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User Reviews about Magellan Maestro 4370 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

I bought the Magellan Maestro 4370 from Amazon on June 22, 2010 for $120. This unit comes with one free map update if the update is asked for within 3 months of the purchase date and there is an update available. Before I purchased the unit, I went to the Magellan site and they said there was a new map update. After receiving the GPS, I registered the item and tried to download the new maps - the reply was that my unit already had the latest update - 2008 maps. I called their help line and they said that there was no newer update available. As it turns out, the newest update does not apply to this model - but there is no applicability table that says this. Most likely I will have to pay $60 for a new map update, when and if it becomes available.

I have used the GPS for one trip of 1500 miles. I have used another Garmin Nuvi 260 on this same trip. The Magellan performed very well and I was very satisfied with the performance. The display is very nice and has good resolution. It is hard to see in direct sunlight. It updates very quickly and the map scrolls quickly. The zoom in and out feature is quirky and did not work very well. I was able to insert waypoints easily and the map updated quickly. When driving off the planned course, the new route calculated quickly. The street commands were timely and accurate. The volume was loud. Compared to the Garmin, the Magellan is a better GPS - more features, better display, faster performance. Both menu systems are bad.

For the money, it was worth it. The map upgrade thing will probably cause me not to buy another Magellan product - their loss. I never expect to use this GPS for more than a couple of years. I have looked at the features of all the other GPS units, and none of them seem to be very good, so why spend much on one. The displays are tiny and pretty much worthless for giving you any useful information. You can't read the displays in sunlight. Driving and changing the display is dangerous, and viewing any display this small while driving is dangerous. A GPS with voice commands would be a better unit, so the Garmin 765 would be a better GPS and I would recommend that unit over any other if you can spend the extra $100. Now that the new Garmins are out, the prices on the 765 should come down.

I have tried using a laptop with a GPS receiver but the laptop is awkward and over heated while plugged into the car cigarette charger. I will probably buy a Tablet PC and use it as a GPS - only then will you have a map display big enough to give you relevant information and not be cumbersome to use in an auto.

I am an aerospace engineer and designed and tested map displays for Boeing airplanes. I know what a good display is and should be able to do. Auto GPS units have a long way to go to be good displays. They are good for giving you voice directions after you have entered a destination, but that is about it. The menus are really bad. The displays are way too small and should not be used while driving a car - very dangerous!


-- good for the amount paid

I've had pretty good luck with refurbished electronics. But not this time. The gps unit I got just won't hold a charge. And so I become Exhibit A as a point to consider if you decide to order a refurbished Magellan 4370; it might not work. Now I am waiting for Magellan to give me a "return authorization" so I can spin the wheel again and hope to come up a winner next time.

That said, I have been able to use it on short trips (it won't even operate on the 12v adapter for more than 30 minutes or so), and many of the features are very nice indeed. The route selection and turn-by-turn directions (including street names) are reliable and clear. The "lane assist" is particularly helpful at busy interchanges (it "greys out" the lanes you don't want to be in). The traffic alerts are good (twice coming in to work, it alerted me that there was congestion and asked me if I wanted to avoid it. I did, and it recalculated my route accordingly. Well done!)

I set the speeding alert to verbally warn me when I exceeded the speed limit. On a weekend drive with my wife, the gps voice came on, slightly alarmed, to say, "You have exceeded the speed limit," and the speed limit sign appeared on the map screen. I told my wife that I wasn't sure I liked this feature. She said, "Oh, I do!" Hmmmmm.

I specifically bought this unit for the AAA guide books. They are great. And I love the ability to customize the points of interest you see on the map screen (I find the thousands of Starbucks logos littering the map to be a comfort that I am never far from coffee).

I also wanted its bluetooth integration and the multimedia capabilities (I have an older car that doesn't have integrated bluetooth or the ability to plug my ipod into the stereo). Otherwise, I think the Roadmate would make more sense (less money). And if the refurb didn't make this one so attractive in price, I would suggest considering a Roadmate.

First, the bluetooth. I have a corporate phone (one on the approved Magellan bluetooth list). But because it is a corporate phone, I can't pair it with this unit without getting our IT support involved. The Magellan seeks out units to pair with. My phone won't talk to strangers (but it will seek them out also). So no luck there, because they can't agree who is prime.

Second, my suspicion is I will be similarly disappointed with the mp3 player. For the player to work, I have to use the FM transmitter. That means I have to find an open FM channel. I live in a metropolitan area with many low-power FM stations. As I drive along, stations come in and out of range. I can't afford to continue to change stations while driving (too dangerous). That said, the FM transmitter makes the voice commands clear--so long as the channel you select stays open.

I borrowed a Garmin unit for a long road trip, and that's what impressed me enough to look at buying a gps of my own. If Garmin had the AAA guidebook, I would have bought one of their units. Even the problems with this refurb aren't enough to make me look elsewhere (yet).

In summary: 4 stars for features (I'm thinking some of them sound cool but aren't necessary). Minus one star for reinforcing the Magellan reputation for unreliability.

UPDATE: The second device works. In the meantime, Magellan has dropped the price of this model so that the difference between refurb and new is, in my opinion, no longer worth the risk. Second, I stand by my earlier comment that the "gee-whiz" features on this one (bluetooth, media) may not be worth the premium over the less expensive Magellans. I have been unable to pair my phone with this device (even though the phone is on the approved list), and the FM transmitter must be frequently re-set as I drive because of the number of stations in the area (this is not just a Magellan problem, but a problem with all FM transmitters). And the SD card is limited to 2GB (though some have reported success with 4GB HD cards), so it is a very modest media player. Still, I got what I paid for, so no real complaints. It's just not a screaming deal, and with the wait for the replacement, it's a 3 star product. -- Has Promise--If it Worked (updated review)

This replaced a Magellan Maestro that worked well for two years and then started misbehaving. Someone suggested it had been dropped, maybe just while in checked airline baggage. Whatever the cause, it stopped speaking to me. This new version of the Maestro does what I want so I'm satisfied with that aspect of it and recommend it to other GPS users.

However, as with every electronic device, each new version is more "powerful," is packed with new features, (most of which I will never use and do not want) and therefore is much more complicated. Setting it up to do what I want to do was more difficult and time consuming than with the older version. You can listen to your radio, your cell phone, or CDs through the new Magellen Maestro. But why would anyone want to do that? The basic speakers installed in every recently made vehicle are better than the ones in a little GPS.

It seems like every new electronic device is stuffed with new technology to enthral techies who will buy, love, and play with it just for the satisfaction of having the latest version and masternig how to use it. Simple and easy is what I like. I buy this stuff to do a specific job. A device designed to do everything but carry out the garbage is not better, just more complex and difficult to set up and use. -- Useful but complicated

This works great in the car, But igot it for my motorcycle and its not great there.
Could not get it to talk to my earbud or helmit bluetouth, so could not hear it talk.
the directions on the display were right on and it worked OK
I got a Tom Tom for bikes which is better for my Motorcycle.

I would Highly recomend this for a car or truck just not a bike.
-- Magellan Maestro 4370