Magellan Maestro 4215 review

Magellan has been in the GPS game from the word go and has a range of products as long as your arm - from hiking units to fish-finders - but in the realm of car satnav its presence hasn't been that strong. It aims to remedy that with its Maestro range of devices, represented here by the 4215.

It's certainly different: instead of hundreds of options in its menus, the Maestro offers a simple range of choices, making it easy to get to grips with. Route planning is straightforward: while others - the TomTom and Navman in particular - are awkward about calculating a route from A to B with no GPS signal, this device's system is intuitive and easy to use, with point-on-map waypoints easily added.

Out on the road, however, it isn't so hot. On our test route, its voice instructions weren't very clear and it missed one turn out completely. We didn't like the slow screen refresh, either, which was slower than every other device here, and the ugly brown and green colour scheme isn't easy on the eye. Junctions aren't shown clearly on map, although this is mitigated by a split-screen view in which half the screen is filled by a next-turn icon on approach to the relevant junction.

There are other weaknesses, too. Multipoint route planning is available, but you have to activate each leg manually; the postcode search is only to four digits; and there's no Bluetooth or speed camera info preinstalled. There are some good points, such as quick manual re-routing and a feature that generates a list of places of interest near the next motorway exit, but in most respects this satnav just can't compete with the big boys.

Author: Jonathan Bray