciate, though to a lesser degree, how frustrating it was for me when the Nuvi failed in exactly the same way.

Second, GPS4ME continually states that we the consumers should not expect better units at lower prices as time goes by, but he completely misses the mark in this assessment. Simply looking at the trend of ALL electronics it should be clear to him that from telephones to computers to watches, etc. it has ALWAYS been the case that with advances in technology come more capable units at lower prices WITHOUT a loss in quality most of the time. It is a complete copout to try and defend ANY GPS manufacturer who fails to deliver effective navigational devices at even rock bottom prices by claiming that it requires thousands of dollars to produce a unit that performs up to the standards of a ten or fifteen year old "ancient" GPS system. By that rationale, the $100 to $500 megapixel digital cameras we now enjoy should cost at least $10,000 and take shoddy pictures when compared to the "pro" cameras of five to ten years ago.

In short, with the possible exception of the real "cheapie" GPS systems made by companies nobody's ever heard of, there is absolutely no reason why a Garmin, Magellan, TomTom, etc. can't produce a really superior product with all the bells and whistles, tons of built in memory (memory capacity has skyrocketed while prices have dropped like a rock), and outstanding performance for $200 to $800. Anyone who claims different is simply denying what modern history has already proven to be true.

The Japanese proved over a twenty year period (from the mid sixties into the mid eighties) that it was possible to completely turn around one's perception of their products from "second rate" to "class leading" in various markets from cars to electronics. Now, the Koreans are doing it in an even shorter period of time. All it takes is the will and commitment to build a high quality product and perceptions will quickly change.

Sounds like Magellan has some work to do in order to return the public's perception of their products back around to what it once was. Maestro sounds like a basically sound product that now needs some quick and well thought out firmware "tweaking" to score a "Fletch's Choice!" In the meantime, we the consumers should continue to demand more for less, and reject shoddy customer support from companies that think they can simply skate by with the minimum.

Regards,

Great review Fletch..as always. Could someone explain how the multiple destination points work? Normally, when you get to your destination, you park your car and turn off the motor. Unless your car's power source stays on (most don't) you would have to keep it on with battery power to keep it running. If you didn't do that and it turned off, wouldn't it lose track of the fact that you have arrived at your first destination point? Or does it save this for the trip to the next destination point. When you turn it on, it would reboot. Would it remember that you already arrived at your first destination point. Or does it allow you to select a "leg" of the trip from some screen that wasn't in the review?

Once you create and save a multi-destination trip, you then activate the trip to start navigating. When you do this, you choose which of the stops in the list you want to go to. So, it doesn't automatically go from stop #1 to stop #2. Instead, you create a list of stops, and route to each one, one at a time by selecting it from the list. That's why I pointed out that it's not quite as slick as Garmin's "route by way of this stop" feature.
So when you powered the car back on, you'd just tap on the next stop to start routing to the next address.
Hope that helps clarify.

Fletch (and anyone else), how would you rate the Maestro 4040 compared to the Magellan CrossoverGPS? I like the "newness" and screen size of the 4040, but am intrigued by the Crossover's out-of-the car offroad and marine capabilities.

Thanks,

KJF

If you need the off-road or marine capabilities, then the CrossoverGPS is a solid unit and very unique in that it does on-road, off-road, and marine navigation. However, if you don't really need the off-road/water features, then I'd say go with the 4040 - it's got a brigher/bigger screen, is faster, and has Bluetooth for hands-free speakerphone.

Seems like Magellan has come a long way. Though, being a Nuvi 660 owner, I am much more curious about the feature set and differences of the 4050. I heard it comes packaged with the traffic reciever also. Will it come with anything else, like an FM transmitter? Do you think you'll ever do an added feature on the 4050 and just list off the differences and how they function instead of posting an entirely seperate review? I'd really like to hear about that unit and if it functions a bit better than the Nuvi 660. Thanx

With my Motorola V557 in hand off to Circuit City. The sales rep was very knowledgeable re the Maestro 4040. Bluetooth paired up with my V557 phone but only downloaded the last five outgoing phone call numbers into the 4040 address book- I can live with that. We then made a few phone calls completely hands free including dialing the call from the Maestro 4040 all went well. Next we typed in my home address and started the trip and it made all the correct turns and I found the spoken text was very good. I liked the space bar-just a space, why name it?
As for the screen it was the brightest of all on display.
I’ve notice the prices have already stated to fall.
I will buy this unit and report back.

Mike

Here are a few “cons” I take issue with:
"Release button on windshield mount is located behind the unit, making it hard to see what you're doing when you want to release the unit from the mount (you have to look behind the unit to see the where the button is). Magellan should move the release button to the front of the mount so you can see it when the Maestro is docked." I had no problem with my arthritic fingers undoing the release button plus I like it where it is so not to accidentally release it.
"Text-to-speech is all computer generated and sounds artificial (although it is improved over previous Magellan GPS devices)." Might sound “artificial” but very understandable.
"Text on the new map screen is too small and difficult to read." With my 20/20 vision had no problem with reading the text.
"No "night" version of the "Calculating Route" screen. The bright blue screen is blinding at night in a dark car." Park the car as one should and turn on the interior lights.
"Overly verbose announcing of full street names", would rather it be wordy that snippy.
"Difficult to get the Maestro in and out of the included neoprene carry case." Easy fix just take some aerosol silicone and spray the inside of the case. What a stretch for a con.
"3 hour battery life is less than average." That’s because of the bright screen-what a nice trade off.
I’ve notice the prices have already started to fall.
I will buy this unit and report back.

