Magellan RoadMate 2045T-LM Portable GPS Navigator

• 4.3-inch touchscreen GPS navigator with lifetime traffic alerts, lifetime map updates, OneTouch favorites, and more
• Pre-loaded maps of the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico with six million searchable Points of Interest, highway exit POI search
• OneTouch favorites for instant access to your favorite places; AAA TourBook for informed choices on hotels, restaurants, and more
• Real-time, subscription-free traffic updates sent directly to your GPS unit; lifetime map upgrades for the latest maps
• Spoken street name guidance lets you keep your eyes on the road; Highway Lane Assist guides you to the best lane

I've owned and used GPS units from all three of the major manufactuers Garmin, TomTom and Magellan.

When it comes to interface Magellan units usually shine. The 2045T is no exception. However, as at least one reviewer noted, the edit function within the address book is not user friendly. That, however, is the least of my complaints about this unit. Before I get to my complaints, I want to mention the things that are great about this GPS.

Unlike my TomTom, Magellan GPS units are very logical as you enter in a destination. When you enter the first letter of the town or city it automatically starts to suggest places near your current location. If your near Bangor, Maine it doesn't suggest Boston. That's exactly what my TomTom does and it drives me insane. So Magellans are intuitive on this count.

Secondly, the AAA guidebook that comes with Megellan units is just great. It's perfect for finding stores, restaurants and attractions when you're in a place you don't already know. A major kudos for this.

Despite these great features, I have two major beefs.

One, there's something wrong with Magellan's software and how it determines fastest route. In the space of two days the unit failed to know the fastest route at least half a dozen times. These weren't just mapping errors, these were the unit's inability to just know that one route is faster than another. This is NOT a problem I've seen in any of the units I've used up until now, including older Magellans. These weren't major mistakes, but they added a minute here and there. On a long trip I could see them adding up.

The second beef I have is with the traffic function and estimated time of arrival. I'm self employed and part of my work is getting from place to place in a timely fashion. A few minutes late could actually result in lost income in my line of work. I was on my way to a business event and I followed the Magellan's suggested route that took me off the major highways. It was around 5pm in the Boston region so traffic was really bad. The Magellan gave me an ETA that indicated I'd only lose a couple of minutes due to traffic. So I followed its suggested route. It didn't work.

Instead of bumper to bumper traffic on the highway, I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on secondary roads. The ETA was off by almost 20 minutes. Thankfully I had built in enough buffer that this didn't harm my work. Nonetheless, it caused me to distrust the traffic function. There's no way I can know if it would have been faster to stay on the highway, the most direct route. All of which just creates more confusion.

I haven't used the traffic function on other GPS units so I can't compare the Magellan to other units. Fastest route, however, is something that's a glaring problem compared to other GPS units, including previous Magellan units I've used. I also have to be honest and say that the only GPS I've used that's just outright failed was a Magellan.

I like using a Magellan GPS and the 2045T is no exception. However, I have serious reservations about its usability. So with that I give it three stars.

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UPDATE

After using this GPS on dozens of trips I now cannot recommend this GPS even for its good points.

Here's why: This GPS simply does not know the fastest route if it involves secondary roads. It's hardwired to assume that highways, no matter how many extra miles, are faster. And in turn it adds massive amount of travel time to secondary roads.

The most glaring example of this was on a trip in which the GPS added an entire hour(!!!) to a route that didn't involve highways. Because the calculations are so lopsided the GPS unit refuses to adapt as you drive. It will insist on telling you to do a U-turn to "save time" when you're already a half hour into the actual shorter route. All other brands of GPS I've used quickly (usually within a couple of minutes) realize you've chosen a different way and recalculate. Not this GPS. It insists you've taken the wrong way and wants you to go back to the highway.

I now only reluctantly use this GPS when I'm in an unfamiliar area. Based on multiple experiences on roads I know well I have to assume that this GPS is not giving me the fastest route to my destination.

