Maestro 3225... very capable

[jhouck]

If anyone is looking for a very capable, no frills GPS that is easy to use, slips into your pocket and performs well, the Maestro 3225 may fit the bill.

I just returned from a 5500 mile cross country trip using my wife's (borrowed) 3225. I haven't replaced my Roadmate 760 yet and needed a GPS for the trip so I appropriated hers.

To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised. The 3225 doesn't have Bluetooth, Voice Command or multi-media capabilities, but it does have up to date NAVTEQ maps of the US and Canada, trip planning and SayWhere for navigation.

I generally run the same routes on this trip so I was able to check the 3225 routing against my own. I would say the 3225 hit the same routes about 95% of the time, including an unusual route in the Memphis area. Overall, the maps were very accurate, each time placing me literally right on the doorstep of my destination and announced it on the left or right accurately. I intentionally drove past a turn to my consignee and the 3225 re-routed me within seconds.

Because I drive an OTR semi-truck, I have to be careful of "low overhead" and "restricted truck routes". I use a combination of "Most Use of Highways" and "Shortest Distance" to reach my end points and the technique works very well. I generally use highways to get within 15-20 miles of my destination and then recalculate the route using "Shortest Distance". Zooming in facilitates my decisions on the final approach.

Another nice feature is that you can touch the screen and then "drag" the bullseye to your destination. Once there, you can zoom in and check out the access routes *before* you get there. The 3225 also has a "simulator" mode and you can adjust the number of miles from your present location that you want the simulator to start at.

The "locate" feature is super! Touch an icon on the main screen and the 3225 will display your present location. You can then add the location to your address book or favorites using a simple to use interface. I use this feature a lot when I want to add a location as a name, instead of just an address. I can then choose the destination by name instead of having to input the street address each time. Very handy.

The unit initializes within a few seconds and locked satellites usually in <10 seconds. The unit was attached to my windshield with the supplied suction cup mount and didn't budge the entire trip.
The display is very bright, almost too bright at night despite setting the brightness at the lowest setting. I found that by tilting the 3225 slightly from the vertical, the display contrast was very good and the brightness was reduced slightly due to the off-axis viewing of the LCD. I use the 2D map view almost exclusively and it was very easy to read, even with my poor eyesight. Very nice for a 3.5" screen.

Other features, touching the "satellite strength" icon in the upper right hand corner brings up a screen showing you graphically, the number of satellites and their relative positions to your position. I never once experienced any problems with locking satellites but the display was cool to look at...

Touching the "turn" icon in the lower left corner brings up the "turn by turn" route info along with mileage and time remaining numbers.

BTW, the 3225 touch screen was very responsive and the icons were sufficiently large enough to activate, even with my big clumsy fingers.

As far as the Address entering, favorites and previous destination menus and features, they all worked perfectly and without complaint. I really like the "QuickSpell" feature that "grays out" unusable letters when entering addresses. It will also display a "range" of street numbers associated with the street. This is nice if for instance you are looking for say, 2501 North Main street and North Main only has street numbers from 1 to 1500. Perhaps the destination in on "South Main" instead and you can check it out before you commit your route. This happens a lot to truck drivers... trust me!

The 3225 has a 1.3 million POI database and for me, that is fine. I generally stop in truck stops and don't need the AAA data or all the other POI stuff.

As an aside, I had to stop in Charlotte, NC for a couple of hours to have a repair made. It was late and I hadn't eaten so I whipped out the 3225 (which was in my pocket) and used the "Exit POI" feature. I typed in "Pizza Hut" and the 3225 gave me 3 that were close by, ranked by distance. I called the closest (the telephone # was displayed) and found they did delivery. Pizza for dinner!

I really can't say I have any "hard" negatives about the 3225.
The only feature I wish it had was the ability to choose different color schemes like my older 760 did. I generally prefer "darker" colors, such as the 3225 changes to at night and would like to use that scheme as a default. A minor quibble to be sure...

It would also be nice if the 12vdc power cable would attach to the GPS mount instead of the unit to facilitate removing the GPS simpler. Again, a minor gripe...

The 3225 has a number of other nice features, like the details of the map when you zoom in, a very selectable list of POI icons you can display, etc, I could go on. The bottom line is this: The Maestro 3225 is a nice solid GPS for one who wishes for a balance of performance, convenience and portability IMO. While it may lack "features" like Bluetooth, it performs very well in what a GPS is designed to do.

Cheers!

[luv2review]

I have made 6 Million POI data for Magellan 3225 since last Nov.
I am not sure if it is okay to post on this board.
But you can google it at Anandtech Board under user name "TimeKeeper"

[jhouck]

An update: I just returned from a 2 day run in Los Angeles, using the 3225 to provide routing. I made 16 different stops all over the greater LA area and the 3225 performed very, very well IMO. Again, I use the "Most Use of Freeways" and "Shortest Distance" algorithms together to reach my destinations due to the fact I drive a semi-truck and have to avoid some streets due to restrictions.

The satellite lock up was quick <5 seconds even in the downtown area and the map detail and accuracy was spot on. Only once did I see a street displayed that didn't exist and it was of no consequence anyway.

On one particular destination in Fullerton, the 3225 really impressed me as it nailed the address dead on despite some rather convoluted streets and the intrusion of an adjacent rail line.

I would certainly recommend this GPS to anyone looking for a solid "no frills" unit.

[Marc]

Costco now has the 3225 on sale for 149 bucks.

[gooberlx]