Magellan RoadMate 700

Performance of Magellan RoadMate 700

We connected the RoadMate 700 to the docking cradle and the mounting device, which then attaches the device to the vehicle's air conditioning vents. On our Ford F-150, this was a bit tricky since the vents swivel; we were never able to achieve a solid mount, and the RoadMate swung freely each time we hit a bump or made a sharp turn. Fortunately, Magellan has corrected this and will provide a suction-cup mount on all new units. After plugging the 12-volt adapter into the cigarette lighter and powering up, we were ready to roll.

On our road tests, the RoadMate 700 performed flawlessly, acquiring a strong satellite lock within 45 seconds and accurately pinpointing our position on the display. Through the POI database, we searched for and found a local state park, created a "shortest distance" route, and hit the road. The RoadMate's voice-guided directions were clear and right on the money. They also gave us ample warning for upcoming turns and a tone alarm when the turn should be made. If you miss part of the voice directions, press the Replay button on the top of the unit to repeat the command, or select the View button to see a text-based version or a 3D view of the next turn. It's hard to miss upcoming turns, as the TrueView 3D screen pops up before each turn and shows an exploded view of the intersection, as well as the direction of your route. When we purposely veered off course, the RoadMate recalculated our route within seconds.