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: 4:59 Mins

Here's my video review, if you have any questions or something I didn't cover, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer!

UPDATE Nov.'10: On a recent trip to visit my parents, it alerted me to a car accident on the highway. It gave me a few options to detour and told me how long each one would take in comparison. Telling me there's an accident is helpful, but I absolutely ADORE the specifics with the timing.

Big Pros!:

I often use a traffic app on my iphone. So I'm sitting there with all these devices, all with different info. Now, with this GPS, it's got it all. Live traffic updates and I won't have to pay attention to multiple screens. In order to get the lifetime traffic updates for free, there are little banner ads now and then. They don't block the map or directions, so they don't bother me at all.

The screen is large and bright, and the voice is nice and loud. Sometimes I have issues hearing my garmin, with this I was only 1/2 way in the sound level and it was clear as a bell.

My garmin has a flip up antenna that I'm always convinced I'll eventually snap off. The Magellan is internal, so that makes me a lot more comfortable.

I LOVE the fact that it adjust so fast to wrong turns, but it doesn't shout "recalculating" at me, which really usually just makes you feel dumb that even with a GPS you're still going the wrong way. It just quickly decides the next best way to continue on my route. Sometimes my Garmin will send me on the most ridiculous back tracking journeys, the Magellan so far hasn't done that to me.

I love this Magellan RoadMate 2035 GPS top to bottom. In comparing it with my Garmin Nuvi 360, there are a couple features I did notice though that this doesn't have, which can be a con depending on what features are important to you.

security code: I lock my garmin only because people seem to steal GPS devices from cars quite often in my town. If someone were to steal my nuvi, they won't be able to use it(unless there's a way to break into them, which I'm not aware of). It just sits there asking for your password/security code.

My garmin links with my iphone by bluetooth to turn the GPS into a speaker phone, though it wasn't great quality, people used to say I sounded like I was in a tunnel. The Magellan isn't bluetooth capable.

My garmin lets you choose a variety of voices with a few different accents, most notably British or Australian. The garmin woman is just annoying to listen to, so I had it set to an Australian guy who was very pleasant. This Magellan is one voice, no choices. But so far she isn't grating on my nerves.

It didn't come with a little slip case. In the box there was the actual GPS, manual, window suction cup mount and charger. So now I'll have to find something to protect it when it's in my bag.

Read Best Reviews of Magellan RoadMate 2045T-LM Portable GPS Navigator Here

I have had this unit for a week now after returning a refurbished Garmin NUVI 1370 I had purchased from Amazon as well. The Magellan was heavily discounted and had decent reviews so I thought I would give another brand a try. This GPS does exatly what a GPS is designed to do, tells you where you are, and how to get where you are going. It reroutes within about 50 feet following a missed turn and provides you options for minimizing or maximizing highway use, fastest/shortest route, and avoiding toll roads. The touchscreen is much more responsive than the Garmin was and navigating the menus was very intuitive (I have yet to open the manual). The only negatives I have about this unit are there are occasional banner ads that pop up which I could definitely do without, in direct sunlight the screen gets washed out a bit but not to the point of being indecipherable. That being said, if you don't need bluetooth, MP3 player, voice recognition and a game player in your GPS, but just want a GPS that does its job and provides you with up to date traffic information, then this is what you are looking for.

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I have had two Garmin Nuvi 600 and Nuvi 660. The original Nuvi cost $500. The 660 a couple of years later cost me half as much. This Navigator comes in at a fraction of those models, and it has a more robust menu system, better screen brightness/resolution and features that make my Nuvi's antiquated. The integrated GPS in my Acura MDX is not even as user friendly as this model.