Topic

Great review and useful information from all. Fletch it appears you reside in Ct as do I. I recently (3 weeks ago) bought a magellan 3050t for traffic updates because I travel all over ct and find myself stuck in the Waterbury/Hartford mess quite a bit. So far I haven't been able to successfully get any traffic alerts up on my unit yet. After 2 calls to Magellan TS I was told my xm-radio was interfering with the traffic alerts. At this point I am trying to reurn the 3050t and have been considering either the nuvi 660 until I read your review and others posts regarding the 4040.

My question is are you able to receive traffic alerts in CT on either the Magellan or Garmin units? I'm beginning to think the service is to new here to actually work with these units even though they claim CT is a covered area.

As of today 04/24/07

Maestro 4040 – Release notes Firmware Version 1.22
Traffic Compatibility:

Firmware update includes compatibility with the Magellan TrafficKit (sold separately) No further software update required to add the Magellan TrafficKit accessory.

Improved routing & explication:
Maneuver list now available to view before you start driving on your route
Auto-night mode enabled as a default. May be changed in the options menu.

Geeze, I wish found this site prior to making the Magellan 3050t my first GPS unit. I just found the "Units to Avoid" page. Oh well, live and learn. At least Garmin says I have a 30 day satisfaction garauntee. Keep up the good work.

To access ETA, touch at the distace to destination on the map. This icon toggles between the distance to destination and estimated time to destination.

Mike - The ETA I'm talking about is the one that displays the actual time of arrival (i.e. 8:30 pm) rather than just the hours/minutes remaining.

Talk to Magellan tech support and they plan to address "actual time of arrival (i.e. 8:30 pm)" issue with future firmware updates.

I recently purchased a Maestro 4040. Thank you for the article so that I knew what to expect.

I have had no problems at all. I do not notice that the fonts are too small. On a trip to visit our son (46 miles away) it took me a different way for the last few miles then I was used to. The GPS route was shorter and had less traffic! I was impressed. I like the larger screen. I recommend this unit.

Yes I tried "Enhanced POI" but you have to change the Latitude & Longitude to decimal equivalents rather than degrees, minutes & seconds. Works great!
You do that here:

http://geocoder.us/

Geocoding is the process of estimating a decimal equivalent for latitude and longitude for a given location. Geocoder.us is a public service providing free geocoding of addresses and intersections in the United States.

Also you must install a SD card.
Software, Magellan POI File Editor, is on the CD that comes with the 4040 and must be installed on your computer.

Took the plunge and purchased a 4040 after weeks of trying to find the "perfect" GPS. The 404 is easy to manuever, even without reading manual. I do have problems with my Motorola Q staying paired with the 4040, and it is a MAJOR hassle. Have not been able to explore the Q either. I have emails into Magellan, but playing the customer support lag issue. Tried calling, and kept getting disconnected. All in all, decent buy, but I think I would rather have a Garmin

Did anyone find this issue:

With 4040 installed in vehicle, vehicle outside in driveway, and powered up I used a paper clip to reset the unit. Had four green bars for "Satellite Status". Next I went to "GPS Options" and then to "Set GPS Position" it found the correct location. Proceeded driving the trip and noticed that state route A1A shows up on map as "1" rather than A1A-this is incorrect. Top of the screen shows "SR-A1A", bottom of screen shows "SR-A1A, Oak St" don't understand why it shows Oak St. Received three incorrect announcements :"state route A1A" while traveling on SR-518. Proceeded on N I-95 with no announcements for the next six miles-cancelled trip.

Just purschased a 4040 and seems to be ideal for me on first blush. Tried the TomTom and Garmin 550 and didn't like the diplays or the lack of customization.

One major + for me is that this is the ONLY unit that will successfully pair with a T-Mobile Dash for hands-free. Once paired it seems to stay that way. Only drawback (and it is a biggie) is my address book on the Dash is not available to the Magellan.

More roadtesting to do before it gets "keeper" status, but it looks good!
-Alex-

LUV MY 4040-BUT FIND IT VERY HARD TO SEE SCREEN IN BRIGHT DAY LITE WHEN MOUNTED ON WINDSHIELD--THE GLARE IS VERY TROUBLESOME.IS THERE SOME WAY TO ELEMINATE GLARE

Fletch,
Excellent review. I experienced the product before purchasing it based on your review. I really wanted to understand what the interfafce looked like and how it performed various navigation tasks, your report answered all those questions.

