Magellan 4250 details plus
owner Ratings and Reviews

A 4.3" wide screen and ultra thin design makes the Magellan 4250 a great mid-priced, take along GPS in the lineup of Magellan GPS units. The Magellan 4250 includes some very useful features. "SayWhere", normally known as text to speech, enables the unit to tell you where and what direction to turn and also will tell you the name of the street you need to turn on.

Another new addition is the "Voice Command" which allows the user to communicate with the Maestro 4250 via voice. A desirable attribute of this feature is the ability to start communication without having to press a button or touch the screen. To activate "Voice Command" you simply say "Magellan" and the unit will "wake up" and be ready for your command. On the down side, you can only use commands from their list and the unit will not recognize addresses.

The Magellan 4250 comes with preloaded maps of North America and Puerto Rico. The maps may be viewed in 2D or 3D. With "TrueView" you can view a split screen giving detail to turning instructions.

Routing can be done by various means. The Points of Interest have interactive icons that will create a route to that location by clicking on it. Of course you can still enter the address of your destination. "QuickSpell" is an intuitive feature that will complete the entry and even correct your spelling. You can customize your route by specifying whether you want the fastest route, shortest, most economical, etc. You can also request to avoid freeways, tolls and more. A unique routing feature from Magellan is "SmartDetour" which may be customized to activate when you are stuck in traffic and will create a detour around the problem. "AutoReroute" will get you back on course if you miss a turn or take a wrong turn.

The Magellan 4250 comes with a 3 month trial subscription to "Magellan Live Traffic". This service will alert you with traffic conditions that may delay your trip. Simply touch the icon of the traffic incident and you will be rerouted around the hold up. After the trial period, you will have to subscribe to the service if you wish it to continue. As this service does not cover all areas you may wish to check the coverage list to ascertain if your driving area is covered. Magellan Traffic service area.

Other features included with this unit are "AAA TourBook" which lists enhanced descriptions of restaurants, lodging, etc. Six million points of interest are also preloaded in the unit with interactive icons. A SD card slot has been included, however the SD card must be purchased separately. The Magellan 4250 also includes Bluetooth which enables the user to make hands free cell phone calls on compatible phones. Check the following link to see if your phone is compatible with the system: Bluetooth compatible phones.

All in all, the Magellan Maestro 4250 has a number of very desirable features. The "Voice Command" falls a little short. The ability to verbally input addresses would be nice. You may want to read the Magellan GPS instructions for this unit regarding the use of this feature. Magellan GPS Instructions for the Magellan 4250

Magellan GPS Review: No matter what a professional reviewer has to say, there is nothing like hearing the facts from an actual owner, who purchased the Magellan 4250 with their own money and have used it in their everyday life. Below are some of those reviews.

Owner Reviews

Amazon:

By Constance Franklin, March 7, 2009

I love it as a tool but blanks out after driving for more than half an hour. It stops and asks "say a command"... then we need to reboot it. If you drive alone, this could be dangerous.

By Geoffrey R. Swanson, March 3, 2009

Unique features, good performance, some quirks

I bought this Magellan 4250 GPS about a year ago for $299, so the price today seems to be a real bargain. There were some initial problems with the software which were fixed by a free update. A more recent update further improved routing calculation time and on screen graphics.

The best features of this model are:
1. Logical, easy to use interface.
2. Lots of POIs, AAA information and features (if you're a member)
3. Clear, easy to follow verbal instructions with appropriate warning of upcoming maneuvers and good text-to-speech for street names.
4. Split screen view shows a close-up, simplified view of complicated intersections, and a chime (like a doorbell) tells you when to turn and which way (decreasing ding-dong for left, increasing dong-ding for right). Both of these features are very useful and are unique to this product line.

The worst features are:
1. Screen is easily washed out in the sun, too bright at night (even at it's lowest setting).
2. Voice Control feature is very limited.
3. Bluetooth hands-free phone feature is limited, dependent on compatability with your phone, and it's difficult to know if yours will work well before you buy it and try.
4. Map update is expensive ($79).

By Christiana, February 17, 2009

This GPS is not our favorite. It looks very nice, but lacks some in ease of use. It is voice activated, so often when we're talking or the radio is playing, it will try to do something different. It is very difficult to search for restaurants or other points of interest near the current location. I am not sure if this is a feature of the Magellan's or just this version. We have used lots of GPS systems, but this is the most difficult to do anything other than just going from point to point.

By D. Boyd, February 11, 2009

Shortly after purchasing the GPS system, we took 2 trips of more than 1000 miles in length. System was very easy to set up and use. It was very helpful and worked flawlessly.

Best Buy:

By LorenT, 11/03/2008

What's great about it: Big Screen
What's not so great: Freezes up, Can't send back to Factury for warranty repairs

Unit froze four times then finally stayed froze. The unit is still under warranty but can't get factory address to send it back. This Magellan Maestro 4250 is a big laugh.

By joeym, 10/23/2008

What's great about it: big screen, touch screen
What's not so great: on occasions it is hard to turn on

My only 2 complaints are that to put in a street name you have to know the zip code or the city. If I could type the street name and it give me an option of the city(ies) it would make this unit hard to beat. And If I could manually enter longitude. and Latitude that would be an extra bonus. I like the text to speech feature. I wish the screen would get darker for nighttime operation. It can be a distraction driving at night.

By CDep, 10/14/2008

What's great about it: Lots of options, big screen, up to date maps, voice commands
What's not so great: Very slow refresh, freezes up frequently, doesn't remember previous address

I have had this unit for about a year now, and have overall been happy with it but think you can get just as good if not a better unit for the same price.

Owner Ratings

Magellan 4250

Amazon:

389 Reviews
5 star = (151)
4 star = (106)
3 star = (44)
2 star = (34)
1 star = (54)

Test Freaks: 200 reviews: 6.2 out of possible 10

Best Buy: 62 reviews: 3 out of possible 5

Magellan 4250 Specifications

Introduced: October 2007
Unit dimensions: 5.64" W x 3.61" H x 0.79" D
Screen size: 4.3" diag
Display resolution: 480 x 272
Display type: WQVGA color touch screen
Weight: 6.9 ounces
Memory available for map storage: Secure Digital (SD) card compatible
Antenna type: Integrated multidirectional patch
Battery: Li-Ion rechargeable 1200ma
Battery life: Up to 3 hours

What's in the Box:

Magellan 4250 receiver
Pre-Loaded Maps for 50 United States, Puerto Rico and Canada
Windshield mount and adhesive disc
Cigarette lighter power adapter (12-24 volts)
USB data cable
AC power adapter
Protective Pouch
Basic Cradle
Quick reference guide and CD

Note: The state of Minnesota prohibits the installation of portable GPS units on the windshield of your vehicle.

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