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- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 107 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
3.0 stars
"Good, not great"
Pros: Big, bright screen, big hard drive
Cons: Out of date maps, poor rural directions
Summary: I have had the Roadmate 700 for almost a year and use it frequently on trips throughout Texas and New Mexico. I researched all the similar GPS Units before I bought it and think I made the right choice at the time. It has a large hard drive with a huge data base of roads, POIs, etc. The screen is bright and easy to see, even in full daylight. It comes on and locates the satellites fast. Overall, I am happy with it except for two problems:
1) The maps are out of date. There have been many times I have noticed that roads and freeways been built and exits changed that are not reflected on the maps. Some of these changes are as much as 10 years old. In one case, I was trying to get to an address and found that the entire subdivision I was looking for was not in the Roadmate at all. The subdivision was 14 years old and the entire area was just shown on the map as vacant land when I finally found my way there without help. Magellan has an update for sale on their website, but, based on the description, I don't think it corrects any of these problems.
2) It doesn't know the difference between paved and dirt roads. If you select the "shortest distance" option, at least in a rural area, the Roadmate will take you down dirt roads and through some very "senic" county to your destination. By contrast, if you select the "shortest time" option, it will take you WAY out of the way to keep you on major highways; as much as 40 miles in a 200 mile trip. It doesn't result in the shortest time as the other (paved) roads are not any slower than the roads it selected.
I wish there was a way to actually compare the newer units to see if the maps were any more up-to-date and how they calculated routes.
- 1 reply to this review
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Have to agree with cdharris on both points.
Purchased the unit over the weekend and took it out today. Got directions to roads that haven't existed for 15 years, directions to go down dirt roads, went to places in 10-year old subdivisions that weren't on the unit, and told to go 15 miles out of my way 'cause that was the quickest route to a destination 10 miles away by shortest route, which it couldn't even find.
The map isn't even accurate for my subdivision, which has been around for 35 years.
And the swivel at the end of the windshield mount is not tight enough to hold the unit upright when driving.
Overall, very disappointed in the unit. Will return it tomorrow if I can.
Where to buy
Magellan RoadMate 700:
$1,199.00
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$1,199.00 | Yes |
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