Magellan RoadMate 2045 4.3 Inch Widescreen Bluetooth GPS Navigator Review

The Magellan RoadMate 2045 is the flagship model of Magellan’s 2000 line of portable vehicle GPS navigators for 2010. As the flagship model it has a host of premium features topped by a large 4.3 inch touch screen display with Auto Night View for the best color and contrast for easy night viewing. Magellan have offered excellent value by combing free lifetime traffic updates with the built-in traffic receiver helping drivers avoid traffic jams, detours and construction zones. Other key features include; multi-destination routing, spoken street name guidance, highway lane assist and the built-in AAA TourBook.

Magellan RoadMate 2045 GPS Navigator

A useful but often overlooked function available with the Magellan RoadMate 2045 is Backup and Restore which provides a way of storing the address book and other data on an optional micro SD card inserted in your Magellan RoadMate receiver (bottom left edge). Once backed up the data can be restored at any time. It should be noted that the restore process replaces existing data so you need to keep your backups up to date.

Selecting a Destination

Selecting a destination with the Magellan RoadMate 2045 starts at the main menu which displays the following buttons:

Address: Enter an address using the on-screen keypad. QuickSpell narrows your address and city searches, as you type, making entering a destination quicker.

Points of Interest (POI): Provides access to a large database of preloaded POI. There are 6 million POI covering gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, coffee shops, and many more.

Previous List: provides a list of the most recent destinations which can be chosen again.

Address Book: addresses and destinations stored in the Address Book can be accessed to set as a destination

Intersection: Locations are often remembered as being on or near to an intersection and this option allows you to enter these details.

City Center: When traveling between cities this provides a simple way quickly select a city without having to know a specific address within it. When selected the route provided is to the geographical center of the city.

Settings: Provides a sub-menu of functions to customize the Magellan RoadMate to your personal requirements.

Current Location: Displays information about your position including the street name, names of streets forward and behind you as well as the Lat/Long information for your position.

OneTouch Interface

Other Features of the Magellan RoadMate 2045

Spoken Street Names and Directions improves safety by allowing the driver to keep their eyes on the road.

Highway Lane Assist shows realistic highway signs to make it easier to position your car in the correct lane in time for a turn.

Highway exit POIs Search an excellent tool for the traveler to finds gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more near upcoming highway exits.

Multi-destination Routing lets you plan your trip with multiple stops. It’s possible to choose the order or have the RoadMate automatically create an optimized route.

Route Customization allows customization of route calculation by setting a preference for the shortest distance, fastest time, most use of freeways, or least use of freeways

Automatic Re-route if you miss a turn the Magellan RoadMate will automatically calculate a new route to get you back on track.

The Magellan RoadMate is preloaded with NAVTEQ maps for the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The maps preloaded vary with the country of purchase.

Battery life is not especially long at 2 hours and it will takes 4 to 6 hours to reach a full charge.

Review Summary – Magellan RoadMate 2045 Commuter

Magellan’s RoadMate 2045 is an easy to use portable GPS navigation unit to use with plenty of navigation options and a large 4.3 inch display. Magellan have offered excellent value by combing free lifetime traffic updates with the built-in traffic receiver helping drivers avoid traffic jams, detours and construction zones. Other key features include; multi-destination routing, spoken street name guidance, highway lane assist and the built-in AAA TourBook providing ratings and descriptions on AAA approved places to stay, play, dine, and save. If you would like a larger screen then have a look at our review of the Magellan RoadMate 3065 Commuter with a 4.7 inch screen.