After much research I bought 4040 from Amazon.
I have been using GPS of various kind since 1996. Last one was Delorme USB device with laptop.
I was tempted by Nuvi 660 but it's $200 more and less nevagitation features.
I am really satisfied with featureset on this unit.
First few tries on short trips worked perfect.
TTS voice is acceptable and I can understand it.
Signal aquisition was quick.
Unit looks very sturdy.
My biggest problem came with cradle mount. I got cradle attached to windshild mount but unit does not latch at all. As if the release lever is back too much. I stuch a piece of cardboard and now I can atleast make unit sit in the cradle without falling off. Still there is too much play. Very disappointed by this attachment unit. Does your unit fit snugly in the cradle? May be I need to get replacement cradle unit?
Otherwise I am very happy with the unit, it does not do sound, pictures etc. but it did navigation well with AAA info extra.

hi all,

I am reading all these reviews and still very confused. Not sure what to buy Garmin 350 or Magellan 4040 (same price). Went to Best Buy and tried to play with both. What really concern me is VERY slow processor on Magellan 4040. For example, I tried to play +/-/+ and it took a while to respond. Also, draging does not work at all on Magellan. However, Garmin 350 was very fast at these task.

Is this the case or I am missing something

Basil,
I had the same concerns (dragging the map and slowness).
There is a self diagnostic screen on 4040 where you have to tap on screen to tune it. 2nd is that you MUST use BACK of your finger (nail) part to drag. It has worked consistently for me.

Slowness i see at times but nothing that will get in the way of navigation.
I do hope though that Magellan will update the software to reduce slowness.
I also don't like the fact that re-calculation takes away the map. BTW: 300 mile route calc took avg 2-5 seconds not bad.
Recalcs during driving are also 1-2 seconds.

Now what's with not showing exit #s on the map in 4040? instructions list exit # so why not show it on the map?

Robert

Fletch: Great review of the Magellan 4040! Is there any way to upload/download phone numbers, addresses, POI's, etc., from/to a computer? I'm big on input once, output many.

Regarding the cradle that does not fit..contact magellan...they are replacing mine and a friends...I guess they areaware of some type of packaging problem.

Thanks Robert.

Fletch, I have read the review, and it is great !
I am new at GPS, so forgive me for trivial question: How do I put other maps on Magellan 4040, and does it have the same futures "locked map, specific device etc" as Garmin has?

Thanks, Basil

Looked to be a winner but it's out of the running for 2 very important reasons:

1) Windows CE powered device. Interesting that nowhere on Magellan's site does it mention this. Nor do any reviews, however the Windows CE sticker is prominently displayed in the Pics in this review. This is a major downside for me as we shouldn't be supporting MS's monopoly power in all technological products.

2) I'm a Mac user and the lack of any support (even Garmin and TomTom support us) is disappoinging. Probably because of #1.

I just recently purchaced the 4040 and have nothing to complain about. The TTS is clear and street names are clearly pronunced. I never had to turn down the radio volume to hear any of the directions. I found the screen easy to read in bright sunlight even with the sunroof open adding extra light into the vehicle. My cell paired easily with the unit. I've never owned a GPS unit before and I found the unit very intuitive to set up. Never had to read the manual for any of the functions.

I just bought a magellan 4040 and was very happy, I bought at first the tom2 910 and returned it having too many issues on it text to speech was not working right too many buttons to worry about.

i like the 4040, this and the LG are the only ones that has our address, my complex is only 3 years old, google map didnt have it until late last year. google aerial view before still have bulldozers on where the complex is supposed to be, correct me if i'm wrong but this made me feel that the 4040 has a more updated map than the garmin or tom2, its either the 4040 or the lg (which is very very slow). I paired the 4040 with a blackberry Dash and it conected without any problem i havent figured out how to get the addressbook of the blackberry so I can use it for bluetooth. the only negative thing i noticed so far is when accessing POI it seems to ber very slow. the nuvi gives you a list right away even though its not done yet, i think the 4040 waits until it sums up all your request then shows you the list thats why its slow, I was actually surprised i didnt see any of that mentioned in the review but everything else is good i kinda like the charging on the unit itself so when you take it inside you house you dont have to bring the mount

Hello,

Maybe I missed this in one of the reviews/comments but nobody has mentioned the built in mic quality when talking hands free? I've had experience with the TomTom910 with external mic option and no callers had any issues hearing me. Can anyone comment on sound quality going outbound? Do people hear you loud and clear going 65mph down the highway? Thanks in advance...

Hi,
I am planning on buying a GPS and would like to decide between the 4040 and the Nuvi 660. Costco is currently offering the 660 at $500.I have read the review on the 4040 and would like to clarify the following:
1. When entering multiple destinations you would like to visit, can you enter them in a random order and would the 4040 come up with the best route ? or do i need to enter the destinations in the order i would like to visit?
2. Given that both 4040 and Nuvi are currently available at the same price what receiver would you recommend.

Thanks

Rahul: FYI Costco has the 4040 for 399.99 plus tax in store... I saw it yesterday... :) I would save the 100 bucks and buy the traffic addon!

I checked the review of Maestro 3140.

How can I update my 4040 to new map?

the 4040 has been a disapointment.seems not to know left from right at times.processor is slow and re-route is slow to realize you just missed a turn.

