Magellan RoadMate 5375T-LMB GPS Receiver Review by Jeff Roy

I can’t remember the last time I pulled out a paper map to find my way somewhere. GPS receivers have been the norm for finding your way around for many years now and while more and more vehicles come with GPS receivers built in, those are still not the vast majority. And while it’s easy to pull out your cell phone for that functionality, it’s not the safest.   Stand alone receivers also give more features. Enter the Magellan RoadMate 5375T-LMB.

Features and specs:

·  3D Buildings: Selected buildings and landmarks are rendered in 3D to provide a more realistic view of your surroundings

·  Bluetooth: The Bluetooth connection turns your GPS device into a hands-free speaker phone

·  Free Lifetime Map Updates: Real-time, traffic updates sent directly to your GPS unit to avoid traffic jams and other delays.

·  Free Lifetime Traffic Alerts: Real-time traffic updates sent directly to your GPS unit to avoid traffic jams and other delays.

·  Portrait/Landscape Mode: Two viewing modes adapt to your personal viewing preference. Landscape mode provides an improved peripheral view of your surroundings; while Portrait mode provides an extended view of the road ahead.

·  Junction View: Realistic images of freeway signs and arrows guide you to the correct lane to make driving easier, safer and less stressful

·  Best Parking: Provides parking garage locations, hours of operation and directions to the entrance

·  Landmark Guidance: Receive directions using landmarks as your guide versus street names, making it a more intuitive way to navigate

·  5” Touch Screen Display: Large display with day and night views for easy visibility.

·  Traffic Camera Alerts by PhantomALERT: Receive audible and visual warnings of red light and speed cameras along your route

·  Speed Limit Warning: Manage your speed along your route with optional settings for visual and audible alerts

·  OneTouch™ Favorites Menu: Personalize your travel experience with icons of your favorite places and searches. Magellan’s exclusive OneTouch user interface offers ease-of-use and the detailed touches that deliver a superior user experience

·  Spoken Street Names: Hear the names of the streets called out in the voice navigation

·  Quickspell: Magellan's patented method of helping you enter in addresses correctly - even if you are not sure of the spelling

·  7 Million Points of Interest: Make it easy to find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, coffee shops, and much more

·  Highway Exit POIs: Find gas stations and rest areas along your route while you are navigating

·  Multi-Destination Routing: Plan your entire afternoon or driving vacation with all your stops in one route

·  Built-in Maps: A wealth of detail in millions of points of interest as you travel the 50 United States, Canada and Puerto Rico

·  Automatic re-route: Missed the turn? It happens to the best of us. Quickly get back on track with auto re-route

·  Customizable Route Method: Select shortest distance, fastest time, most use of freeways, or least use of freeways

·  Address Book: You can definitely get there from here! Create and store personal points of interest and skip repeated address entry.

·  Auto Night View: Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing

Device

·         Dimensions (English):  5.6" x 3.4" x .59"

·         Dimensions (Metric):  142 mm x 86 mm x 15 mm

·         Weight (English):  6.1 oz

·         Weight (Metric):  173 grams

·         Battery Type:  Li-ion (integrated)

·         Battery Life:  2 Hours

·         CameraNo

·         FlashlightNo

·         MicrophoneNo

·         Waterproofnoinfofound

·         Speaker:  Yes

·         Stereo Audio JackNo

·         Available User Storagenoinfofound

·         CPUnoinfofound

·         Expandable Memorynoinfofound

·         Temperature Range (F):  14F to 158F

·         Temperature Range (C):  -10C to 70C

·         Suspend ModeNo

·         Internal Memorynoinfofound

·         Audio/Video Input:  Yes

·         SD Slot:  Yes

·Water-Resistancenoinfofound

·Vibratenoinfofound

·Watch Modenoinfofound

·Package Contentsnoinfofound

Screen

·         Display Resolution:, WxHWQVGA

·         Screen Size:  5.0"

