Magellan Maestro 4200 personal navigation device

Magellan Maestro 4200 personal navigation device - Review

Thin and light navigation

Pros: Quick to use and to calculate routes; Small unit

Cons: Only one region; No extras

Bottomline: Does its job well, but cheaper devices are available that do more

Vista compatibility: Yes

Manufacturer: Magellan

Buy it online at:

Magellan's new range of satellite-navigation products is being sold on the line that they're the slimmest such devices around. We can believe that – the 4200 looks great, with unspoiled lines and a slimline design – but looks aren't everything.

The Maestro 4200 is otherwise relatively basic: it includes navigation, of course, with full postcode searching, and information on speed cameras. That's pretty much it, though. There's a 'Marco Polo' travel guide, but this only extends to major sights in capital cities – you need to pay to unlock the rest of it.

The unit can work in any region of Europe (but no more than one): at the beginning the user must select one (the UK and Ireland for us) and it's then locked in permanently, so get that wrong and you're in trouble.

Navigation was simple, and the touch-sensitive screen was responsive and fast. It was also pretty quick to calculate directions and to pick a new route when we had deviated.

Although there's no Bluetooth connection for your phone, or traffic updates, there are speed camera warnings and the ability to set a route plan. The Magellan Maestro 4200 is certainly portable, and it does its job well, but some of its competitors include more features for a similar price.