Magellan Maestro 3140

The good: The Magellan Maestro series of in-car GPS devices features an updated and sleeker design and interface with a spacious 4.3-inch touch screen. All models offer useful information on points of interest from the American Automobile Association. In addition, the Maestro 4040 has integrated Bluetooth and text-to-speech functionality, while the Maestro 4050 adds real-time traffic alerts and voice commands.

The bad: During our road tests, the Maestro 4040 was a little slow to recalculate routes. The Bluetooth pairing process was also a bit difficult,and you can't transfer contacts from your phone to the Maestro 4040.

The bottom line: Sporting a sleeker design and interface, the affordable Magellan Maestro series offers drivers an accurate in-car GPS device with useful trip information, thanks to its partnership with AAA.

Read full review

Description: The Magellan Maestro 3140 is a 20 channel, automotive global positioning device. Compared to other automotive GPS receivers on the market, it is midpriced at around $295.

Pros: Provides verbal navigation instructions. WAAS-ready GPS device accepts radio signals which can help increase accuracy of positioning data to within 3 meters.

Cons: None noted, given available product data.

Suitability: For road trips, family outings and business travel. Designed for use in land-based vehicles. Has an internal antenna which is desirable for activities where an external antenna would get in the way. This unit is lightweight, weighing in at 6.3 oz.

Value: Overall, this GPS receiver has good features for the money.

Suggestions: This GPS device has only internal memory. If you plan to store many trips or add base maps, you may wish to consider a unit that has removable storage media.