Magellan Maestro 5310

Magellan Maestro 5310
Sluggish GPS device lacks high-end features

THE MAGELLAN MAESTRO 5310 is one of the first GPS navigation devices to boast a large, 5-inch screen. This latest Maestro offers solid driving directions and many helpful navigational features, including multisegment routing and a built-in real-time traffict receiver. But the $499.99 5310 lacks certain features found on other models in its price range, and it suffers from some performance issues.
In addition to preloaded Navteq maps of North America, the unit features a points-of-interest (POI) database with 6 million entries, as wella s information such as (AAA)-approved destinations and lodging. There's also contact information for AAA roadside-assistance centers (available to AAA members only), which is useful in case of a breakdown.
Standout features include voice directions that were loud and clear, even with our car radio turned up and the windows rolled down. The 5310 also offers text-to-speech directions that read out every street and exit name. Although you can find this function on many current GPS devices, the 5310 was very clear and easier to understand than other units.
Unfortunately, the 5310 lacks vehicle profiles found on other devices. Also, it has no Bluetooth of voice command. Worse, during on-road testing, we found some performance quirks. Its route-calculation performance is sluggish and, oftentimes, it instructed us to use an alternate route that we had already passed. The device aadditionally had a tendency to lose the satellite signal at inopportunate times, which require us to wait for it to recalculate.-Rich Greech
source: Computer Shopper September 2008.
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