I HAVE TRIED TO CALL MAGELLAN FOR A WEEK.THEIR MAESTRO PHONE NUMBER FOR SERVICE NEVER WORKES.ALSO SENT A SERVICE REQUEST E-MAIL SEVEN DAYS AGO.I HAVE NO RESPONCE!THE 4040 NEEDS A FIRNWARE UPDATE.ALSO THE SCREEN DISPLAY ARE CORRECT,BUT VOICE PROMPS ARE CALLING THE WORNG ROAD AND HWY.NAMES!

I just bought the 4040 at
costco today and it has 2.04 firmware version and
it displays arrival time
and on rerouting it never
said to make a U-turn and had created new route within 1/2 block. Maybe time for new review.

Magellan's website is still listing v1.22 as the latest available firmware to download. Hopefully they'll post the new update eventually...

I just purchased a 4040 and am extremely impressed! I have never owned a car gps before, but I really like this one. I think that they have addressed some of the earlier problems that I have read about with a firmware update. (mine has firmware version 2.04) The screen is big and bright, it reroutes immediately, (1 or 2 seconds, max.), the voice prompts are accurate and I can hear them even above road noise in my '65 Mustang, (cool, but not a quiet car). It connects through Bluetooth to my Cingular Razr phone easily and calls through it are clear on my end and for others. I am a AAA member and the amount of useful info is amazing. I am planning on taking a long road trip with my wife next week, (it will be in her car, I'm just trying it out :-), and then taking it with me when I help my daughter drive cross country when she moves next month, (I really like that it is portable). I think that the exit POIs from the freeway will be great, (I usually see the Starbucks after I pass the exit). So, in summary, I am very happy with this unit! I have not experienced any of the criticisms that I have read. From what I have read, I think that it offers a lot of bang for the buck and it seems that Magellan is paying attn. as they have addressed issues promptly with firmware updates. Two big thumbs up here!

I just purchased the 4040 from Radio Shack (it’s currently on sale). It is my first GPS, I WANT to like it, but I do have some issues with it. It got “stuck” in night mode, refusing to return to day mode even on the next day. When I finally got through to phone support (I had to enter another option rather than follow the voice prompts for 4040 support), they told me to upgrade to firmware 1.22 (it came with 1.06). When I asked about 2.04 they said 1.22 was “the same.” (It clearly isn’t, since 1.22 doesn’t display the actual time of arrival). I wonder if 2.04 also requires updated hardware?? Anyway, I did the upgrade to 1.22 (I had to use a friends PC, since I’m a Mac user), but had to do it twice, since the first time it had no effect. I still don’t know if it installed properly, since it didn’t erase my address book like the instructions cautioned that it would. Auto night mode works properly now, but the unit still seems “buggy,” for example the screen often, for no apparent reason, switches to the “maneuver list” screen, it sometimes announces the wrong street name, the volume level between my bluetooth phone and the voice prompt is widely different (the voice prompt is much, much louder, at any setting of the volume control), the voice prompt itself sounds distorted, it sometimes refuses to toggle from the total miles display to the time remaining display, and it sometimes thinks I am on the next street when I’m actually starting from my home address. I don’t know if this is “typical” for this unit, or for other brands, but it certainly is disappointing...

Regarding Matt's and bhoward's comment about purchasing the 4040 at Costco for $399,

At what Costco stores were those purchased and what was the Costco stock number ?

Thanks.

I am so confused. Do I buy Garmin Nuvi660 or the Magellan Maestro 4040/4050. Both have pros and cons, but after reading that so many people have had problems with the 4040 it concerns me. The 4050 definitely offers more bang for the buck an I like the voice recognition. Wish that it had avoidance feature like the 660 and had a small traffic alert attachment. A lot of money, want to make a wise purchase. HELP!!!

As a first time GPS buyer I am more than satisfied with this unit. ~I~ think it's a first rate product: It's not gotten me lost, it's managed to get me back on track when I strayed from the course, and on one trip in particular in saved me a good 20 minutes over Mapquest.

What this unit isn't is an MP3 player, a photo viewer, an XM radio, etc . . . . and that's OK, because I bought a GPS and nothing more.

Given that the Garmin unit is a few hundred dollars more than this unit I think that the choice is clear: Magellan Maestro 4040.

-
Jim

Jim - The Maestro 4040 is a good unit, to be sure, but Garmin is better at figuring out the best route.

MP - check out the Buyers Guide: http://www.gpsmagazine.com/buyers_guide.php

I have a Garmin Nuvi 660, and also a Magellan Maestro 4040 (firmware 2.04) which I purchased from Costco. I live in south Florida, and the Magellan definitely does better at routing. The Garmin is very good, but the Magellan does a superior job. I owned a TomTom GO 920, and found it to be acceptable.
As of now, the new Maestro is the first GPS I have owned that does not seem to have any major drawbacks.

I have a few questions about the Magellan 4040, I just bought it online at Dell for 399. If I get off at an exit for gas will it try to reroute me or can I tell the system I am stopping? If I do not put in an address to go somewhere but have the system on while traveling in the car will the map show where I am?