·         Display Type:  Color, Transmissive

·         Touch Screen:  Yes

·Invertible ScreenNo

GPS & Sensors

·         GPS Accuracy:  3-5 Meters

·         High-Sensitivity GPS:  Yes

·         Barometric Altimeternoinfofound

·         Temperaturenoinfofound

·         Antenna Type:  Multidirectional Patch

·3-Axis Electronic CompassNo

·External AntennaNo

·WAAS/EGNOS/MSASNo

·Percentage Gradenoinfofound

·G-sensor or Accelerometernoinfofound

Mapping & Navigation

·         Preloaded Maps:  US, Canada, Puerto Rico

·         Uploadable MapsNo

·         Points of Interest:  7M

·         Turn-by-Turn Routing:  Yes

·         Vertical ProfileNo

·         Area CalculationNo

·         Hunt & Fish CalendarNo

·         Sun & Moon InformationNo

·         Tide & Current TablesNo

·         Coordinates Systems & DatumsNo

·         User GridNo

·         Lifetime Traffic Alerts:  Yes

·         Highway Lane Assist:  Yes

·         Map Updates:  Lifetime

·         Multi-Destination Routing:  Yes

·         OneTouch Favorites Menu:  Yes

·         Speed Limits:  Yes

·         Spoken Street Names:  Yes

·         Audible Proximity Alarmsnoinfofound

·         Silent Proximity Alarmsnoinfofound

·         Traffic Wake-UpNo

·         Periodic ReportingNo

·         Branded POIs:  Yes

·         POIs Along Route:  Yes

·         Smart City Search:  Yes

·         Smart Detour:  Yes

·         QWERTY/ABCD Keyboard:  Yes

·         Find Your Car:  Yes

·         Pedestrian ModeNo

·         TourDirectorNo

·         Landscape/Portrait Mode:  Yes

·         Navionics? Map CompatibleNo

·         Good Sam/Trailer Life DirectoryNo

·         RV/Truck routeNo

·         Customize Vehicle ProfileNo

·         Breadcrumb NavigationNo

·         Back to Start/LocationNo

·         Landmark Guidance:  Yes

·         Portrait/Landscape modeNo

·         Bluetooth Safe TextingNo

·         Junction view:  Yes

·         Best Parking:  Yes

·         Traffic Camera Alerts by PhantomALERT:  Yes

·Yelp IntegrationNo

·Foursquare IntegrationNo

·Gas PricesNo

·WeatherNo

·Active Route Pausenoinfofound

·Customizable Screensnoinfofound

·Backtrack Navigationnoinfofound

·Data & Route Recordingnoinfofound

·Surprise Me™noinfofound

·Coordinates EntryNo

·Truck POIsNo

·RV Dump StationsNo

·Advance Weather & AlertsNo

·Yellow Sign AlertsNo

·Toll Booth AlertsNo

Camera

·Imaging Sensornoinfofound

·Resolutionnoinfofound

·Vertical View anglenoinfofound

·Horizontal View anglenoinfofound

·Output Imagenoinfofound

·Power Supplynoinfofound

·Ingress Ratingnoinfofound

·Dimensionsnoinfofound

·Weightnoinfofound

·Operating Temperaturenoinfofound

Transmitter

·Frequencynoinfofound

·RF Output Powernoinfofound

·Power Supplynoinfofound

·Current Consumptionnoinfofound

·Weather Proofnoinfofound

·Operating Temperaturenoinfofound

·Dimensionsnoinfofound

·Weightnoinfofound

Receiver

·Receiver Sensitivitynoinfofound

·Power Supplynoinfofound

·Current Consumptionnoinfofound

·Operating Temperaturenoinfofound

·Dimensionsnoinfofound

·Weightnoinfofound

User Generated Content

·Accepts GPX FilesNo

·Waypointsnoinfofound

·Routesnoinfofound

·Geocachesnoinfofound

·Legs Per Routenoinfofound

·Paperless GeocachingNo

·Picture ViewerNo

·Tracksnoinfofound

·Points Per Tracknoinfofound

·User Data Online SharingNo

·Activity Historynoinfofound

·Activity Totalsnoinfofound

·Lapsnoinfofound

·Locations/WaypointsNo

·File Formatnoinfofound

·Magellan Active CompatibleNo

·Third-Party Website CompatlbleNo

·User LoginNo

·Driving status & reportNo

·Stores Waypointsnoinfofound

·Stores Tracksnoinfofound

·Stores Routesnoinfofound

Training

·Core Fitness DataNo

·Training AlertsNo

·Auto PauseNo

·Auto LapNo

·Customizable Activity Profilesnoinfofound

·Customizable Activity ScreensNo

·Quick Info ScreensNo

·Multisport ModeNo

·Activity PacerNo

·Heart Rate Based Calorie CalculationNo

·Quick StartNo

Interface & Communications

·         Communication Protocolnoinfofound

·         USB Port:  USB 2.0

·         NMEA Outputnoinfofound

·         PC Compatible:  Yes

·         MAC Compatible:  Yes

·         Bluetooth:  Yes

  

The Magellan RoadMate 5375T-LMB came in a nice looking, color printed box. Opening the box revealed all the accessories including the owner’s manual, power cord, and window mount. The construction was mostly plastic, a very good quality and very good fit and finish. Build quality was very good, as it appeared and felt solid while holding it in my hand.  The layout was very functional and easy to use. On the top is the power button. A single speaker was on the back with other connections on the side. The connections were for; power, AV and micro SD card. This allows you to use it as a stand alone longer for video or for photos.

I really liked the features on the Magellan RoadMate 5375T-LMB. All GPS receivers will give you the ability to find locations as well as points of interest. Many will also include lifetime free map updates. The Magellan RoadMate 5375T-LMB also includes this feature. But a less common feature that is also found on the Magellan RoadMate 5375T-LMB are the red light and speed cameras warnings. Unless you like getting tickets, this is a very handy feature to have!

I was excited to put the Magellan RoadMate 5375T-LMB to the test.  Having reviewed their products in the past, Magellan has yet to disappoint. And having now reviewed their 5375T-LMB,  I can say that is still true. The speaker was sufficiently loud, even at it’s preset level, so I didn’t have to adjust it at all. The audible directions were easy to understand and follow, although some of the pronunciations were amusing. I used it on a trip to Vegas, and in one set of directions I was told to take the Reno exit, but it was pronounced like Re-Now exit. Nothing against the product, just an amusing twist. Lane guidance was also very nice. The audible directions told us which lane to be in and the display will also clearly tell you which lane to use for where you need to go. I also completely forgot about the stop light camera feature, until once approaching a stop light, I received an audible warning, “stop light camera ahead.” I never had a problem with misdirection after entering in an address and setting it on task to get me there. And for a GPS receiver, that’s one of the best complements you can give.

I guess you could say, I was pleasantly unsurprised with the Magellan RoadMate 5375T-LMB.  Magellan makes an excellent product that works well and as advertised. That is what I have come to see with present and past Magellan products. Their reputation is important and they don’t just sit on past laurels. They are a company I would consider a safe bet. If you are looking for a particular product and don’t know who to buy, Magellan is always a safe choice. That is why I said I was pleasantly unsurprised. It is what I have come to expect from Magellan. Based on their design features, quality, and performance. They have earned our Highly Recommended award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.magellangps.com.