What comes in the box:

Navigation device

USB Cable

DC Charger

Cradle

Pros

Intuitive design

Fast startup

Easy to follow map and turn guidance prompts

Extensive menus

Expansive Points of Interests (POIs)

Lifetime map updates

Lifetime traffic alerts

Cons

Only one voice

No other selectable icons

Carrying case is not included

Setup:

For me, I have a Mac OS system which is not supported. I resorted to charging the unit and turning it on. The cradle is cumbersome. The power cable must be placed in the slot of the cradle and then the GPS must be guided along a track to snap into place. This is a two handed operation, unlike my Nuvi which can be released rather easily with one hand.

Use

First time the unit powers up, the satellite localization takes no longer than its competition (except for when it is compared to an integrated GPS in a vehicle). Subsequent startups are rather faster than a Garmin.

Finding points of interest (POIs) is rather easy, as well as entering destinations by address. The estimated time of arrival is at the bottom left of the screen, the toolbox for settings is in the bottom center of the screen, and the menu is accessible in the bottom right hand corner. Orientation of maps are heading up and north up, as well as 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional screens. One negative is the inability to change the icon from anything other than a triangle. The voice cannot be changed, either. Aside from those minimal quirks, this system is great.

Searching POIs by categories closest to your location is intuitive and really makes a great tool in those times necessitating spontaneity. Even searching for POIs by name worked with some obscure businesses in my smaller city. I was truly impressed with how quickly this works and I have found it to work for me when indoors (unlike my Nuvi).

On the screen, you can display certain icons to represent categories of POIs (such as Emergency, Shopping, Gas). As you drive, icons appear for shopping centers. If you click upon the icon, you can see what stores are in the certain shopping centers, including the telephone numbers. One of the most impressive features of this system is the AAA Tourbook which gives ratings and descriptions of POIs.

The free lifetime traffic alerts is a valuable feature. It gives guidance to avoid traffic when traveling. This won't work for those on a daily commute but it will help when traveling through areas that a user is unfamiliar. My area is not covered but my travels to areas that are covered will help when average speeds go down. Note that traffic is only available with the OEM DC power cable. If you don't use it, it won't work.

Turn by turn guidance is clear and a door chime notifies you exactly when to turn. At the top of the screen, the next turn is shown with the distance is displayed. Redirects are relatively quick but not as responsive as a Garmin Nuvi. Again, this is not a dealbreaker for a device at this price point.

Aside from serving as a GPS navigator, this unit is small and lightweight enough to be used on walking tours.

Construction:

The power button is located in the top center that slides to the left. The screen is 4.3 inches, bright and the touch screen is responsive. The housing is hard plastic which is durable feeling but it doesn't appear to be impact resistant. If dropped, this will likely break very easily.

Overall:

This device is a great value at its price point for lifetime maps, traffic updates and features.

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I purchased the Magellan RoadMate 2045T-LM after our last Magellan Roadmate stopped working. We also tried a more expensive Garmin nuvi 1450LMT and returned that one. The Magellan is easier to use and the only thing this doesn't have that the Garmin did was speed limits (nice feature) but saved $60 without it. The Magellan does better traffic as well, the detours are mediocre at best, but twice as good as the Garmin.

My big complaint is that I plugged it into my computer and it installed some new software (easy). The device refreshed with a new version of software (easy). Then it prompted me to upgrade my map from v41 to v43 (I purchased the device ~40 days ago) and it is telling me I need to pay $50 to upgrade maps! It says "Lifetime Maps" all over the box! I've tried to contact Magellan several times via email with no response. The website does not answer my question. I expected FREE lifetime maps, not $50 a pop Lifetime Maps. Extremely disappointed with this advertisement. FREE LIFETIME MAPS NOT INCLUDED.

Another complaint, the window mount is ridiculous. You have to attach the cord to the mount and then slide the device onto the mount and the power cord at the same time. I don't leave my device mounted due to the possibility of theft and thus have to redo this every time I use it (Garmin had a much slicker mount). The cord from our old Magellan broke, and this one seems sturdier, but at an extreme convenience cost.

The device still gets me from A to B, it stopped working for a day I don't know why but seems to be working fine now. The price was good ($120) and it is intuitive to use.