New 4040 owner, first GPS, bought at Costco in-store for $399 last week. Firmware is 2.04. So far it does the basic job for me. I agree that it's a shame that the AAA Tour Book and the rest of the POIs are not merged. Tina, to answer your question, when you pull off for gas, it will re-route you. If the re-routing notifications bother you, you can always cancel the route, get your gas, then start a new route to the original destination (it will be at the top of the list of previous destinations). This actually highlights a misconception I had about this unit (and maybe all these GPS devices?). I thought that while I'm driving along on a set route, I could search for the closest Starbucks along my route for example, and it would give me the option of going there in addition to (or at least instead of) my current destination. As it turns out, I have to cancel the current route to even search POIs (setting aside the Exit POI feature which is available during freeway travel - I don't always drive on freeways). When I do the search, the closest Starbucks may be behind me or off to the east when I'm traveling north. I really wish it could identify the most convenient location with respect to my original route then add a stop to my route to hit that location. But maybe my expectation is too high? Or maybe other GPS systems work differently in this respect?

Oh, and Tina, re: your second question - yes, if you are in normal map mode instead of routing mode, you will see a map and a blue triangle representing your vehicle moving along that map, street names and POI icons will float by... You can look at Fletch's screen shots in his review (amazingly well done, detailed review by the way!) and/or download the manual from Magellan to see what the map screen looks like.

Excellent review. I was looking for a comparable model from Magellan, to the Nuvi 660. I really like the options for different routes that magellan has, such as least use of free ways etc. I bought a 660, but don't particular like it a whole lot.

Any thoughts, on when we might expect a newer model for this series?

As a first time GPS buyer, I was very happy to find GPS Magazine's thorough and thoughtful reviews. I had narrowed down my search and the feedback on this Maestro 4040 and the Nuvi 660 helped a lot.

My decision to jump for the 4040 was price driven ($399 at Costco), as GPS and others clearly favored the Nuvi. I was somewhat comforted by CNet's compliment that Magellan sticks to GPS and doesn't offer the bells and whistles that Garmin does (at a higher price). While I don't know how the 660's MP3 player performs, I'm guessing that it's no replacement for iPod/iTunes. Even so, I opened the 4040 box with hesitation, hoping that i hadn't "cheaped out."

After a few weeks of putting the 4040 through its paces, I'm honestly delighted! Perhaps ignorance is bliss and I would be even more delighted by the 660, but I'm extremely happy for the money spent.

Now I suppose that GPS Mag, in doing such an in depth review, will and may be compelled to come up with a list of CONS. After just reviewing that list again, it seems a lot of them are pretty nit picky. A few others I honestly disagree with. Finally, remember this review was done in early April 07 with an early version of firmware. My unit, running with version 2.04 has addressed a handful of the larger problems noted.

Disagree - (1) the release button on the windshield mount is not hard to access (2) the text is more than easy to read (3) once you know where the large zoom icons are, its not problem if they're a little hard to see.

Firmware addressed (1) night mode - you can now turn it off (2) arrival time - you can now toggle among arrival time, arrival in minutes/hours, arrival in miles.

A few gripes (1) would be nice if the addresses from the bluetooth device transferred (2) the battery life should be better.

Bottom line, I could not be more satisfied with the Maestro 4040 and recommend it highly. If you want something more compact, the 3140 is a good alternative (although, as of June 2007, the best price is the same as I paid for the 4040). Perhaps you Nuvi 660 owners are snickering at the new GPS owner, but I'll tell you that I've got enough money left over to buy a new iPod.

Thanks for the help, Fletch

I've been reading for some time now the much more favorable reviews from folks who recently purchased their 4040's from Costco - which apparently came out of the box with a more recent firmware version: 2.04. This version, from what we hear, has eliminated most of the annoying complaints many of us had with firmware version 1.06.

So what's up with Magellan STILL only offering firmware version 1.22 to those of us who got on board with them months ago? Version 2.04 was not an "overnight" development. They took our feedback, adjusted the firmware, and installed it in units that were destined for Costco's distribution centers, then forwarded to the individual warehouses. The timetable for that to happen is weeks, possibly months, not days. In the mean time, why don't the rest of us have access YET to the improved firmware through Magellan's website?

Costco carries a ton of clout - they buy big and they don't tolerate returns for very long before they flat replace a vendor. Obviously Magellan put a lot of effort into fixing the 4040 complaints before it shipped their huge Costco orders to protect their prospects for future business.... But what about the rest of us who have patiently waited months for access to those same fixes? Where's version 2.04 for those of us still struggling with 1.06?

Starting to feel like chopped liver here.....

Like some of you have done so, I purchase my 4040, from Costco, I week ago, and I'm amaze to all the things this little GPS does. About the mixed review you see here, Its all over with the new firmware 2.04, all the CONS that were stated, are fixed. This GPS is actually more easy to handle than the NUVI, and it cost $200 less. Yes there is no MP3, and no Photo viewing, Who wants that anyway in a GPS device? You buy a GPS for directions and for guidance not to hear music, for that you use your Ipod, for photos, you use your camara or notebook. Who cares about the extra features... They were just put there to conveniently bump up the price (more profits).
Well for those of you that are still undecided. Just go for the 4040 on Costco is only $399 and has the lastest firmware version. You can't beat that. Not even NUVI 660 for $600.00 compares.

In a final note, I think Fletch should change the veridict to read: An Unprecedent Comeback: The New Winner, by Unanimous Decision

I am on the edge of buying a megellan 4040. I wanted a garmen 350, but realized it didn't have a "next turn arrow" perminantly located at the corner of the map window.

