Magellan Maestro 3140 review

UPDATE: There is a new line of thinner and lighter Magellan Maestros being introduced.

The Magellan Maestro 3140 is part of Magellan’s new line up of GPS navigators. Like the Magellan Maestro 3100, It comes with a 3.5" touch screen and the SiRFstar III chipset. Unlike the 3100, the Maestro 3140 has Bluetooth for hands-free cell phone use, live traffic as an add-on option, and it calls out street names for upcoming turns, so you’ll get "turn right on Main Street" instead of just "turn right."

The 3140 has pre-loaded maps of the entire U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, while the 3100 just has the lower 48 states.  A big difference, in my mind, is that the 3140 has 4.5 million points of interest (POIs), versus an anemic 750,000 POIs for the entry-level 3100.

Moving up to the Magellan Maestro 4000 series gets you a 4.3" wide-screen interface.

UPDATE: A newer lineup, the Maestro 3200 and 4200 series, is a little thinner and lighter than the original Maestros.

To see how the 3140 stacks up against other units, check out my Magellan auto GPS comparison chart.

Compare prices on the Magellan Maestro 3140

Before we hear from others, here’s a snippet of Amazon’s Magellan Maestro 3140 review:

"With built-in AAA travel information, the Maestro 3140 gives you instant access to the most trusted source for trip planning, searchable AAA TourBook® listings, Show Your Card & Save® locations for member discounts, approved auto repair facilities, attractions, events, and more. The Maestro 3140 also provides AAA members roadside assistance details, with exact location and a toll-free number. Plus, the Maestro is Bluetooth-enabled so you can connect your Bluetooth cell phone directly to AAA for immediate help when you need it most.

Note: AAA member roadside assistance requires AAA membership."

More Magellan Maestro 3140 reviews

• Numerous consumer-authored Magellan Maestro 3140 reviews have been posted at Amazon.
• Scott at GPS Lodge has posted a Magellan Maestro 3140 review.
• GPS Magazine does their typically thorough job in their Magellan Maestro 3140 review, pronouncing the verdict "solid performance, feature packed."
• Several consumer-authored Magellan Maestro 3140 reviews have been posted at CNet.
• There are also Magellan Maestro 3140 Compact Bluetooth Automotive GPS System
  reviews posted at TigerGPS.

I’ll be posting more hands on GPS reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some…

Other Magellan Maestro 3140 resources

• A PDF version of the Magellan Maestro 3140 owners manual.
• There is a Magellan Maestro message forum at GpsPasSion.
• There is also a Magellan GPS message forum at Yahoo, and an alt.satellite.gps.magellan UseNet group.
• Our other Magellan Maestro reviews.

Compare prices on the Magellan Maestro 3140 at these merchants:

• Check the current Magellan Maestro 3140 price at Amazon.
• Buy the
  Magellan Maestro 3140 Compact Bluetooth Automotive GPS System
  at TigerGPS, where you get free shipping on orders above $250.
• Check out the deal on a
  Magellan Maestro 3140 GPS
  at REI.
• Find the
  Thales Magellan Maestro 3140 Automobile Navigator
  at TheNerds.net.
• Get the Magellan Maestro 3140 for an amazing price on eBay.

From the official Magellan Maestro web page:

Magellan® Maestro™ 3140 offers advanced, premium navigation at an affordable price. The most intuitive graphical 3.5" touch-screen interface available makes navigation easy. Enter virtually any destination and get turn-by-turn voice guidance to anywhere in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. 4.5 million preprogrammed points of interest help you find your destination even when you don’t know the address. Smart touch-icons and Magellan’s unique QuickSpell™ function enable error-free spelling, minimizing steps, so you get a customized route to your destination with just a few touches of the screen.

Plus, integrated travel information from AAA TourBook® guide travel information gives you instant access to service details and Diamond ratings from the world’s leading travel expert. Quickly
find AAA approved lodgings and restaurants, member roadside assistance¹, and discounts available through the AAA Show Your Card & Save® program1.  Not an AAA member?  Click here to learn more about AAA member benefits and join today.

Touch the tow truck icon to quickly connect to AAA member Roadside Assistance¹ using your compatible Bluetooth® phone. The screen tells you where you are to quickly direct reliable AAA help to your location.

Choose the 2D or 3D view and see your location, route, direction, next turn, destination and more. SayWhere™ text-to-speech tells you street names for each turn for worry-free navigation. Bluetooth® hands-free calling adds safety and convenience to your drive when using your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone.

Maestro 3140 is designed for those who enjoy precision technology with style! It has been created by Magellan; the first name in navigation™, and built on years of experience providing the best in GPS navigation and feedback from the millions of users of the Magellan RoadMate and Hertz NeverLost systems.

Use the optional Maestro 3140 traffic receiver accessory to have LIVE traffic incident reports delivered to your device to help you find a new route.

¹ Requires AAA Membership.

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