Magellan Maestro 4040

Price: $111.29

Product Reviews
GPS Magazine	3.0 out of 5
Amazon.com	3.5 out of 5
CNet	3.5 out of 5
PCmag	3.5 out of 5

The refurbished Magellan Maestro 4040 GPS is a solid GPS navigation unit from a solid manufacturer. The screen is clear and does not get washed out in direct sun.  It also has a modern interface that gives fast feedback to users.  The routing on the machine is quick and accurate, rerouting you almost instantly if you miss a turn being distracted by a scenic situation or some backseat shenanigans.  And, in case those shenanigans are also extremely loud, an equally load built-in speaker can alert you of this change in route pretty quickly.

The refurbished Magellan Maestro 4040 GPS  also benefits from being a refurbished Magellan. The “Current Location” feature, the ability to quickly access multiple routing methods (shortest distance, fastest time, and least/most amount of freeway use), a multi-destination “Trip Planner,” and around 4.5 million POI.  Finally, the Maestro includes the AAA TourBook information, but this information is not integrated with your regular POI database.

There are some flaws with this refurbished navigation GPS.  From a usability standpoint, the mounting dock has the release button in a pretty awkward position at the back of the unit.  When this is pressed against the windshield it makes it difficult to fit fat fingers back there and unlatch the unit from your car.

Then, the night time usability of the Maestro 4040 is a little blinding.  It does let you soften the colors on the map, but the menus still have a blindingly bright blue color than can send your pupils dilating faster than MacGuyver can get out of a sticky wicket.  This is not good for those driving at night who need to find thins on their unit.

Probably the largest drawback to this unit is the lack of a ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) on the map view.  That is not to say that it doesn’t provide some time information, because it does.  It just provides the number of hours and minutes that remain in your trip – making you do the math as to when you are going to arrive at your destination.  This is really annoying for math deficient people, but isn’t that big of a deal for those a little more limber on their mental feet.  Since I am of the former group, this makes using the Magellan Maestro 4040 a feat of mental prowess when I just want to get to the store.

When it gets down to it, though, you will probably be doing yourself a favor by getting this unit.  The problems really are not that great that it would prevent you from getting the unit, especially if you are getting a screaming deal on it because you are going refurbished.  Definitely don’t pay the full price for a completely new unit – but definitely learn more about the refurbished Magellan Maestro 4040.

Product Features

• Pre-loaded – 50 United States, Canada and Puerto Rico
• Birds Eye 3D View/Multi-Destination Routing/QuickSpell
• Auto Re-route Never Miss a Turn and Quickly Get Back on Track Whenever You Tak
• 4.5 Million Points of Interest/Customizable Route method
• Data Storage Unlimited Secure Digital SD Card compatible

Technical Details

• Brand Name: Magellan
• Model: Refurb Maestro 4040
• Receiver Description: 20 channel
• Connectivity Technology: USB
• Display Size: 4.3 inches
• Native Resolution: 480 x 272
• Battery Average Life: 3 Hours
• MP3 player: Y