The 4040, I think, is what I am looking for. I want a gps device with good POI features. Can you search POI by name (like the garmin)?

I was also wondering, was the processing speed improved in the new versions of the megellan? I read, here, people complaining about choppy map movement and such.

Thanks! eso

Just talked with Megellan tech support... they said the 2.04 update for the 4040 will be posted "soon"... for whatever that is worth...

Esoin - Yes you can search POI by name. No choppy map movement - nice and smooth. The only thing about the 4040 that I have found to be slow (firmware 2.04) is some POI searches. E.g., if I search for closest Starbucks to my current location, it seems to take 20-30 seconds to come back with results. Hope that helps...

Some feedback on the original review:

1. New units do post arrival time, very accurately I might add.

2. The bounce in the mount is probably because it was not mounted correctly. There is a lever on the suction cup to flip and secure the mount. I had bounce when it was not flipped, and none when it was flipped. Overall, the mount is excellent.

3. If the original routing is done under fastest time, it will usually signal a u-turn when offroute, as to be expected to get you back the main road or interstate you just exited. The proper use then is the detour function, or reroute using shortest distance. If the original route is shortest distance, then it will quickly reroute to new roads as you get farther from the original route.

I've searched the Costco site for the 4040 and can't find it anywhere....does anyone know if they maybe stopped carrying it?
Has anyone purchased a 4040 from Crutchfield, if so, what version of firmware does it have?

Hi
I just got 4040 few days ago (my first gps) and so far its very good. Maps is precise and trips in city is perfect But I live in Canada and if I need to plan a trip to US I need to change the region to US in order to input an US address.
I wonder if anyone know a way to get around it.
Many thanks

They have the 4040 in the Tumwater, WA Costco. I have a 3050 and have been disappointed and lost! I was told to bring it back and purchase the 4040???

I bought a 4040 because I gave my 700 to our church.We had very little trouble with our 700.But the 4040 missed my house in FL.by 1/2 block.It also missed my sons house by a whole block.Tried to call the support line for 4040 then 4000 then 4050 still on ans.Tried to reset did not work.Returned unit.Bought the 4050 ran into the same problem.Returned it too to circuit city had the store div.mang.use it for a week.While he gave me another one.It did the same thing to him.The new one he gave me was even worse.Out of 10 address it got 3 wright.I wish I had my old 700 back.Circuit City gave me full refund.So I am not out anthing.I may try a Garmin 680??OH I FOUND OUT Magellan was sold since I bought my 700???

I read negative comments on battery life for the 4040---my last GPS was a magellan 760 which as far as I know did not have a battery and operated strictly w/ the plug in adapter (cigarette lighter)
if the 4040 is continualy plugged in would it not be running off that power source or is that source used strictly as a charging source. Thanks

Jack

I am considering purchasing a Magellan 4040 and have found it useful to read the reviews and comments. I was firs alerted to the GPS unit by an ad in the current issue of SMART COMPUTING magazine. It was a Magellan ad and they listed the MSRP as $399 but everyone seems to be selling for $499, although Amazon has a "today" price of $449. Not wanting to pay $499, I have been reading some of your reviewers saying that Costco had a $399 price. I also, like some of your other reviewers, searched Costco's website and they do not have it. HOWEVER, I called my local Costco and they DO have it in stock. So, those of you who are interested, try calling your nearest or regional costco's, since they all carry different products, and hopefully they will have it.

I am going tomorrow to buy mine. I am not saying where I am located until I buy mine. Then I will post the region.

Thanks for all of the reviews and comments. They were useful.

I picked up a 4040 at Costco on Saturday. I've been trying out several different models over the last 2 months. The 4040 is similar to the 2200T which was the first unit I tried. Overall, not bad, but still has some annoying flaws. Like will only show 25 results when displaying POI's; whether you search by name, or just look in a category. 25 results is just not enough.

And the "Continue on the current road" prompt while driving the freeway everytime you pass a potential transition to/from another freeway is REALLY annoying. It needs an option for less verbose speech.

I also had a Nuvi 360, and a TomTom One. The bluetooth on the 360 kept dropping and reconnecting to my phone when not on a call. When on a call, sometimes the speech would get very garbled. Never had that problem with other bluetooth devices used with the same phone. I did like that the Nuvi address search defaults to the current state, requires less input to find the right city. I didn't like that it takes forever to boot when powering on, and a fairly long time to acquire satellites once you remember to flip up the antenna.

Once I got used to the quirks, there was some stuff on the TomTom, I liked. The ability to change the keyboard layout is cool, for example. But, once you enter an address or choose a POI, you get the screen that lets you choose how to calculate a route (fastest, shortest, etc) there's no way to go back to the previous page here. You have to accept the route, then click done, then cancel the route (only if you enable advanced menus) then start over. It also tried to direct me to using carpool-only freeway ramps twice. And tele atlas has my 25-year old condo's street address in the wrong city. And it calls freeway entrances exits, and calls the freeway a motorway. You have to enter most of the city name the first time, cause it searches all of NA, instead of letting you restrict searches. But, it saves all previous entries, so you only have to do it once. Still don't know which one I like the best, I'll play with the 4040 for a while.

I just bought mine at Costco for $399. The Costco ID number is: 204040. Clever of them to use the model number with a 20 in front of it. Call Costco with that ID number and they will tell you if they have it in stock. If not, ask them the nearest Costco that does have it.

Good luck!

My use for a GPS unit will require much use in direct sunlight. Of those who have tried both the Maestro and the Nuvi, which has a better display for use in direct sunlight, or are they very similar?

firmware 1.22
I've just discovered that i can not enter any of the US addresses, it will always give
me canadian addresses only.
I'm in Ontario.
Any thoughts ?
Thanks.

I purchased this at Costco while visiting Boston last week for $399. I own an older Garmin GPS (III+) and have relied on it for years. However, Boston's roads were proving too much for it to handle as the display is too small to show the numerous roads around us in a timely manner to make decisions. After winding up in a very questionable section of town (without any GPS), the decision was made to update to a new GPS. Costco had two options and this one had the biggest screen and most features.

First, I was very impressed with the fact that it came with all the accessories: window / dash mount, AC adapter, DC adapter, and carying case. The carrying case is nice, but difficult to use. One feature I wish it had was the ability to attach a lanyard (wrist strap) to it. This would help get it out of the case, and would prevent if from falling accidently when handling it.

Second, it is very easy to use. Didn't need to read the instructions to get up and running, but I still wish it had a manual that didn't require me having a computer. They could have even built that feature in as "HELP". The split screen showing the turn detail was a great help in Boston's crazy system of unmarked roads. The voice was clear and easy to understand. The confirmation tone when steps were successfully completed added confidence.

Third, it is REALLY sensitive to the satelite signals and gets great reception in some of the worst locations - including indoors.

Fourth, the points of interest are great! We used them constantly in our tour of the Boston area.

After reading this review and user comments, researching other manufacturer's products, and using the unit constantly in the last week, I definately recommend this unit.

What's the difference between
firmware 1.22 and 2.04 ?

Thanks.

I just received my July Costco coupon book. The Magellan Maestro 4050 will be available at costco online starting July 16. It will sell for $100 OFF Costco's regular price. I don't know what that is since it is not yet available. If you are considering purchasing the 4040, Costco stores have it for $399. However, if the price for the 4050 is close to the 4040, I would wait and purchase it. The difference between the two models is that the 4050 has the traffic information package included (on the 4040, it is an add-on option) and it has voice recognition (you can talk to it).

Good luck.

Thanks alot for the review. Im not sure what to put in my honda civic.

RECOMMENDATION: I don't know about all the other states, but in California, its illegal to stick something like this magellan on the windshield.

Just bought and tested the 4040 based on user responses and not so much the review, albeit a good one. Most of the issues listed in the review are non-issues...'most'. The user interface IS an issue. Someone said they spent a million on it... they need a refund for some of that. There are really dumb things. When you go into the system settings area, the programmers figured you would be changing the region often. It the first on the list. However the one you WILL use a lot is Map settings and you have to scroll down for that. Doh!

Entering an address point is not smart... from the users point of view. I have done tons of programing and have a short fuse for stupid 'programmers' perspectives on how something should be done. Here in Salt Lake City and Utah in general, our north, south, east and west street names create problems for the 4040. If the address is 4477 s. 1325 w. you must enter the second part of the address first....most of the time. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for the odd one that needs to be entered the way it's listed by the post office. Why should this make a difference. 1325 w. 4477 s. is the same either way you look at it. In fact you can't enter the address anyway but what the programmers said was right. There isn't much computer logic smarts used here. Doh!

There are some cool shortcuts you'll find, out of frustration mostly. Companies like Magellan, trying to get back into the game, could do huge customer satisfaction damage to other brands by using the web to post 'cool-hot' user tips. Slide shows for users to get training on use. There are features in there that if the lead programmer spent 5 min. with you, you might just say 'wow... cool'. But it's not documented clearly anywhere.

And here's the biggie. Wrong directions. I am a newbie to GPS (hell, I still have a working Loran in the closet) but with all the comments I read all over the web about map errors... why are the map creators NOT opening a web site for users to post corrections.

Today we were faced with a significant problem. West bound on Center Street in Provo, Ut. splits and becomes the on-ramps for I-15 north and south. We wanted North, the 4040 showed north, the voice and turn indicator said 'stay left, I-15 north to Salt lake City.' Left was I-15 south to Las Vegas. If we had taken the directions, it would have been 8 miles of freeway in the wrong direction before we could get off, back on and headed north. It seems to me that successful GPS guidance is going to be in the hands of the driver and not the voice out of the box on the dash (accept in Calif. of course). Just think how accurate these maps would be if the hundreds of thousands of retired RVr's, moving about the country, could input corrections to a web site. What a marketing advantage. I'd pay some bucks every now and then to get an 'really' updated map database.

So far we like the 4040. Entering a destination or multi stop route is still in the 'I like to do this kinda of stuff' mind set. It's not easy, it's not fun after the 10th time, it's clunky. If you use it daily to map out multi stop trips... you will soon find it's use a labor not a love. And the lack of a Macintosh software solution is beyond comprehension. If it's written in almost any computer language, it can be converted to Mac OS with current software provided by Apple in a matter of minutes. Doh!

Is the 4040 a good value at the Costco $399.... yep. I need to play with the over $700 units to see if there is, in fact, light at the end of the tunnel that can be bought. I understand the mfgs. position. If they make a really cool $399 unit, why would I buy their $900 model. I can give them 3 sound marketing, take it to the bank, reasons and they will sell a ton of both... but that's a different post.

> And here's the biggie. Wrong directions. I am a newbie to GPS (hell, I still have a working Loran in the closet) but with all the comments I read all over the web about map errors... why are the map creators NOT opening a web site for users to post corrections.

-- My unit gives me wrong directions to my office, but so does a friends Garmin, online services such as Mapquest, Yahoo!, and Google . In fact, anyone that bought the Navteq maps provides the wrong directions to my office. (see where this is going?) Magellan has provided a link on their support site to Navteq's address correction page. I've already used it and I suggest that you do, too.

> Just think how accurate these maps would be if the hundreds of thousands of retired RVr's, moving about the country, could input corrections to a web site.

-- See above.

I'm going to buy one of these today, but when I'm in the store I want to be sure the unit has the latest firmware.

What menu do I find the firmware version listed?

Thanks!!!

Purchased one of these units today and wanted to give an update to this review. A number of the negatives mentioned are eliminated in the latest firmware. I purchased at Circuit City and firmware was 2.04. I'd recommend checking the unit before you buy since you can only DL 1.22 off their website.

1) I have not seen any problems of it pushing a U-turn on me when I miss a turn. I did this a dozen times today and it immediately recalculated the route. Very quickly, I should add.

2) In the multi-destination trip planning, there is now an 'Optimize' button like in the 3140.

3) The map screen does now show the ARRIVAL time. Pressing it toggles to distance and time to destination.

4) I'm not sure if they redesigned the carrying case, but I did not have any problems sliping the unit in and out of the case.

Disagree that the mount is hard to use. Button is easy to hit on the back.

Disagree on the negative screen comments. Text is fine, easy to read.

A con I found though is I can't get it to pair with a Treo 650 phone. :-(

Ok... follow-up with a few weeks of all kinds of use on the 4040. We've traveled all over out state and 4 adjoining states.
- It is extremely difficult to use with Utah's address scheme. There are huge! blocks of addresses that can't be entered, but exist. Half a city in one case. Infact, you can drive to the address, ask the GPS to locate your position and it finds the address you are at. You just can't enter that address.
- there are significant differences between what the legal postal address is (zip code & actual city name)and what the GPS's data base says. We stood in front of a business last night, and the system would not let us enter the address in the city we were in. The GPS confirmed the city, just would not let us enter the legal address.
- a significant day-to-day problem is not being able to edit a destination once you have entered it and had the system plot the course. You have to start over.
- On the plus side, we have entered tuff to get to locations and it took us right to the spot/house/business.
- the system re-calcs the trip if you take a different road/street for a while, pretty fast.
- The manual says it should run 3 hrs. on the internal battery. Nope. 90 min is about all you get.
- Don't throw out your maps. I've tried several times to look for a road route, like you would do on a map, using the 4040. Really frustrating, slow, and... keep the printed maps at hand.

I still think the unit is good value. It's got a flawed data base (maps and POI's), user interface is frustrating at times. But we'll keep it.

Where can I get the 2.04 firmware update? The only one offered on the website is 1.22. Also, we took a trip this weekend for the first time and it kept repeating the Interstate at every turn after we had left the Interstate. Is there a fix for that?

Leaving for Czech Republic in 2 days. Europe maps not shown as available for the Maestro 4040! Would any other of the Magellan Europe maps load into this unit? Help!

Yes, going to be looking at the 4040's this week and would REALLY appreciate instructions on how to find out the version installed in the unit.

Tom,
I just got this yesterday and was able to pair it with my Treo 650. Sound is good on the GPS, but the mic volume is low and I could not find a way to turn it up.

Overall I really like this GPS. I did have it give some incorrect turns. The map would show that I should make a right turn, but the voice would tell me to turn left. I came close to getting the Garmin 660, but I think this is a better choice for 200.00 less. I think the AAA info is great, but really silly they do not merge that with the standard POI.

Chad

I just received The Maestro 4040 from QVC today. How can I determine which firmware version I have.

I purchase today and found this review.

Awesome review and gave me comfort to know that I made a good purchase.

I don't know if everyone gave up on the firmware or everyone is downloading it. The newest firmware (2.24) is available on Magellan's site (you have to register). Yes, you can even update it if you bought a newer model with 2.04 firmware. I have to say that I am extremely impressed. I had no problem with the upgrade. I copied a link (below) that lists the new features.

My favorites are:
- Ability to continue route after stopping at an exit POI
- Repeating the previous direction now works (it didn't work correcly with 2.04)
- You have arrived message doesn't sound until you have arrived.
- When you enter an address the number range is specified (I don't recall this before the update)

Find more info here:
http://www.magellangps.com/support/notes.asp?supportID=515